Dark Qiviut

Did it now?

Yes. And even the screenshot you posted confirms this. The "Includes" is why Silva Bound's upload was hit with the ContentID match, and the only reason listed is "audio content." In other words, the music. If it was something like the visuals, then chances are the reason would be different.

but further down the conversation, didn't Silva himself say it's not his video that's of concern?

That has more to do with where the remix was uploaded and who (Seventh Element YT channel), but Bound has a lot to do with the audio content.

The only thing I can think of that the automated Content ID catches is the Pinkie outline (Easier for the content ID to pickup over the original Silva Hound one) matches too much of the show.

There's nothing wrong to admit you like FIM less than other shows. You should always broaden your interests in TV shows besides just a spare few. As long as you still like FIM, you're a brony. For example, of the shows I watch, I like Thomas & Friends, Digimon, Monster Rancher, and Carmen Sandiego more than FIM.

@, @@cuteycindyhoney, He wasn't fired for complimenting the girl's shirt. He got called in for it, but that was it. He went back to work and wasn't fired until a few months later.

Note: For the collection of other "Pick a Flaw" episode threads, head over to the "Pick a Flaw" blog portal (which'll be updated periodically) or check the list at the bottom of the OP (hidden under the "spoiler" tag).

M. A. Larson is one of the fandom's most popular writers due to his ability to handle obscure references, blend them with the characters presented, and execute them rather decently. In addition, he has a neverending knack for comedy, as SotC is such an example. Plus, from a character perspective, Twilight's crazy, panicky side of her character makes its debut, and we get to see it many more times in this series, including the famous Lesson Zero, It's About Time, The Crystal Empire, and Equestria Girls.

Because this episode is "Pick a Flaw," pick one from the poll above that either bothers you most or breaks the episode apart worst and explain why. If it's none or all of these options, click "other" and explain below. Be warned: "other" doesn't stand for "it's flawless."

The one most bronies talk about is how Pinkie never tells the others about how problematic the parasprites are and how to get them to leave Ponyville. By leaving them out to dry, the ReMane-ing Five are left to fend for themselves when the parasprites cause major chaos. And with Twilight preparing for Celestia's arrival, it turns her into a massive panic. Of course, if Pinkie told them, and they believed her, the whole plot would fall apart.

MMMMMMMMMM!!!

I love pizza, and as a New Yorker, eating pizza is a big part of the city's lifestyle. You see so many pizzerias throughout, from Manhattan to the outer boroughs. Hell, I make it myself at home occasionally. We have a big baking pan at home just to make these rectangular pies, and we normally use fresh, all-natural, organic ingredients, including the dough.

When I'm out, because there are so many options, I usually stay away from the tourist traps and pizza chains and focus on the mom and pop shops. To tell you the truth, compared to the Domino's, Pizza Hut, Ray's, and Sbarro pizzas, mom and pop shops are factually better in every way. The ingredients are fresher (most of the time; if it's canned, I never buy that pizza again). The taste is brighter and more balanced. And it's much more fulfilling.

What I look for in a pizza? Simple.

1. Fresh, high-quality ingredients. This means the crust, cheese, pizza sauce, and toppings that I request. They must feel fresh and taste fresh. No canned bullshit. If corners are cut, I won't return.
2. There must be some black char on the bottom. There's nothing better than either a coal-oven or brick-oven pizza because the smokiness entraps the pizza and gives it that wonderful earthiness. The dark brown and black char itself enhances the flavor.
3. As an option, especially when the fancier restaurants deliver the really thin pizza, I really love this:
   
   
   
   I LOVE basil! Especially in pizza, because it complements with the sauce. When fresh basil is available in pizzerias I eat at, I tear them up, sprinkle them everywhere, and take a big bite out of it to taste the balance of flavors. When I make pizza at home, I usually add a ton of basil (both in pesto form and fresh from the stem) to liven the sauce and then will add even more after they're fully baked.

There's a good chance you'll see less and less activity until the next generation arrives; if it's factually as good as or better than FIM, you're going to see more and more flock to the generation. However, bronies will continue to organize, create fanwork, and attend conventions, including brony ones. Even in its vast size, this fandom still has that community vibe that has never truly gone away. As long as bronies remain loyal to FIM, the fandom will never truly die.

All this does is confuse me as to why Twilight is there.

Not long ago, an e-book "prequel" of Rainbow Rocks was released. From what I read in comments, every scene and song, including "Shake Your Tail!", are from that book; chances are that will explain everything.

I think I made my comments about SYT! when it was leaked, but of all the shorts, this is easily the worst. The song is catchy, sure, but it's very generic. Kinda has the tempo and vibe from "This Is Our Big Night," but minutely grander because it's not a complete montage. Plus, the animation feels very "Flash-y" and lacks polish: Many audience members dance without much momentum, and the musical relies far too much on unique scene transitions to move from one idea to another.

Discounting the awful MLP Tales, G1 is my favorite. Although I don't like any gen other than FIM, G1 is the only one to genuinely respect its viewers through its heart, imagination, and attention to all audiences; so I respect G1 in return.

Simple Ways is chock full o' this, especially this moment (as Trendy Hipster gawked at Applejack):

The only way I can think of possibly keeping mlp innocent is to isolate /mlp/

MLP's already innocent, because Friendship Is Magic itself is still innocent. Even with the adult art, FIM is innocent because the fanwork and professional product are two separate entities.

Additionally, you can't really "isolate" /mlp/, because hundreds to thousands of bronies from /mlp/ venture to other Websites, including this very forum.

As far as the show is concerned, one of its biggest qualities is definitely innocence, and that's one of season one's strengths. Beyond the strengths and flaws of the characters, there's a bearer of innocence in each of them. Atmospherically, some of FIM's most popular songs are so happy to a fault, it makes the audience happy. Winter Wrap Up, At the Gala, and The Smile Song are so joyous and uplifting.

But as far as "keeping FIM innocent" is concerned, @@ghostfacekiller39 is completely on point. Friendship Is Magic's fan creations don't have to be innocent whatsoever. There are many who love the show's innocence, yet also desire to deconstruct its innocence with saucy, pornographic, and/or gory work. Bronies love to create whatever they feel like, from innocent art and stories to stuff that wouldn't make it pass the censors here, and there's no way you can stop them.

Also, anyone who thinks fan content ruins FIM's innocence is deluding themselves. Fanwork doesn't ruin its innocence. Only Friendship Is Magic can ruin its innocence.

4chan is a cesspool that requires a REALLY thick skin to be in. Depending on what you post, it can be your best friend (plenty of praise) or your worst enemy (getting chased out and mercilessly mocked) with normally no in-betweens.

Note: For the collection of other "Pick a Flaw" episode threads, head over to the "Pick a Flaw" blog portal (which'll be updated periodically) or check the list at the bottom of the OP (hidden under the "spoiler" tag).

Credit goes to PoisonClaw for coming up with many of the suggestions for the poll.

Season three doesn't have the popularity compared to the others, and SaYS is the shortened year's biggest punching bag. Because of Spike's gross out of characterization, a contrived cliché that went nowhere other than further south than Applejack's accent, the "Dragon Code" becoming pivotal to the plot, and a rushed anticlimax, it's one of the most hated and worst episodes.

Because this episode is "Pick a Flaw," pick one flaw from Spike at Your Service that either bothers you most or breaks the episode apart worst and explain why. If it's none or all of these options, click "other" and explain below.

Although I don't hate it (I have a rich dislike for it, though), Spike at Your Service is easily one of season three's worst for most if not all of the reasons listed in the poll. But the one to stick out the most is Spike's sudden incompetence and idiocy. Without a shadow of a doubt, it's Spike's worst characterization in the entire show, as many vital parts of his identity (ability to cook/clean, be a good helper, and not be stupid!) are thrown out the door. Even as a child, Spike's characterization needed to be paid close attention to, and this didn't happen at all here.

Haven’t you ever felt like giving a fair review for episodes or movies that were the most nostalgic to you? That’s me as far as Friendship Is Magic, Parts 1 and 2 are concerned: They were the first two episodes I watched, and they officially made me into a brony. They’re not in my top ten, but they’re instilled into me, because without watching it, I wouldn’t have noticed the show. But because these reviews are intended to be thorough and fair, that’s what I’ll do.

(But expect me to want to fill a shot glass later… )

• The intro to Part 1 is a fantastic hook to bring people in. I don’t know about you, but it’s personally my most favorite moment in Part 1 because of the original twist that invites the audience into the world of Equestria. Typically, fairytales open the book to reveal centuries-old handwriting to demonstrate its age and timelessness. But "Once upon a time" was the only text. Instead, the audience is introduced to a unique art style. Akin to the ancient Greek artwork, the script delivered several key details to the viewer immediately:
  
  a. An important conflict occurred a long time ago. And as Celesta’s voice tells the story of her and Luna, you can tell Luna’s transformation to Nightmare Moon was serious, and Celestia had to act. By using the word “sister” and telling in the story in a calm way while using the pictures, Nicole Oliver is telling the story neutrally, but showing the difficulty of the ordeal then and now.
  
  b. Majesty is bestowed upon you. Ancient Greek art is widely remembered for its very distinct style of flat shapes, and they’re among the most sacred and beautiful art ever to be discovered.
  
  c. On the other hand, it’s not the rich colors you see. Instead, the colors are very pastel, displaying gentle warmth in its atmosphere that the script carried over into the true art style of the series.
  
  d. The connection between Twilight Sparkle and Princess Celestia was cordial, serious, and close. Evident by the intro transition from Oliver to Tara Strong’s voice. After the audience found out Twilight was Celestia’s most faithful student, it was obvious the transition was no accident; it foreshadowed their teacher-student relationship at the time, their closeness in particular.
• This doesn’t come until Part 1, Act 1; but some of the vocabulary is very rich, leading to some humor with the younger Spike. “Precipice,” “on the brink,” and “imperative” are not common in family television, informing parents that this show doesn’t talk down to its audience, something bad “kids’ shows” tend to do.
• Each main character outside of Twilight and Spike was given sufficient time to be introduced. None of them lasted too long or too short. The appropriate length not only progressed the story, but also introduced the ReMane-ing Five with some depth but without spilling the beans, something you see in plenty of anime.
  
