ponyvangelist

No one is being forced to watch Equestria Girls, and the showrunners have already made it clear it will have no impact whatsoever on Friendship is Magic. Thus someone who would stop being a fan of our little ponies because of this never really was a fan to begin with. And whatever they might choose to do, I don't fear it.

Fast Times At Hasbro High The trailer serves only to remind me that a great many brilliant people are working on a project whose founding premise galls me. That is, for me at least, what is most bittersweet about Equestria Girls. Why not put all that money and talent into Equestria itself? A movie about the Mane Six in pony form would pack theaters without breaking a sweat, yet instead we have this. I feel less puzzled when I consider we're dealing with Hasbro here, and Hasbro is, first and foremost, a toy company. Thus I must theorize that Equestria Girls represents, more than anything else, an attempt to expand the reach of the My Little Pony franchise into the tween/teen merchandise market. The fact that I can't blame them for wanting to tap into such a potentially lucrative revenue stream, and must grudgingly admire the thinking behind doing so (from a business standpoint, at least, if not an artistic one), only rubs salt into my aesthetic wounds. On the bright side, I can be content with the silver lining of knowing some truly gifted cast and crew members are at least going to make some money off this. Hopefully not so much that this spin-off concept eclipses Friendship is Magic itself, but I pray enough to make it worthwhile and help pay the bills. I'm finding that I definitely I don't like the idea of our little ponies in a human world any more than I like the idea of humans in Equestria, but despite my own misgivings about the project, I most certainly harbor no ill will toward anyone involved and sincerely wish them the very best in their endeavors.

Taking The Goods With The Babs Nothing to feel babs about (nyuck nyuck), it's a very close pun. If it helps, I like to think of her as "Barbara Seed". And she's Just. So. Cute!

Twilight Sparkle, Princess Of Magic Fig. 1: Yes yes yes YESSSS! Twilight received her cutie mark when her magical powers awakened, not because she made friends or commanded the Elements of Harmony. It is strongly implied she did already have some sort of connection with her future friends at that point, with Rainbow's first Sonic Rainboom triggering key life-changing events for all of them as fillies. But their actual friendship and acquisition of the Elements came many years later, long after each discovered their special talents. Indeed, at the beginning of the series, Twilight was anything but skilled in the ways of friendship, but she still had her cutie mark, and thus her special talent. In Boast Busters, Twilight and Spike discuss the fact that her special talent is magic. But perhaps most telling of all, Twilight's element is the Element of Magic. Fig. 2: The Crown of the Element of Magic. The mysterious Sixth Element, the Element of Magic, would only appear when the other five elements were present and ignited by the spark which resides in the heart of us all. And the Element of Magic, like all the other elements, matches the cutie mark of its bearer. As her trials against Discord proved, Twilight could not command the power of Friendship alone, nor could she command the Elements of Harmony without the true commitment of her friends. Neither Friendship or Harmony are hers alone to control, only Magic. And though Friendship and Harmony were necessary for Twilight to complete Star Swirl's unfinished masterpiece, she became a princess because she created new magic. That was her "doctoral thesis", if you will: completing that spell. Of course I could be wrong, and I know other fans may disagree (which is always fine), but I think the case is strongest for Princess of Magic. Thus I believe Twilight Sparkle is the Princess of Magic. Five White Orbiting Stars Versus Six Fig. 3: Six white stars. What do they symbolize? Meanwhile, since we're on the subject, the question of Twilight Sparkle's cutie mark gaining a sixth orbiting star upon her transformation to an alicorn intrigues me. Though I believe there's been talk (officially?) that the six white stars are an animation error, they appear in Twilight's transformation sequence and on the royal banners carried by her heralds at her coronation, so it's a pretty extended error if that is the case. Will they keep the six stars in Season Four, or revert everything, including Twilght's royal emblem, to five stars? I don't know. But I've always thought of the five stars as symbolizing the other five Elements: Twilight's friends. As others have speculated (and beyond the scope of this topic, I'm sure), maybe that sixth white star might mean something more than a designer's desire for symmetry. Perhaps a great deal more, like another friend and element, perhaps? Or not. I guess we'll know in about six months.

Personally, I think Meghan's winging it today. Meanwhile, if there was ever a day for Tara to come out and tweet something serious, this would be the day.

