Dark Qiviut

Yay! All caught up!

Day #12: Favorite season.

The season that featured, at the time, the best villain, the best villain song, and an extremely satisfying reformation of a complex villain who needed it.

Season 5 is peak Friendship Is Magic. From the beginning, the show was high-octane in being as good as it can be. Each of the following episodes are among the best of the series.

• The Cutie Map: Best two-parter at the time. Imagery was unsettling. Starlight's method of making ponies join her cult happens in real life and, despite the dark humor, grounds the episode into reality. Little bits like the M6's argument help buffer their own point of how differing opinions and tastes don't affect your friendships. Fluttershy had her bravest moment to date: outing Starlight in front of her cult.
• Castle Sweet Castle: S5's most underrated episode. Not too over the top, but Twilight's reasons for not considering her castle her home is completely justified. The library's cozy and warm, while the castle is huge, new, and cold. Trying to help her castle feel more like home shows why the RM5 are her dearest friends. On top of that, great chemistry between Twi and Spike and an excellent moral of how home's about the memories you have and creating new ones.
• Slice of Life: A 22-minute romp of great humor, a very solid story, S5's finest moral, and a heartwarming resolution of how every one's role and story matter.
• Amending Fences: Spike's sudden realization of Twi being a bad friend in Canterlot turned its only flaw into a massive strength. Through this cold open, Twilight went to Canterlot to settle the score on some terrible deeds she made in the past, one of which negatively affected Moondancer. Moondancer's one of the most personal character in the show's history, and her tirade at the climax is one of the most gut-wrenching moments of the series.
• Lost Mark: FIM's best musical episode. Excellent setup to get the CMCs to rally for Pip. The CMCs had every reason to reject Diamond Tiara, but did so anyway (top moment of the season). "The Pony I Wanna Be" = heartbreaking. DT's path to redemption's satisfying. Their Cutie Mark moment a fantastic payoff.
• The Mane Attraction: AJ's best episode outside Perfect Pear. For the first time all series, her stubbornness was a strength, stayng by her convictions after watching Svengallop manipulate Rara's every move and phone in her fame. The Magic Inside is outstanding, emotional, and fulfilling.
• Re-Mark. No more needs to be said.

Preferential order of seasons remains 5 > 8 > 9 > 7 > 2 > 1 > 4 > 3 > 6.

• Day 1: Favorite mane character.
• Day 2: Favorite CMC.
• Day 3: Favorite princess.
• Day 4: Favorite background pony.
• Day 5: Favorite villain.
• Day 6: Favorite mythological creature.
• Day 7: Least favorite character.
• Day 8: Most relatable character.
• Day 9: Least relatable pony.
• Day 10: Favorite pony type.
• Day 11: Favorite ship.