  Pinkie Pie: The surprise reaction, zipping away, and then preparing the party in the Golden Oaks Library. When looking at the character development she received since then, her hyper talk made sense and was quite funny. It gave her comedy and jokes eccentric instead of stupid.
  
  Applejack: The positives of her character were established very early: a desire to meet new friends along with panache, honesty, and strength. Besides Dash, she was the most athletic pony of the Mane Six, and that hasn’t changed. Like Rarity and Dash, she was a hard worker who cared for her family, yet loved her job simultaneously. She had plenty of pride and wisdom to pass around.
  
  Rainbow Dash: The way she introduced herself for the first time was extremely funny. When Spike indicated her duty to clear the clouds, there was an obvious clue that she was going to “drop by” (or, in this instance, ram by ). At the time, she was eager to please, but brash and extremely immature due to her giggling, laziness, and bragging, though the latter is rather justified from her excellent athleticism. Like Rarity’s generosity, her loyalty was foreshadowed in Part 1, too, when she told Twilight and Spike she “never

Ponyville hangin’.” Her athleticism in Part 1 and passion in the field were exploited in several other episodes like Sonic Rainboom, The Best Night Ever, Hurricane Fluttershy, and Wonderbolts Academy.

Rarity: Unlike the previous three, her dialogue was the most formal. Despite using contractions, her sentences tended to be complete and regal with plenty of flair in her accent. Even before her “trial” in the Everfree Forest, her generous spirit was exposed when she sacrificed some time decorating Town Hall in order to fix (and fail to improve) Twilight. Nonetheless, her first impression was one of the weakest and needed to complete her trial to give the viewer a solider grasp in personality.

Fluttershy: Right away, you can tell Fluttershy was much closer to her animal friends than other ponies. Although she never said so, you can assume that she knows these animals, understands them, and is very sensitive because she doesn’t want to say the wrong things. Her shyness to others and care for the animals are important themes in the pilot and overarching narratives throughout the series (sometimes crisscrossing).

(And, Fluttershy, don’t expect anyone to

anytime soon. [upon clicking the link, keep your volume down so your eardrums don’t burst. ])Not everything about the immediate world of Equestria was explained, notably a unicorn’s magic and a pegasus’s relationship with the weather. You had them doing them, and just by the laws that apparently exist at the time, it makes sense. But it also works that they don’t explain it because, after all, it’s a world they’re accustomed to; blabbering about it here would’ve been pointless and, thus, treat the audience as idiots.

But it gets brownie points when Pinkie shot down Twilight's observation of libraries remaining quiet. All in a way Pinkie would say and do. In the four seasons of Friendship Is Magic, this is the only time a villain’s backstory was given thorough explanation. Part 1’s intro was dedicated into explaining Luna’s transformation into Nightmare Moon, and then the rest of the episode built up her return. One of FIM’s biggest quality flaws was the lack of subtlety, but it existed everywhere in Part 1, from Twilight’s fear of NMM’s resurrection to the corrupted alicorn's illusion in the hourglass as Twilight recites the letter Spike’s writing. As far as character design is concerned, Nightmare Moon is absolutely gorgeous. The mix of blue (especially the sapphire armor) perfectly balance each other; along with her mystical mane and perfectly curved helmet, she looks and appears threatening. The hints of purple (the wings, cutie mark, eyelid) and green (eyes) makes the deep blue coat not so overbearing. And the cat-like eyes create a sensation of deep anger that was ready to boil over and collapse on everyone around her. The concept of the stakes is tremendous. When you think about it, no one in Equestria can survive exclusively at night. Firstly, not every animal is nocturnal; there are thousands of diurnal critters, and the nocturnal creatures have a sleep pattern to follow.

To worsen the matters, every single plant relies on sunlight to generate food, and without the sun, the plants die. Without the plants, there’s no food. Without food, everyone starves. It’s a perfect case of attempting mass murder. All in a fit of jealousy that resulted in concentrated rage. The Everfree Forest is unique and creepy. Even without the background music, the visuals are enough to scare the shit out of you if you dared to step foot, and Dash’s story doesn’t help matters, either. Speaking of the forest, besides Derpy (thanks to an animation error in the background), an introduction to a great and memorable character:

Steven Magnet!

In what is his lone appearance, he has plenty of life. His personality is very flamboyant, vain, melodramatic, but caring. A perfect foil for Rarity and the element she subsequently represents. Even if it wasn’t the case, Magnet is absolutely hilarious. Lee Tockar did a great job voice acting there.

BTW, YouTube, for the first time, your Transcribe Audio feature created something useful for a change! Thanks for helping give the sea serpent his canon name. XD The comedy is top notch. Here, no one is safe from the occasional cartoonish slapstick. Spike, of course, is the victim of plenty of it (which became more glaring in future seasons). The same goes for Twilight every now and then, like when she got rammed by Dash and Fluttershy.

However, one thing about pilots is how unpolished they tend to be. When looking back, the flaws look much more glaring because later seasons are usually more sophisticated. This is exactly the case here:

• Unlike the other seasons, season one was under the microscope of two ratings: the one required by their specific governments (in America, TV-Y) and E/I (Educational/Informational, which you can read about here). Beyond Hasbro’s mandates, FIM really shows how much the pilot hindered its potential in a big way.
  
  Although there are great stakes on the line, it doesn’t feel that way. Each trial was so tame, it could’ve been anything. With mild tweaking, they would’ve fit every other character. If Faust and DHX pushed the line even more, then it risked violating the strict E/I guidelines, and who knows how Hasbro would’ve reacted. I’ll dissect their executions later.
• One of season one’s biggest problems that’s been popping up among recent marathons is lackluster aging. The pilot is no exception.
  
  a. When listening to The Laughter Song the first time, Pinkie’s joy is abundant in not only her voice, but also the visuals and animation like hopping, appearing out of nowhere on screen (forcing you to wonder where she’ll be next), and the teary laughter. It started slowly and then crescendoed into the chorus, ending NMM’s Snow White-esque horror scene.
  
  But then listen to it again while watching the animations. There’s a distinct lack of polish in the meter’s execution. To extend the length, Pinkie had to shout and extend her first set of lines, and that becomes rather tacky. And for a song intending to be very cheery, the visuals are quite conservative. Of course, this was a brand-new medium DHX was using, and it was a pilot, but they’re plain and don’t get interesting until Pinkie laughs at the tree in between song. Two-minutes or not, the hook arrives way too late.
  
  b. Some of the animation itself is pretty lackluster. In one scene, Apple ponies were handing off various items to Twilight. They didn’t show proper physics in its inertia, making the scene rather stilted. Secondly, the churning in the river is very repetitive and doesn’t offer variety to make it inherently interesting.
  
  c. Applejack’s voice back then is a pain in the eardrums to listen to. For most of its running, her voice is deeper, more mature, wise, and rather aggressive. Here, it’s way too high-pitched, which makes her appear very immature and, thus, doesn’t fit her character. Well, at least not anymore.
• In especially the second part, the Bearers of the Elements of Harmony are as subtle and being smashed by an anvil, and it’s this where Part 2’s quality plummets. By the time Act 1 is halfway done, the audience immediately knows not just who the Bearers are, but also the specific Elements each of them bore.
  
  Take the passage Twilight read while in the library (emphasis mine):
  
  

  Twilight Sparkle: Oh. There are six Elements of Harmony, but only five are known: Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, Honesty and Loyalty. The sixth is a complete mystery. It is said, the last known location of the five elements was in the ancient castle of the royal pony sisters.

  As Twilight recited the elements, the animation scaled back, revealing the characters in order: Fluttershy, Pinkie, Rarity, AJ, and Dash. The order and corresponding animation are no accidents. The story knew who they are and wanted you to know it. In the midst of rushing the script, the fundamentals of foreshadowing were thrown out the window, which is a shame because they did a great job building up Nightmare Moon's revival in Part 1. By blatantly revealing who bore the Elements of Harmony, the rest of the conflicts and resulting climax become pointless.
• Despite good vocabulary and a variety of characterization, the dialogue is often very forced. So little of the Mane Six's dialogue sounded organic and relied on specific jargon to separate them. When it didn’t, each of them hammered in their respective elements to the audience and relied on naivety from Twilight and the others to force the plot along. Nightmare Moon had a great backstory, but her lines were extremely clichéd and amounted to the manufactured “I’m evil” bullshit in thousands of media.
  