Cadence Or Cadance? The confusion regarding the spelling of Princess Cadance's name is understandable, considering that Hasbro seems rather confused about it themselves. As TailsIsNotAlone pointed out, it used to be "Cadence", and indeed that's how she was credited in the first two episodes of Season Three, so even as late as that, official sources spelled her name "Cadence" -- though that's probably due to communication lapses between Hasbro and DHX (or whoever does the credits). Britt McKilip is credited as "Princess Cadance" in S03E12, however, so they apparently caught the error. There has also been a mixed bag of spellings in promotional materials and product packaging, further confounding the matter. Later spellings (and most product packaging) use the "Cadance" spelling, and it seems to be the "official" spelling (when Hasbro remembers it), so I've standardized on "Cadance" myself. However, I don't blame anyone who prefers "Cadence" and try not to be too parochial about it. More on the subject for us OCD types... Friendship is Magic Wiki: Princess Cadance "Cadance" is an actual name for girls, but not a popular choice: ThinkBabyNames.com: Cadance I'm guessing it's also not very popular among fans, but "Cadence" or "Cadance", I'm okay with it. She's still a better character than I expected her to be. Anypony who can help Twilight to chillax is pretty cool in my book.

The Long Game "If you try to please everypony, you oftentimes end up pleasing nopony, especially yourself." -- Twilight Sparkle People who can't accept you for who you really are don't deserve the blessing of your company. Yes, cultural norms tend to dictate that adults shouldn't like a cartoon featuring talking ponies, but it wasn't that long ago that people of all ages packed theaters to watch all sorts of cartoons featuring talking animals on the big screen, including a very rich and famous mouse, a smartalecky rabbit, a wiley coyote, a panther (pink, no less), bumbling bears, daffy ducks, crazy cats and just about everything Hanna Barbera could slap a hat and tie on. Lauren Faust deliberately made Friendship is Magic appealing outside the "girls' ghetto" in an attempt to break open the genre and encourage better shows in general. The fact that she succeeded beyond her wildest expectations is something to celebrate, and there is no shame in recognizing top-quality art when you see it. Although Bronydom is still something of a fringe group, time favors the ponies, because as more people discover what the show is actually about, it will become a more accepted part of mainstream culture. Not right away, to be sure, but just as people can watch and appreciate Bugs Bunny three generations after he first appeared, people who haven't even been born yet will be able to appreciate our little ponies many years from now, and be exposed to their simple yet powerful messages. I take great comfort in that thought, and hope you will too.

The Happiest Ending... Finally, I got to watch Magical Mystery Cure, and doing so only reinforced my suspicion that it was intended to be the final episode of the series. Given the short third season and auspicious math involved (see the Disney version here), there had already been quite a lot of speculation about the show's demise. Seeing now how rushed that 65th episode was, I'm reasonably convinced the showrunners believed it to be the series finale when they made it -- though I most certainly could be wrong about that. It would, however, explain the record-setting number of songs (a parting gift for Daniel Ingram and the character singers who wouldn't get paid otherwise), need to cram into one episode what clearly should have taken at least two or even three, and the introduction of such a major change to the show at the end of a season rather than at the beginning of a new one. Some of the comments I've seen from some of the crew members last year, notably the writers, also seemed to hint at the end of the show's run, though I admittedly may be reading more into them than I should, and I won't quote them here. Considering all the evidence, however, I think it's very likely Magical Mystery Cure was intended to be a goodbye episode, in which Twilight finally graduates from her studies and achieves the goal Celestia had secretly planned for her all along. And even as hurried and mashed together as it is, Magical Mystery Cure is truly a magnificent episode. Its frantic, lyrical pace highlights the sense of urgency and emotion the showrunners must have felt when they produced it. Essentially, the episode wrapped up some loose ends in the overall series story arc in preparation for an endless afterlife of reruns. Poignantly, in closing what well may have been the final show, Princess Twilight assures us "everything is going to be just fine!" I will admit shedding a few tears when I realized that this was the cast and crew's way of telling us goodbye, the last words they wanted us to hear from them. ...Is A New Beginning Thankfully, those are not going to be the last words Twilight Sparkle ever speaks to us, because we now know Season Four is not only a "go", but it's a full 26 episodes long. It looks like our little ponies survived the 65-Episode Mark Of Doom after all. So for all my fellow fans who are understandably concerned about Twilight's new title and feathery appendages, I would just like to point out that for all the problems they may bring to the show, things could have been much, much worse. And for a while, they were. Indeed, I'm pretty sure we just witnessed the end of Friendship is Magic. Fortunately for us, the happiest ending is a new beginning.