  However, the moment where the corn really became burnt beyond edibility was Twilight’s speech of friendship to Nightmare Moon as the Elements were finally revealed. None of the trials were that effective, and Twilight treated them as such. It was way too preachy and hammered in the main moral of the entire series.
  
  One of the few characters to actually have an organic voice was Spike. Whatever he said and thought felt natural, and his deadpan comedy really balanced out his kid side.
• Speaking of the trials…
  
  a. They don’t effectively prove the stakes and urgency of NMM’s terror. When you think about it, the EoH’s purpose is to prove they can bear them in case there’s a very big evil out there. But with so much on the line, how do they get it? Through very simple trials that don’t put them in any grave danger except the first.
  
  Speaking of the first trial…
  
  b. Applejack was unnecessarily stupid. Telling Twilight to “let go” and fall down the cliff is possibly the dumbest thing AJ’s done throughout the series because it makes no sense. Even if AJ apparently knew Dash and Fluttershy were waiting to catch her, it was an extremely risky idea. Celestia forbid Fluttershy or Dash lost grip; Twilight would’ve been dead, and Applejack would forever live in guilt. The odds were stacked against the cowmare, and she can’t rely on it all the time. It would’ve been much better if Applejack pulled Twilight back on the cliff and wait for Dash and Fluttershy to help them down. Then again, doing that would’ve caused the trial to fall apart.
  
  c. The Elements are really hammered in and, like I wrote earlier, had to rely on the characters acting naïve to fully realize it.
  
  i. Applejack told her the “honest truth.”
  
  ii. Fluttershy told Twilight (after pulling the thorn out), “Sometimes we all just need to be shown a little kindness.”
  
  iii. Pinkie guffawed at the trees and ended the song with “laugh.” Hell, the song is titled The Laughter Song.
  
  iv. Rarity never mentioned the word “generosity,” but showed it very bluntly by slicing most of her tail off.
  
  v. After Rainbow Dash declined to join the Shadowbolts, the future Bearer of Loyalty exclaimed, “See? I'd never leave my friends hangin'.”
  
  vi. Finally, Twilight repeated the word “spark” to revive the Elements of Harmony. (The fact that the ReMane-ing Five left Twilight all alone was unbelievably dumb. Firstly, they admitted the Everfree Forest was treacherous, and Nightmare Moon stalked them throughout the journey. Secondly, it was designed to be a plot device so Twilight can battle on her own until her friends showed up.)
  
  If none of them were that oblivious, then they would’ve realized it the second Dash passed her “test” at the most.
• Like what I wrote before, Nightmare Moon’s backstory was fantastic, and her desire to be beloved was believable. But aside from that, she’s a very bland villain. Yes, she’s very active, constantly on the prowl, manipulative, and murderous; but it was poorly represented and realized from how her personality was identical to that of a classic fairytale.
  
  Instead of the typical archetype, why not change her character? Luna became Nightmare Moon as a result of unadulterated jealousy, so anger's clouding her mind. Instead of having her personality be predictably evil, how about making her evil, yet angry and think she’s doing the right thing. That in her jealousy and resentment over her older sister, she feels she’s doing such an evil deed for the greater good of Equestria. By having Equestria summoned into eternal night, she’s giving her moon and those she watches justice. Give her convincing delusions, and the only way for the Mane Six to defeat her isn’t by blasting the Elements of Harmony against her will, but the foundation that just because ponies sleep before the moon doesn’t mean they don’t love or respect her. Gradually build it up to make her become good again. You don’t demand respect. You earn it.
• PaleoSteno described Part 1 as “rapid fire” and Part 2 as even more so. Well, he couldn’t be any more correct. Despite Part 1 being somewhat fast, it didn’t feel fast, and it set the stage of the second half. Unfortunately, Part 2 really dropped the ball by only spending a small amount of time juggling between the tests. Just as one character faced a test, it was over. The only one where the character spent the most amount of time on her test was Twilight’s Element of Magic.
  
  Originally, Faust intended to have the Mane Six be rewarded for their Elements over a season through an adventure arc. That would’ve been a really good idea, because it retains the stakes, explores the characters, and proves their worth more organically. On the other hand, the arc would’ve robbed season one of the well-done slice-of-life episodes Friendship Is Magic is renowned for. So you win some, you lose some.
• If Nightmare Moon was to be a formidable foe, she wouldn’t just stand in one spot as Twilight recited her speech. She would’ve acted and tried to stop it. By standing there and doing nothing, she looked very, very weak. Stationary villains as they downed the Skittles have been a very common problem throughout the series (the only one making some sense being Discord due to his pride and ego), and it started here.
• The pilot only gives the audience clues of Celestia’s whereabouts. Through Mayor Mare’s Sleeping Beauty reference, NMM’s threats of never seeing Celestia again, and Celestia reappearing once the sun rose, you’re clued that she was locked in the sun like her sister when locked in the moon. However, these are only clues. Her role (or lack thereof) as far as her location was never given a ton of clarity, leaving the audience to rely on headcanon to fill in the plot holes.

Overall, though, there is an obvious, gigantic, intangible strength in this pilot, something the audience was able to conclude through its nuances.

It has a lot of heart.

The vocabulary, variety of characters, graphics, elegant storytelling simplicity, musical score, and humor proved that Faust, Renzetti, and the rest of the crew cared a ton for its audience. Albeit a severe lack of refinement, they obviously tried and succeeded to capture the hearts of many and made plenty consider trying. After over a decade of crappy TV from the franchise, the pilot was a breath of fresh air, resulting in the possibility of improving their craft and delivering great stories in the future. By its track record, they obviously succeeded, but it wouldn’t have happened without the success of the pilot.

---

One generation ago, My Little Pony was a laughingstock. A franchise with a great original concept became heavily operated under Hasbro’s microscope simply to pander to young girls’ guardians. But on October 10, 2010, under Faust’s leadership, Friendship Is Magic, Part 1 was released, followed by Part 2 on October 22. The pilot commenced the fourth generation of My Little Pony, leading to wonders over what the franchise will reveal to what is later the brony fandom.

Subjectively, this is my most nostalgic FIM episode because these episodes led me to the show and becoming a brony altogether. (Winter Wrap Up, on the other hand, is where I proclaimed it really took off.) But through an objective eye, FIM1/2 is not that good at all. Part 1 was decent, but Part 2 is easily the worst half because of its obvious storytelling shortcomings. Overall, it’s the weakest two-parter of the entire show. Nevertheless, the heart the pilot displayed allowed the show to stick around and eventually improve into the pop culture conglomerate today.

I've heard about this site since it was featured on EQD last year. It has a very poor reception because you have to pay money for various features such as private messages. BronyMate is run as a cash-grabbing scheme instead of a reputable dating site.

Thanks, but no, thanks. I already got my BronyCon ticket, and I intend to be there throughout the weekend.

Besides, your reason to "quit being a brony" is unbelievably petty. A lot of bronies come to forums like these to socialize, and that means the real-life problems they're facing and wanting to escape from will leak on here. You should've thought long and hard about the consequences before buying a nonrefundable ticket.

Fruit: Kiwi, Granny Smith apples (especially when sour), green grapes, lychees, mangoes, strawberries, pineapples, watermelons, bananas, tangerines, pomegranates, blackberries, and coconut.

Veggie: raw carrot, raw cucumber (preferably peeled), corn (on the cob), jicama, cauliflower, lettuce, cabbage, parsnips, and lightly sauteed broccoli.

As Fluttershy's my favorite pony, I must go for Hurricane Fluttershy. This is where Fluttershy was shown to be at her most vulnerable and demonstrated why she has much more dimension than way too many people here think. Initially, her moments of hiding and will to not go were comedic, but then it got very graphic in a hurry, showing how her misfit status not merely hurt her, but scarred her. The stage fright and overall personality were built in over time as a result of the bullying, and she never fully recovered.

And those memories came forth in the trial when other ponies laughed at her:

This is some pretty creepy scenery, and it shows exactly how crippling the phobia can be. By this scene alone, Fluttershy wasn't just shy. She was psychologically injured.

Let's focus on the montage:

Fluttershy decided to try and conquer her fear by training hard for Rainbow Dash, Ponyville, and (most importantly) herself. She was actively trying to get better and stomp the internal conflict dead in its tracks. But even when she thought she did so much better, she was still the "misfit," causing her confidence to wane again.

And then, the ending, marking Fluttershy's significant character development:

As a Fluttershy brony, it's my favorite Fluttershy episode, Putting Your Hoof Down. There aren't many episodes that could destroy a character's reputation permanently; this is one such episode. It's so unnecessarily sadistic, and the way she behaved crossed a major line that would've surely ended so many friendships. Fluttershy's reputation as a likable character took such a major hit, it still hasn't fully recovered.

I have it listed in my overall episode ranks here, but I only put my top five in the quote box.

1. Pinkie Pride: What else to describe it? This is easily not just my most favorite episode this season, but also among the best of the series. (In fact, it's in my top 5, third place behind Sleepless in Ponyville and Magic Duel, to be exact.) Pinkie is Pinkie Pie instead of an out-of-character idiot who blubbers randomness all the time for no good reason. This episode did what MMDon't: write a musical in twenty minutes without sacrificing quality. Cheese Sandwich is a wacky name, but fits Weird Al so well, and he was AMAZING. So far, it's the only episode this season where I watched it more than ten times. There are some logical flaws (including a script/storyboarding error in Spike being dropped from the episode during Act 3), but they're so small, they don't detract from the experience. Easily the best episode this season and will stay that way until something grander comes along.

2. Testing Testing 1, 2, 3: Two episodes that AKR wrote are high up on the list. (This was fifth on my list, but after a rewatch, it climbed up.) Of the episodes to be featured this season, this one is by far one of the most mature in terms of morals and theme. "No method of learning is better than another. What works for one may not work for another" is something you don't normally see in any media; it takes guts, and did AKR brilliantly execute it. First, the characters are very in character and three-dimensional; Twilight Sparkle actually showed some character for the first time since Twilight Time, and she was the one to write the lesson in the journal, a brilliant twist to the lessons post-Season 1. The worldbuilding was excellent, including plugging in Faust's most favorite pony, Firefly, into the plot as a Wonderbolt. While sometimes the setting tends to be an arbitrary gimmick to the moral (thus making it pointless), the setting and moral communicate with each other. In addition, the episode contains an incredible balance of humor and drama without making either overbearing. Not to mention the foreshadowing early was very subtle, yet noticeable. Pinkie Pride is one of the best episodes this season, if not the best, but you can argue that TT123 is just as good if not a little better than PP.

3. Pinkie Apple Pie: Part of the five-episode stretch where three great episodes came out of it. For one of the few times this season prior to Pinkie Pride, Pinkie Pie was very in character. There's a completely big difference between being offbeat (which is a unique style of humor with substance in mind) and random. Pinkie's the former, not the latter; in PAP, she's the former. Excellently portrayed with great humor for the right reasons. the core four Apples are very realistic with their fighting and constant screw-ups, but PP did care because she thought she found family close by and wanted to know the ins and outs. Apples to the Core is a musical masterpiece (although I like the background clapping a tad more, but that's just my preference). While the plot comes out of thin air and Pinkie's status of being an Apple or not is hidden by exposition, it's hidden very plausibly because the characterization, journey, personal reasons for each character, and humor are superb.

4. For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils: Initially, I said RTM was Polsky's best episode. FWtSBT more than likely eclipsed it. The conflict was very believable. Just through the tension, even without SB blurting out the "fifth birthday" comparison, Sweetie Belle had obviously lived under her bigger sister's shadow for some time and was getting tired of it. When the play she worked hard on got overshadowed by Rarity's fantastic dresses, it was as if her work became null. So it made plenty of sense for Sweetie to ignore the consequences of her actions and destroy the headdress. But the consequences she received (the nightmare) was delicious and one of the best examples of "show, don't tell" in the series. Instead of being told the consequences, she was shown, not just through Luna, but also her own angry mind. It's a Christmas Carol reference done beautifully well. Although the ending followed a rather typical cartoon gag of twirling the windows and the cat-and-mouse chase, it all paid off well at the end.

5. Rarity Takes Manehattan: For the first time since Sisterhooves Social, a good Rarity episode. While the song tells too much and puts her generosity front and center, its reprise is fantastic and delivers fresh consequences for her behavior the night before. But her not being so generous to the Remane Five had an extremely fantastic reason. Rarity's generosity was once taken advantage in Suited for Success, but Suri is the first to vindictively do so by plagiarizing Rarity's clothing. As a creator, when your hard work is stolen so cruelly, then it hurts you at the very core and questions your worth creatively and emotionally. It isn't pretty and can get you into a fit of rage. I don't blame Rarity for this. The moral itself is fantastically woven in and deep. It's also a different type of episode for Polsky, as it's more down to earth compared to his original concepts. Good thing, too, because it really helped him create a great episode that paid attention to a fantastic concept and ended with a very relatable moral. To see a longer review, click here.

Quite honestly, this is rather difficult to answer. One of the biggest and loudest flaws this season is the extreme inconsistency in characterization quality, especially in the Mane Six. They've had their good and bad performances, and some of them are in a degree where you'd just go, "What the hell happened in the script process?" Episodes like Trade Ya! (minus Spike) and Rainbow Falls don't count because let's be honest, everyone was out of character or flanderized. With that, I must do a process of elimination.

1. Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle can easily be crossed out.
   
   Rainbow Dash: If there's one character to really regress this season, it's her. Last season was possibly her strongest. Sleepless in Ponyville and Wonderbolts Academy allowed her to exponentially grow into a deeper, more mature character compared to season one. It was one thing season three improved upon from season two. But that's been tossed on the wayside for most of this season. Her sense of maturity was greatly reduced in several episodes with Flight to the Finish and Testing Testing 1, 2, 3 being exceptions.
   
   Twilight Sparkle: Minus the two-parters, Twilight Time, Three's a Crowd, and Testing, essentially the background pony of season four. NEXT!
2. Pinkie Pie is also disqualified. Sure, she had great appearances in Pinkie Apple Pie, Pinkie Pride, Testing, and Maud Pie. But she was also flanderized extensively or extremely out of character. She was the weak link in Princess Twilight Sparkle, Castle Mane-ia, RTM, and Three's a Crowd. Then comes her mean-spirited attitude in Filli Vanilli, easily her worst performance since One Bad Apple.
3. Fluttershy grew in some way. Early this season, her shyness and protection of the wildlife were flanderized in episodes like Power Ponies and Bats! But following Rainbow Falls, she gradually improved, starting with Three's a Crowd and then onward with Filli Vanilli, Breezies, and Testing. Then like the others, she fell victim to flanderization in Trade Ya! and Equestria Games, but she got back on track in Twilight's Kingdom. At this point, I can't cross her out yet.
4. Applejack is crossed out. Sure, she had some fine performances in Pinkie Apple Pie, Testing, Castle Mane-ia, Bats!, Simple Ways, Rarity Takes Manehattan (in a small dose), and the first half of Leap of Faith. But she underwent a series of characterization problems herself. Minus the two mentioned above, she was hit with the stupid stick in the second half of Leap of Faith, PTS, and ESPECIALLY Somepony to Watch Over Me. And her tandem with Rarity in Trade Ya was unbelievably stupid and a waste of script space.
5. Rarity made her grand return in Rarity Takes Manehattan, and at the time, it was both Polsky's and season four's best episode. And she's had many great moments elsewhere such as her actions in Power Ponies, Toils, Bats!, Maud Pie, and Filli Vanilli (calling back and using the lessons she learned from Green Isn't Your Color). Conversely, Simple Ways drove her out of character. Her vanity and desire to impress (i.e., liking clothes with shimmer) in Breezies were flanderized just for laughs. And she was flanderized in Inspiration by having her blubber and eating tubs of ice cream after being rightfully criticized for focusing more on the theater's looks over its usefulness. And of the three side plots in Rainbow Falls, she was easily the worst characterized.
6. Poor Spike is crossed out immediately. All three episodes from him were lackluster to say the least, Inspiration Manifestation being the best (with the latter half crossing that line from naivety into stupidity) and Equestria Games the worst. Several episodes had him absent (although in Rainbow Falls, that's a blessing), there for the sake of it, or the victim of cartoonish bashing such as being launched in the castle's theater. The brightest spots from him this season came in Simple Ways (the most in character of the Mane Six there, I might add), Toils, and Trade Ya!.

Therefore, it's down to either Fluttershy (for being the most improved following a bad start) or Rarity (for being the most consistent in the middle), but I don't know who to vote for yet.

EDIT: Already made my decision. I went with Rarity.

Do you wish for My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic to end with a great, big bang? It already happened once before in Meghan McCarthy’s A Canterlot Wedding via its sentimental BBBFF, the fantastical comparison and contrast between the real and fake Cadance in This Day Aria, and its action-packed hilarity between the Mane Six and changelings. McCarthy’s résumé of two-parters is extended this season with Princess Twilight Sparkle (the premiere) and Twilight’s Kingdom (the finale). Discounting Testing Testing 1, 2, 3, the finale itself reintroduces Twilight as the central character for the first time since PTS, leading through a two-parter full of adrenaline, emotion, obvious writing shortcuts, and a rather fulfilling conclusion.

Strengths:

• The abundance of Derpy. ^__^ Plenty, but not overbearing.
• The battle is absolutely intense and is easily the best part of the finale. Given the very strict content rating (TV-Y) and Hasbro’s reputation of keeping it safe, DHX could’ve badly botched it and turned it into something extremely monotonous. Instead, it told a story. A great story. A fantastic story.
  
  If you remember Dragon Quest, one of the scenes was the transition as Spike migrated. He travels in hopes of keeping up with his fellow migrating dragons, starting and stopping and taking any means of transportation. While DQ — don’t even think about it — was a train wreck, that transition used no dialogue and was easily the best part (one of the best scenes in season two, I might add) and saved it from being worse than it is. If Dragon Quest was confined to simply a quest with as little dialogue as possible, you could’ve told a grand story.
  
  Why do I say this?
  
  Tirek vs. Twilight had no dialogue, and it was extremely well told. Without the dialogue overshadowing the action, Top Draw and DHX concentrate on showing the battle’s intensity through its choreography, special effects, Anderson’s background tracks, and animation instead. With it, you get two things:
  
  a. Tirek’s villainy (and he’s one evil fuckermother) from his strength is shown and validated.
  
  b. Twilight’s goal of showing loyalty to Equestria, confidence, and those she cares takes place within her mind, especially after her home of four seasons gets destroyed.
  