Sweet And Sour I've seen quite a few fans berate others for freaking out about "Twilicorn" becoming canon, and have pretty much made peace with it myself, but I fully understand why this change upsets so many of us. Wings or no wings, Twilight graduating from a student to a princess is a major change to the premise of the show. To draw on The Simpsons again, it's as big a deal as if Homer Simpson were to have become Mayor of Springfield at the end of Season Three, and stayed mayor ever since. Goodbye Sector 7-G. Now add a significant visual change to the mix. In Twilight's case, she's going to have wings, and they will always remind us she's different now. Referring to the Simpsons analogy again, not only is Homer Simpson the mayor now, he also has, let's say, a full head of hair. How could anyone not consider that important? Thus I utterly reject the idea that fans should be expected to accept this development without comment or have their concerns dismissed out of hand. This is not something that can simply be swept under the rug, and I think the showrunners have a major challenge making this work in Season Four. I encourage all fans to give the matter as much thought and soul-searching as they need, and ask that those of us who are okay with it appreciate the fact that those of us who are not have very legitimate reasons for feeling that way. If nothing else, it's a matter of mutual respect, and the importance of that is a lesson all true fans of this wonderful show should already know. For those who may have missed it, I suggest a refresher starting with Season one, Episode One. As if anyone needs an excuse to watch the show in the first place...

A Princess For The Rest Of Us That's just it. This is Twilight we're talking about here, one of the most unpretentious ponies in Equestria. She will not expect everyone to bow to her all the time any more than her brother and sister-in-law do, though I'm sure many citizens of Equestria will be inspired to do so whether she likes it or not. Or maybe, like all the times she and her friends saved Equestria before, no one outside Ponyville will seem to recognize her as the heroine she is. Sort of like the running gag on The Simpsons where Mr. Burns always asks who Homer Simpson is despite two decades of adventures. I'm sure the writers are sensitive to changing the group dynamic of the Mane Six. They do, after all, do this for a living, know what "jumping the shark" means and know what happened after Mork married Mindy. Meghan McCarthy -- who's a damn good writer, by the way -- has given us both hints and flat-out statements about how Twilight's princessdom will be handled, and assures us she will still be the same Twilight we all know and love. As always and forever, she and her friends are going to have much to learn about The Magic Of Friendship. She's also going to have to get used to her new wings. Perhaps Princess Twilight's first official assignment will be to complete summer flight camp.

A Wing And A Prayer That's kind of where I'm at. Up until now, I had assumed they wouldn't actually make Twilight a princess nor an alicorn anytime soon, but would save it for a series finisher. And an awesome finisher it would have been. But whether Hasbro pushed the move to sell toys, it was part of the overall artistic (post-Faustian) arc or S03E13 was, in fact, expected to be the series finisher when it was made, it looks like Twilight the Alicorn Princess will be official canon in a couple of weeks. Of course, as some have suggested, maybe her alicornity is temporary, as part of the plot for the episode. Maybe, but I doubt it, since it's highly unlikely they would trot out an entire line of Alicorn Twilight toys for just one episode. Nope, I think this is the real deal, and while I share some of those jump-the-shark worries with fellow fans, I will also admit to being rather smitten with Twilight's new look. If anypony could carry off something like this, it's definitely Twilight. And though she may be royalty now, the show has already proven beyond all doubt that royalty and perfection do not necessarily go hoof in hoof. So I wonder what her new title will be? I'm thinking she will be styled Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Magic. She will be to Magic what Celestia is to the Sun, Luna is to the Moon, and Cadance is to Love. Princess Twilight? I think I can get used to that. P.S. Here's hoping we get to see a scene showing Rainbow Dash checking out Twilight's new wings. I wonder what she will think about them? Also, does this mean Twilight can be on the Weather Team for Winter Wrap Up this year? <_<