  I’ll get to that la— Oh, what the hell?
• The Golden Oaks Library’s destruction is one bold move the sadistic bastards at DHX imposed on the audience. And god-fucking-dammit, wasn’t that grand. The main purpose of destroying the library is how, like I mentioned just moments ago, it's her home. Like what a famous song from the famous musical Promises Promises declared, a house is not a home. The library is possibly the most iconic landmark from a storytelling perspective. Think about it. The central character in the show lived there since the pilot, and there are so many fantastic moments like Twilight finding the Guide and fighting with her discorded friends as they refused to cooperate, drove her mad, and initiated a nasty catfight.
  
  And did it initiate emotions? Although not from me personally, it definitely worked because all of Twilight’s memories are suddenly gone. No way to recover from them. And if using continuity from Trade Ya!, the destruction (and near-death of a weary Owlowiscious) hit her really hard, as it SHOULD.
  
  Moreover, it marked one of the last steps needed for Twilight to complete her transition from common unicorn studying in Canterlot to one of the regal princesses in Equestria. Despite my major criticism of Twilicorn (and quite frankly, I still am against it due to extreme lack of utilization and recognition), it would’ve been really dumb to revert her back to the unicorn she was pre-Magical Mystery Cure.
  
  The destruction of the Golden Oaks Library and subsequent Castle of Friendship seals this. In other words, reviving the library would be very dumb because it’ll age T’sK very quickly and nullify her status. You progress her development. Keep it!
  
  (By the way, this response has nothing to do with the petition floating around online. The petition is pure trollbait.)
• Without question, Tirek is the most imposing villain, which he ought to be due to his foundation from G1. If there was one way to describe him, it’s Sombra done right. Unlike Queen Chrysalis and Sunset Shimmer (whom McCarthy relied on being uncharacteristically stupid to be defeated), Tirek’s villainy hits all the right notes. Not only is he evil, but a combination of evil and cunning. One of his biggest advantages is his ability to play mind games. Conceptually, it creates a really menacing villain.
  
  a. His excellent first impression helps, too. While the valley scene is rather cliché in itself, it executes the right notes. Firstly, besides being a subtle nod to Magic Duel (and for those who focus a lot on continuity, Twilight’s Kingdom‘s continuity is pornographic!), the musical score is incredibly menacing, foreshadowing the terror that crept in the night moments later. Secondly, the wind and clattering of the can continued the transition, as all of us met Voldemort’s long-lost cousin, who later silently chanted avada kedavra and sucked the talent and goals out of unsuspecting unicorns. More importantly, it presents Tirek’s imposing, businesslike evil early without making the threat contrived. Overall, that scene was extremely creepy for the right reasons and easily the best in Part 1.
  
  Also, if focusing on Jayson Thiessen’s Twitter, you can confirm that Tirek is The Pony of Shadows rumored from the end of Castle Mane-ia.
  
  Why?
  
  Look at these three screenshots from its end.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Now concentrate on Tirek’s frail state:
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Notice any similarities?
  
  Yellow eyes.
  
  Identical cloak design.
  
  Identical furrowed eye design…
  
  Really sneaky, DHX.
• Ingram’s musical score for both You’ll Play Your Part and Let the Rainbow Remind You fit very well with the scenes each represented. YPYP concentrates on Twilight’s current purpose as Equestrian Princess (thus becoming part of the Quarteticorn both physically and mentally), thus the focus on a Broadway-esque, royal mood from discouragement to optimism. On the other hand, LtRRY concludes the arc on a very upbeat rhythm, as Twilight finally finds her purpose and role in Equestrian society, one she — in HER words — CHOOSES to have.
  
  (By the way, that was a very clever lampshade of Magical Mystery Cure’s broken plot hole. )
• Discord pre-alliance was very hilarious. The prankster was up to his tricks again by driving them all mad, fitting their agitation so much. On the flipside, his tricks fit the clever references, from Patton to Mary Poppins. His personality plays off very well with Tirek, for they’re both foils. Tirek takes things seriously, while Discord also takes things seriously, but with plenty of comedic flair.
  
  Also, despite not being self-contained, Discord’s betrayal was foreshadowed during his three previous episodes (PTS1/2, 3aC), as he drove the ReMane-ing Five absolutely nuts with his physics-defying logic, riddling, lack of specifics, and mocking. Although he was friends with Fluttershy, he never got along with the others nor behaved like he wanted to be friends with them. Up to the end of Part 2, he was still extremely antagonistic; after Discord intentionally got Rarity and Applejack sick, why would they trust him? Hell, even Discord confirmed to not caring for the others besides Fluttershy simply by the sly whisper once confronting Tirek.
  
  (In Three’s a Crowd, you can create a headcanon that Discord lured Twilight and Cadance into the distant hill to try to murder them in disguise of an accident, as he faked his illness and brought them out to a lethal land where Cadance and Twilight fought for their lives.)
• Conceptually, Discord being the one to give Twilight Scorpan’s medallion was solid. It reinforces the theme of the series’s main arc, which is to give a gift to the one who symbolizes the ability to understand his or counterpart’s Element. It was very clever for Discord’s trust for someone else rear its ugly head, delivering much needed karma and further understanding of friendship. Moreover, it closes the door on Discord’s neutrality and evolving him into a more chaotic protagonist instead of neutral. Will the others beyond Twilight and Fluttershy trust him? If to avoid breaking continuity, they better!
  
  Also, pay attention to Scorpan during the hieroglyphic animation in Part 1's second act. In a panel or two, you’ll see him wearing the medallion that Tirek and later Discord donned.
• Speaking of the medallion, once you look deeper into Tirek, notice this pattern. In early times, Scorpan wore the medallion. Later in the two-parter, Tirek is shown to be wearing it. You can make a great guess that Tirek wears it to remind himself of his brother, who he loathed for “betraying” him. The medallion made him very angry and further motivated his lust for conquest and dominance. Because he saw Scorpan in Discord, he allowed the draconequus to wear it and then steal his powers.
  
  By doing this, he’s telling the audience Scorpan’s decision to not side with Tirek still hurt him, and his cunning decision to lure Discord into trusting him was a way of getting back at him and relinquishing the anger that boiled inside of him. Once Discord was powerless, one piece of his lifelong anger was wiped away. When you think about it, it was really clever of Tirek (and McCarthy) to bait Discord into that subtle trap, furthering his credibility as a tyrant.
• As Rainbow Falls is a train wreck that doesn’t deserve an ounce of praise minus Derpy’s glorious return, this deserves a mention:
  
  

  Twilight Sparkle: Rainbow Dash, you had the chance to fly with the Wonderbolts at the Equestria Games, but instead you chose to compete with your friends.
  
  Rainbow Dash: Sure! But being loyal to my friends was way–
  
  Pinkie Pie: Ooh, my turn, my turn!

  Even this episode recognizes how lazy and broken Rainbow Falls genuinely is.
• The concept of the roundtable (or Council of Friendship, according to Voice of Reason and AnY’s collaboration) is a rather genius way to plug some of the questions people have as far as the ReMane-ing Five is concerned. By putting them — and Spike — on the same pedestal as Twilight, it gives them a sense of importance narratively. Previously, Twilight rose above the status quo by becoming a princess and becoming one of the most important voices in all of Equestria (does that old expression need to die or what?!), but the others remained in their same positions vying for the same goals.
  
  Now that they’re a part of the council, they’re still the same ponies in Ponyville and can vie for the goals they’ve yearned since the pilot or The Ticket Master, but have a semblance of voice and status that wouldn’t be quelled because they’re “beneath” the quartet. As heavily flawed are Rainbow Falls, Breezies, and Leap of Faith are, they fulfilled their trials and are rewarded for their efforts.

Weaknesses:

• It doesn’t matter if Spike’s words were obnoxious. Smacking a child upside the head isn’t funny, DHX!
• T’sK’s main internal conflict is despite Twilight’s status as alicorn princess, she’s merely stuck in limbo, discouraging her. She wants to contribute to Equestrian society and have more of a role. There are a couple problems:
  
  a. Several of the episodes literally have nothing to do with Twilight’s status as a princess (and sometimes ignoring it like in RTM). Sometimes, when she does, she either accepts it reluctantly or wants little to do with it. In Trade Ya!, when the traders greeted Twilight, she got very nervous and took off. When she became the de facto leader when Luna and Celestia were horsenapped in PTS, she took position as leader and guard commander.
  
  In other words, Twilight has been involved in important roles as princess. But this episode acts as if her status is mostly or exclusively about being a background princess (no pun intended), when she actually shared an equal balance of getting involved when necessary and not wanting anything to do with it at all. It doesn’t tackle the issue so directly.
  
  b. It doesn’t excuse the way Twilight was used all season up to the finale. If anything, her use in several of the episodes in season four becomes even more glaring and will cause some people to wonder if Twilight’s role in several of them — including Rainbow Falls, It Ain’t Easy Bein’ Breezies — should’ve been cut out entirely.
• One of season four’s overrunning problems throughout is the overload of exposition, and it reared its ugly head again. For some examples:
  
  a. Twilight bowing before the duke and duchess of Mare-tonia and then having Celestia explain the purpose of her being there. Rather than using up about a minute of screentime, you can chop it up by having the AliTrio meet up with Twilight, who’s walking down the hall discouraged and then have Twilight explain how much her lack of involvement is hurting her.
  
  But the real problem is the dialogue in accordance to the exposition. The sentences are very complete, long-winded, and lacking thorough emotion. It’s a bunch of talking heads in pony form.
  
  b. Some of the lines from the ReMane-ing Five and Discord added very little aside from air and humor. After Celestia told Twilight she was going to send Discord out to find Tirek, there was a scene by the Tree of Harmony where Discord all but recounted events we all saw earlier. Although the jokes lightened the mood, it ate plenty of time. Unlike point 2a, this can still work if the lines were reworded to show more variety besides bringing in the journal and chest into the conflict.
  
  c. Act 1 of Part 2 had the Quarteticorn congregate in Canterlot Castle, and they all jibber-jabbered through the conversation for several minutes about what is a really stupid plan (which I’ll get to). Cutting down the dialogue, getting down to the point, and writing lines that genuinely fit the AliTrio (Cadance, Luna, Celestia) without the stupidity would’ve done wonders with the scene.
  
  d. Tirek’s passive dialogue in several of his scenes hurts his credibility as a villain. Sure, he’s supposed to be threatening, but the amount of passive lines he spouted lessens the strength of his evil from a narrative perspective.
  
  And these are merely some of the offenders. Thankfully, unlike A Canterlot Wedding and Magical Mystery Cure, the pacing issues tend to hide a bit better for the most part.
• Although McCarthy’s a very good writer, one of her quieter yet bigger problems in her bigger projects is her dialogue, and that’s the case in T'sK. Celestia, Luna, and Cadance don’t resemble any individuality due to how formal and long-winded each of them were; each line is Celestia’s under another voice. Applejack suffers from the same problem with lines like “As in Discord Discord” and her preference of the pre-reformed Discord. When Twilight and the others discuss the moments they had the Elements of Harmony they represent challenged, the vocabulary tended to be minutely repetitive; varying the vocabulary without looking like you’re relying on a thesaurus and length of the lines would’ve done that there.
• The AliTrio’s reasoning for transferring their magic to Twilight’s was unbelievably DUMB!
  
  HELLOOOOOOOOOO!!
  
  Discord is helping Tirek absorb others’ inherent magic, and Discord has known about Twilight since their first encounter in Return of Harmony, Part 1. For all the quartet knew, Discord might’ve told Tirek Twilight is an alicorn before they conferenced in Canterlot’s throne room and was on the way. Imagine while they talked and prepared to transfer their magic, Tirek barges in and eats it all up. It would make Celestia, Luna, and Cadance look like idiots for coming up with such a claim.
  
  It’s honestly very baffling why Twilight never second-guessed her “logic” and went with it. If she were, then she would’ve interrogated them for this logic. The only reason she didn’t was to handwave any sensible logic and have Twilight fight Tirek alone.
  
  And even when they accomplish the feat and have the story contrivedly play off the bullshit of Tirek not know about Twilight because Discord “was playing a test” (be honest, that logic makes no sense other than to handwave Celestia’s idiocy), it was just as stupid to not cover up Twilight’s tracks by leaving the stained glass window out in the open. If the AliTrio wanted their hardest to keep her presence a secret, then instead of standing around and doing nothing, they should’ve hidden everything related to her before she arrived in Canterlot.
  
  And this doesn’t count Celestia telling Twilight not to let the others find out [about Twilight's powers] “because doing so would put them in great risk.” DHX, why the royal fuck shouldn’t the ReMane Five know about it? Friendship is magic, and it's important for them to know about it.
  
  On another note, how come they don't know Discord switching sides? Why didn't DHX have Twilight tell them so they can prepare themselves? Just so they get conveniently trapped, which Tirek can use as a crutch to betray Discord, which then DHX can shove the conflict into that large battle of rainbow explosions, which leads to the rushed third act? Bullshit!
  
  This plot point was beyond stupid: They HAD to know because Twilight knows, and she had to tell them for two reasons:
  
  a. So they wouldn’t be caught off-guard.
  
  b. Every single pony is in great danger, anyway.
  
  After all, wouldn’t it be better if they hid along with the rest of Ponyville or stood beside Twilight to fight both Discord and Tirek instead? It was as if the AliTrio’s warning of Discord’s betrayal was mentioned at one point and then forgotten once the script was locked. If Twilight saw her friends trapped and realized she had forgotten, then I would've had less of an issue as far as not telling them about Discord's concerned.
  
  Another user pinpointed another part of Dumbass!Celestia: sending Discord out to find Tirek without a backup plan. Because he’s apparently shown fragility in his allegiance (and even she doesn’t trust him too much, as evident by her whisper to Twilight and doubtful gaze in Keep Calm’s ending), it doesn’t make sense for the trio to enact without Plan B.
  
  And one more thing: Discord was sent out by Celestia because he could sense magical imbalances. When Twilight absorbed all of the princesses’ magic, he went haywire. Without McCarthy replacing their intelligences with idiot balls to make the plan credible on the surface, it would’ve fallen apart and — I guarantee you — would put Celestia, Luna, and Cadance into several “hated character” lists due to their severe incompetence.
• Speaking of that, there was no need for DHX and McCarthy to retread the same side-conflict featured from the series premiere, Return of Harmony, Equestria Girls, and Princess Twilight Sparkle. Why does Twilight have to re-learn the concept of friendship is magic when she’s done this multiple times? Sure, she has to fulfill the plot of finding her key, but there are ways of accomplishing this feat without having to rip off past two-parters — including the season premiere — and stylize it differently. Reduce the plot into simple bullet points:
  
  • Twilight has a conflict.
  
  • A villain poses as a threat.
  
  • Twilight must solve the conflict by herself for a contrived reason.
  
  • Twilight realizes her friendship creates the magic she needs.
  
  • She and her friends defeat the bad guy.
  
  • Episode ends on a happy note.
  
  This is what you get. Sure, the episode dressed it differently and might’ve presented a different moral. But it still doesn’t change the body underneath. There was a ton of action with extremely high stakes, but variation of both its premise and story will be necessary. DHX, you can’t rip off past episodes for the sake of contrivance anymore nor can McCarthy and crew pretend this is any different and hope to have several people fooled. It’s old and treats the arc of finding the keys (especially Twilight’s) with severe disrespect.
• The pacing throughout was extremely flimsy. You can obviously tell it was a problem simply by the expository dialogue padding some of the scenes. But it was very problematic in other scenes:
  
  a. Tirek’s manipulation to convince Discord to join him was very implausible. One of RoH1’s biggest strengths is how Discord was able to manipulate four of the ReMane-ing Five (Fluttershy exempt due to her “incorruptible” status) into becoming the opposites of who they truly are.
  
  i. Applejack being told a “blunt truth” of ending their friendship with her behind her back, hurting her and wanting to tell lies.
  
  ii. Pinkie Pie’s Element of Laughter was turned upside-down when balloons laughed at her and continued to bully her into a mega grump.
  
  iii. Rarity being mesmerized by a large, once-in-a-lifetime, perfect “diamond,” converting her into someone greedy.
  
  iv. Discord was able to convince Dash into either continuing the game or having Cloudesdale collapse from Discord’s magic.
  
  Tirek targeted Discord’s teetering conscience as someone who loves to pull tricks that annoys others while remaining loyal to Canterlot and Fluttershy. However, Tirek’s mind games aren’t deep or sharp enough. They were passive and don’t have the bite or longevity to convince Discord to side with him.
  
  b. All of Act 3 in Part 2 crammed way too much to flow organically. You had Twilight stare at her friends trapped in Tirek’s bubbles. Then, she receives her epiphany and receives Scorpan’s pendent from Discord (who was betrayed earlier). Next, they race to the chest with Twilight feeling confident the pendent was the final key. The chest opens, and they become the latest Rainbow Powers, who then seal Tirek back to Tartarus and revert Equestria’s magic back to normal. The chest becomes Twilight’s castle, and they all become important “knights,” per se, for Princess Twilight’s roundtable. Cue final song to end the episode.
  
  That is a ton of information to cram in eight minutes. They just go from one after another without spending any time developing them. The script was quickly telling itself that time was running out, and they had to end it or force overtime. Instead of having Twilight receive her epiphany and key midway in Act 3, then how about cutting a repetitive scene or two out and start Act 3 when Twilight and the others open the chest?
• As for Tirek, despite being very threatening and evil, that still doesn’t make a factually good villain. He has some problems himself.
  
  a. Like what I said earlier, his credibility to manipulate others was marginalized by the poor pacing, dumb planning by the AliTrio, and blunt exposition.
  
  b. Despite him eating everyone’s magic, he basically stands in one spot as he victimizes others or banters with others. By doing this, his screentime presence becomes typical via its journey. This is unlike villains like Discord, who was very active in his constant corruption of Equestria and the Mane Six themselves and never stayed in one place for so long, always popping up when least expected.
  
  c. Tirek’s personality really shines most when he’s still confined in his cloak and frail. His voice is croaky, dry, and weak. Ironically, this gives him an edge in wisdom because of how old he looked. When he becomes giant, his cunning gets pushed to the wayside in favor of his lust for rule over Equestria, and his voice becomes very typical for a villain. Healthy? Sure. Unique? No.
  
  d. His original centaur design from Part 1 was very creative and stuck out from the one featured in G1. His skin remained red, but it wasn’t clean and leaned towards brown. When he became a giant with brilliant red skin and shades of gray and black in his body, the centaur no longer becomes unique anymore. Black and red are clichéd colors of evil, so the color combination boasts his villainy far more than it should. Like Sunset Demon in Equestria Girls, Giant!Tirek’s design doesn’t show the audience he’s evil; he’s telling them he’s evil. The original frail centaur is much more menacing because it doesn’t fall for the typical clichés in graphic design.
• You’ll Play Your Part has a fantastic score, but the lyrics themselves leave a bit to be desired. There are three problems:
  
  a. Some of the lyrics feel stiff. One important component of lyrics is to create a sense of direction that aims at the goal immediately and explains and/or exemplifies it.
  