The Sparkle Of Royalty Oh my goodness. I just found out. They really went there! While I tend to be skeptical of these sorts of things, I seriously doubt Entertainment Weekly would expose themselves to all sorts of legal jeopardy by publishing false claims about Friendship is Magic, so I must conclude this is the real deal. I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised, considering I was inspired to start this thread in the first place, but I am surprised they did this so soon. My current working theory is that the Princess Coronation Episode may well have originally been planned as the series finale, considering the fact that Season Three was half the length of the first two, making our beloved show (so far, anyway) a 65-Episode Cartoon. Thankfully, this probably doesn't herald the end of the series, though I suspect the showrunners may have not known that themselves when they produced S03E13. Meanwhile, reaction to the news is understandably all over the place. Frankly, I'm not sure how I feel about it myself, though I do feel somewhat vindicated in believing Twilight's destiny was to indeed become a royal princess. Princess Twilight. Alicorn. Oh my. That is definitely going to take some getting used to.

To date, there have been no overt official announcements about Season 4, but there is evidence it is coming. Being prone to worrying about such things, I'm hoping we will collectively be able to track down authoritative news about Season 4 and learn as much as we can as soon as we can. Here's what I've found so far... DHX Media Financial Reports As a publicly traded company, DHX is required to disclose information regarding its financial condition and quarterly performance. Though the reports are usually focused on the big picture, some details are made available through them, although oftentimes they are just a few words in a large report. In the case of Season 4, I've seen references to recent DHX Media financial reports on the Wikipedia List of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic episodes page and the TV Tropes Recap: My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic page. Here are the links to the reports themselves: DHX Media Fiscal 2012 Management Discussion and Analysis (PDF) DHX MEDIA REPORTS 1st QUARTER RESULTS AND SALE OF CAILLOU SEASON FOUR TO PBS KIDS Not an awful lot to go on, but since financial reports are legal documents used by investors to make decisions that can involve large amounts of money, errors or inaccuracies in them can lead to lawsuits, so they tend to be carefully checked before publication. Thus I'm reasonably sure we can expect Season 4 to come our way next fall. However, that's still not a lot to go on, and I'm sure there are other authoritative sources of information about the show's future I don't know about -- and probably some really obvious ones at that. So if anyone does have any verifiable information about Season 4, please be sure to share it with us!

The Type Of Pony Everypony Should Know It reinforces the fact that the characters are ponies, which in turn reminds us that despite the fact they are ponies, they are still very much like humans as well. Oh yes, and it's cute, and that always counts for extra points on a show intended to help sell toys to girls.

YES. Unless you like getting beat up.

The Last Of The Poni Princess Cadance: With all due respect, your majesty, is she not the Chosen One? Is she not to destroy the Neighsayers and bring balance to the Magic? Princess Celestia: So the prophecy says. Princess Luna: A prophecy that misread, could have been. Even now, Chancellor Twilight, known secretly as "Darth Fastidious", has taken a new apprentice in a bid to consolidate power... Of course it's fun to play around with a Dark Twilight riff, but I seriously doubt even writers as clever as the FiM team are going to take our little protagonist that far down the primrose path. Friendship is Magic isn't like that other Twilight, after all. Plus, they just played the "corrupted by power" card with Trixie in Magic Duel. They could play it again with Twilight, but that would sort of be like beating a dead pony, as it were. Rather, I suspect our good Miss Sparkle is going to make some pretty major (if well-intentioned) mistakes with her magic in future episodes, perhaps even some that will endanger all of Equestria. And, true to form, we're all sure to learn some valuable lessons in the end. But honest mistakes are a long way from Twilight becoming the next qualified candidate for involuntary long-term moon residency. As for the alicorn thing, well, you did mention the idea has come up in various forms since the begining of the fandom... *cough* shameless plug *cough*.

A Sweeter, Tastier Nation Don't forget the Sweetie Belle Presidential Milkshake Meme. SHAKE UP WASHINGTON Sweetie Belle 2016!

I've been listening to "Babs Seed" quite a bit this week, and have concluded that it should immediately be listed under Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act.

Whut. Youse gotta prahhhblum wid Manehattan?