  Here's an example picked out from Digibro:
  
  I want to have a purpose
  Want to do all that I can
  I want to make a contribution
  I want to be a part of the plan.
  
  Here, despite wanting to contribute to the royals, the lyrics are rather passive because she says the same thing above and below, but what makes it worse is the structure. With three of the meters starting with “I want,” it makes the verse very repetitive, circular, and mechanical. They parallel to what Twilight feels and yearns, which is great, but how she says it makes it sounds very artificial. It’s too structured, undermining Twilight’s desires. It’s important to have the lyrics drive the story (both in the song and around it) forward. More direct activity in its drive would've helped.
  
  This one here’s more of a personal gripe, but when Luna sung, they used “more” and “soar” twice for the rhymes. Again, more variety with more oomph would do quite a bit more justice.
  
  b. One of T'sK's biggest problems is the pacing. Here, it goes on too long. Twilight tells the Alicorn Trio that she doesn't feel like she's contributing. There is so much to go through, and forty minutes is very little time. While Kazumi Evans singing as Luna is a wish come true to a lot of bronies (and it in itself is a grand treat), it doesn't mean it'll help the story. You can have Twilight worry about her status and explain it to them succinctly. Luna, Celestia, and Cadance would reassure with a couple of lines themselves to end it. Instead of spending over three minutes to explain it, chop the song down to two minutes, if not a little over one, and have the trio sing YPYP only. From there, use the spare space to expand other scenes and give them more depth.
  
  c. From a musical perspective, the visual appeal is plain. For over half of YPYP, the princesses stay in all but one spot and relied on very few visuals to drive the message and not force the viewer to fast forward. Its visuals are VERY conservative and don't get inherently interesting until the final chorus; when you have a three-minute song within a twenty-minute episode, that hurts it.
  
  I think some are going to ask this (and this has been discussed back and forth already): How are the visuals and choreography in songs important?
  
  Much more important than you think.
  
  While songs can carry weight, it’s much more different between hearing it through your earphones and hearing and seeing it simultaneously. In all forms of viewable entertainment, it’s extremely important to keep the viewer engaged. When you hear and see it, you need to not just have the song good, but also have the visuals tell a story along with it. Make it bold. Make it interesting. Make the choreography engaging to drive the story to the next part and make the song sound even better.
  
  Yes, choreography does determine the reception of the song much more than you think.
  
  Take Three’s a Crowd’s A Glass of Water. De Lancie has a history of not being a good singer and will sometimes disguise it. Admittingly, the vocality is rather lackluster. But what did it were the visuals and gags. The pop culture references, animation, transitions, and overall gags really did the song justice and made the experience truly hilarious. Without the visuals driving the story and providing plenty of laughter, then A Glass of Water would’ve been around the middle at least.
  
  Another from this season is The Goof-Off. It’s a very good song with a very clever Smile Song reference, but it’s the visuals that really did it. Every single gag and joke fits Pinkie’s and Cheese Sandwich’s characterizations so brilliantly. They’re wild, wacky, hilarious, and story-driven. None of the characters stayed in one spot, and the camera angles and transitions provided that heartstopping tempo a competition such as TG-O successfully made. Combine it with two funny live-action shots. The end was perfect for Pinkie to receive her epiphany, and that’s what happened. If the visuals were plain, TG-O would’ve flopped and be placed in more “dislike” columns.
  
  Finally, season two's The Smile Song contains a chirpy, happy tone that fits Pinkie to a “T.” If it weren’t for Party of One, it might’ve been Pinkie’s best characterization. Do we know Pinkie likes to make others happy? Oh, hell, yeah! We’ve known it since the pilot. But one thing TSS does so well is keep it nice and fresh. Each meter is very organic because they vary, sound very “Pinkie,” feels like something someone in real life would actually SAY! And the flow is incredible — never skipping a beat and honing both Ingram’s and Rogers’s musical prowess. It tells her love for happiness without making it repetitive.
  
  But would have it been memorable if the animation was poor? Absolutely not! The beginning of the episode commences with the snap of her hooves, creating life and joy; a subtle detail, but really helped start. Combined with the jumpy instruments, it’s a great hook that gets viewers invested. During her tour in Ponyville, Pinkie’s joy begins to rub on everyone and turns their solemn or glum moods into happy ones. That happiness joins into one big ball of joy, sending happiness throughout and making them loose and fun.
  
  The animation is fun. It WANTS to tell you it’s fun to watch. It SUCCEEDS! Its presentation is absolutely refined, and the choreography is fantastic, especially in a few scenes:
  
  i. Pinkie and the fillies jumping rope while no one’s holding the ends.
  
  ii. Happiness and sadness personified during the bridge.
  
  iii. As Pinkie hops on the rooftops, ponies who followed her did the same.
  
  iv. The ending that was building itself up for the previous two minutes hit its mark. The background dancers exploded in joy and joined in the chorus. Up till the end where she meets Cranky.
  
  I bring this last example up because YouTube reviewer Mr. Enter claimed The Smile Song has much, much less to do with the narrative in A Friend in Deed than YPYP. Quite frankly, that's bullshit! Again, The Smile Song tells a grand narrative of what she loves and how her happiness ebbs on them and vice-versa. So when Cranky Doodle Donkey shows up and doesn’t smile, she gets confused and wants to do whatever she can to make him smile, leading to her screwups and tension. The fact that her antics bothered him makes sense because it ties back to the narrative presented in the song. The chaotic situations were funny because she was presented as a character in the wrong from a narrative perspective (at least in the first two acts). And the fact she screwed up royally by accidentally destroying the scrapbook crushed her, leading her to want to make it up. Of course, she screws up again and then after finally realizing the situation, she was able to make up for it, all leading back to what Pinkie likes to do: make friends and make friends smile (as established by The Smile Song), which makes her smile, and she learned personal space…after the moral.
  
  Granted, she should’ve been presented with a consequence or two because the cartoon methods of apologizing create unfortunate implications, and the moral itself is tacked on. What Pinkie did from beginning to end was very in character, but took a very safe approach in Act 3 and really teetered the line into making her just as creepy as Party of One. “Not everyone will want to be friends with you if the way you’re behaving towards them rubs them off” would’ve been better. A better method of solving the conflict would’ve been following Twilight’s advice instead of going Looney Toons on him. Still feeling guilty, she talks to Matilda, who later meets up with Cranky, who was cleaning up the mess. Matilda and Cranky talk about how they met long ago and wanted to find each other again; Matilda also holds a copy of her scrapbook containing a copy of the pictures taken at the Gala. Pinkie apologizes for her behavior. Cranky forgives her, smiles, and calls her a friend. Cue the moral. Episode ends.
  
  Regardless, the song really connected to the thematic message of not just the episode, but the series and moral, also. It was a major catalyst to the conflict that immediately followed and foreshadowed the ending and moral. On top of that, it’s one of the best written, most fluent, and best composed in the series. The choreography strengthened the song, made it belong in the episode structurally and thematically, and helped create the gigantic following TSS has.
  
  What does this have to do with YPYP?
  
  Although TSS and YPYP are thematically relevant and carry great scores, The Smile Song has the polish and drive from beginning to end along with fantastic visuals to compensate it and make it better.
  
  For songs that aren't exactly so catchy or well sung, A Glass of Water doesn’t have a satisfactory singing performance (on its own, it's one of the worst songs of the season), but the hilarious visuals hide it very well and tell a grand story. Without Discord's antics and chaotic animation, AGoW's reception would've been down the middle at least.
  
  Conversely, You’ll Play Your Part doesn’t have that. Some of the meters are clunky and remain as idle as a running car until Celestia sings or the first chorus. To make it worse, the plain visuals and conservative choreography do very little to carry the message and influence its impact. In actuality, the lack of visual substance hurt the song’s message, underminded its importance, and made it less appealing to listen to and follow along. Sure, you have little details to alleviate it (the aurora representing Celestia, the night sky, and the Crystal Castle), but without the bigger details, the little ones won’t matter.
• The Rainbow Power ponies. Besides having the ending spilled several months ago (unrelated to the show, BTW; just an observation), there are two problems:
  
  a. It all but renders their sacrifice of the Elements of Harmony rather pointless. One of the greatest strengths of sacrificing the Elements of Harmony from a narrative perspective is twofold: Their friendship is connected far beyond powerful jewelry, and DHX is forced to come up with solutions that don’t rely on a possible Deus Ex Machina or hat-pull. The fears reared its ugly head in EqG and all but ruined the reputation of the concept. The Rainbow Powers are a more powerful, elaborate version of the Elements of Harmony. Despite a change in status, the Rainbow Powers basically put the concept back to square one.
  
  b. The designs themselves are TERRIBLE! I take graphic design very seriously, so the designs are personally my most HATED part of the finale. FIM contains a soft, pastel atmosphere, making the colors visually comfortable. The RP ponies rely far too much on style over substance. The bright colors clash with not just the pastels of the characters, but other bright colors that touch, also. Thus, the characters’ presentations are too gaudy and unpleasant to look at. Hasbro doesn’t need to plug in flashy colors just to pander to kids; it’s very bad character design and bad graphic design in general. You can make the characters look aggressive withOUT saturating the colors.
  
  (Apparently, the Rainbow Powers will have some importance in Rainbow Rocks, as evident by the change of the characters and Rainbow Power appearances in the leaked music video Shake Your Tail!)
• The castle design is very unpleasant. Sure, Twilight’s new castle is supposed to connect with the Tree of Harmony’s rocky presentation, but on its own, it doesn’t fit at all. The Golden Oaks Library perfectly represented not only Ponyville, but also Twilight. It was homey, beautiful, clever, and pleasant in its interior and exterior. But…
  
  a. The rocky exterior doesn’t have the organic shapes of Ponyville. It looks like something that belongs to The Crystal Empire, but even their shapes are more organically structured. The colors themselves are also too dull and don’t have the pastel, yet warm colors. Visually, the presentation is out of character of Ponyville because it’s far too elaborate, the cold colors clash with the rest of the town, and its inorganic structure appears incomplete.
  
  b. Inside, the hallways and throne room are very rocky with very deep, dark colors to counterbalance with the bright whites, greens, and yellows. It doesn’t have a sleek, regal presentation, and the really dark majesty doesn’t make the castle feel like home, but a prison instead.
  
  Altogether, Twilight’s new castle is telling the audience, “This is my new, grand home,” but it shows the opposite.

Like Princess Twilight Sparkle, Meghan McCarthy’s penmanship in Twilight’s Kingdom takes center stage. In the premiere, it was McCarthy’s goal to create a satisfying story of Twilight adjusting to royal society. Despite annoying retcons and sloppy writing decisions (poor pacing, the alicorn potion, goofing up Applejack’s and Pinkie’s characters, poor dialogue, a lack of concrete timeline), it nonetheless pushed season four forward. Meanwhile, the finale sealed the overarching plot of the Chest of Harmony and the annoying flaw of Twilight’s princesshood being merely a title. It behaves like a series finale, but also an opening to future ideas. With season five coming up sometime during the winter holidays, it’ll create many new questions without having the dark cloud that hung over the head following Magical Mystery Cure.

Now, as insulting as the idea is, as Tommy Oliver stated in his FIMpression, (like A Canterlot Wedding) the less you think about T’sK's flaws, the more fun it is. And it's a blast to watch on the first try.

But now that Twilight’s Kingdom has aired, it’s time to think about it. So through the critical eye, is Twilight’s Kingdom the best FIM finale?

No. That still belongs to The Best Night Ever.

It’s full of really unpolished executions, so these pieces collectively dropped the quality. Objectively, it’s at most above-average. But it’s better in quality than the other two-part finale, A Canterlot Wedding: While A Canterlot Wedding is rushed as hell, very sloppy, and full of several loose ends that weren’t fulfilled, Twilight’s Kingdom contains more importance than its comparison; while there's plenty of stupidity and pacing issues to question, season four's finale concludes itself and many arcs as a whole more satisfactorily.

Now, bring on EqG: Rainbow Rocks season five!

I give credit to Gen 2 for not making this mistake.

Although Tales has a completely different art style compared to the original generation, Tales is officially G1. Agree with pretty much everything else, however.

G3 and G3.5 get widely hated because they DESERVE to be hated. Both G3 and G3.5 are factually bad for several reasons:

1. The conflicts are very shallow.
2. The characters are flat notes.
3. Writing? There's a difference between writing and plastering stuff on screen. Hell, G3 doesn't even respect its own continuity and wants you to like it.
4. Some of the morals are hammered in at the last minute or create unfortunate implications.
5. As far as G3.5 is concerned, the animation is horrid.
6. The effort altogether is LAZY and treats the demographics they're talking to (five-year-old girls and their guardians) like shit. Those on here who think FIM should be watched with their brains turned off should watch an episode from G3 or G3.5, because that sorry excuse is used in practice here.

    

   FIM may be a moving commercial at times, but for the most part, they at least put a certain amount of effort (EQG notwithstanding). G3 and G3.5 are blatant toy commercials, and their writers don't care beyond their paycheck.

Note: For the collection of other "Pick a Flaw" episode threads, head over to the "Pick a Flaw" blog portal (which'll be updated periodically) or check the list at the bottom of the OP.

This is the other half of the "Pick a Flaw" series, which covers Issues #7-10 (in order: Cutie Mark Crusaders, Princess Celestia, Spike, Princess Luna) along with a poll picking a flaw of the Micro-Series in general. If you want to "pick a flaw" for the first six issues (the Mane Six Micros), head over here.

Following the Rainbow Falls PaF thread, Pick a Flaw expanded into The Micro-Series (Part 1 already published on the Forums), one met with an overall mixed reception. The best received are Luna, Rarity, Pinkie, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders. The worst received are Twilight, Rainbow Dash, and (especially parts of the analysis community) Fluttershy.

To quote from "PaF: Micro-Seires, Part 1":

For those who know about these threads, you know how they work. But to those coming to one of these threads for the first time, pick ONE of the possible flaws above and explain why it bothers you the most. If it's not any of the options above, if you can't choose just one, or if you find (nearly) every flaw above equally bothersome, click "other" and explain why. Also, since filling out the poll altogether is mandatory, each has an "I haven't read the comic" option available at the bottom to those who haven't read at least one of the six issues.

Along with the first four polls, there's another below asking you to choose A flaw of the Micro-Series in general. The choices are self-explanatory. "Other" follows the same structure, and if you feel you don't have strong conviction in your feedback, you can hit "other" as your choice.

If you haven't read the first six Micro comics, they're available through these links:

1. Twilight Sparkle
2. Rainbow Dash
3. Rarity
4. Fluttershy
5. Pinkie Pie
6. Applejack

And because this thread is about the last four, here are the rest:

1. Cutie Mark Crusaders
2. Princess Celestia
3. Spike
4. Princess Luna

Two things to know and remember:

1. "Other" does NOT stand for "this comic is (mostly) flawless."
2. These threads don't mean this person dislikes the story. But as "Pick a Flaw" is NOT a rant-free zone, don't be surprised if you're going to see people rant about a certain issue or two.

Cutie Mark Crusaders: This is tied with Pinkie's as my most favorite Micro comic because of its great choice of art and mostly well-done approach to the conflict, moral, and resolution. I'd rather read this over almost every CMC-centric episode in the show. But if I have to choose, it's the exposition. It's a little too heavy-handed and bogged down the pace early. It didn't start picking up until after Imp's identity was revealed.

Princess Celestia: I mentioned this in my blog, and I'll show it to you:

In the two pictures above is a filly name Honey Sweet, a satire of Honey Boo Boo, a child celebrity from various reality TV. The dialogue, action, and overall reference was made partially to mock her (evident by her frightened state), and it spoiled the mood. There's a fine line to referencing current pop culture. The HBB bashing crossed it more blatantly than the jokes in the Twilight comic and brony pandering in the Dash comic.

Spike: Twilight, Fluttershy, Angel, and Spike are in character. Spike's desire to find a new pet is rather convincing. The karmic humor he suffered was deserving, yet not so blunt to make it mean-spirited. The art is pretty good. And the moral itself is decent. There are two obvious problems: Spike's character growth doesn't approach new boundaries and resets, and the moral's execution is lazy. On a personal level, I went with the moral, because although he used the advice to his advantage, he never figured it out himself.

Luna: I don't know about you, but I hated Luna's portrayal. Rather than the cordial relationship with her sister presented in the main series, Luna was far too bubbly and annoying, relying on incompetence and flanderization of her "playful" side to drive the story. She was mostly one-dimensional here.

As for the Micro-Series altogether, it's the quality of the characterization followed by the pop culture references. In most of them, the characterization is very hit or miss. Dash's had the worst dialogue of them all, and she behaved really off. While Rarity was very in character, Flax Seed in Rarity's comic got old halfway. Praiser Pan is shallow and helped hammer in an egotistical moral. The Pinkie and CMC comics' characterizations are extremely solid. You get the drill by now.

Season 1:

• Friendship Is Magic, Parts 1 & 2
• The Ticket Master
• Applebuck Season
• Griffon the Brush Off
• Boast Busters
• Dragonshy
• Look Before You Sleep
• Bridle Gossip
• Owl's Well that Ends Well

Season 2:

• The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000
• Putting Your Hoof Down
• Dragon Quest

Season 4:

• Rainbow Falls
• Simple Ways
• Filli Vanilli
• Twilight Time
• It Ain't Easy Bein' Breezies
• Somepony to Watch Over Me
• Maud Pie
• For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils
• Leap of Faith
• Testing Testing 1, 2, 3
• Trade Ya!
• Inspiration Manifestation
• Equestria Games
• Twilight's Kingdom

Other:

1. The Micro-Series, Part 1 - Mane Six
2. The Micro-Series, Part 2 - The Other Cast & Overall Series