Dark Qiviut

A very big difference. The biggest problem with both episodes is by how cramped they were. There was so much information compacted into one small space that it made the development, conflict, and resolutions in both episodes inorganic.
 
To quote what I wrote regarding Discord's redemption in KCaFO:

Keep Calm and Flutter On is definitely rushed in timing, writing, and setting. Discord has been a thorn in Equestria for eons, raising hell over a thousand years ago and then doing the same when the stone curse weakened and broke. He is a god and a villain with little regard for anyone but himself. He was crazy, selfish, menacing, and psychotic. In less than twenty-four hours, he went from an evil nuisance to a neutral, semi-antagonistic draconequus. Realistically, it makes no sense. For redemption like him to function plausibly, it needs to be taken much longer. At least fourty-eight hours and more than one episode. Furthermore, there was way too much content squeezed in for it to genuinely make sense. From beginning to end, it went from one moment to another without any time to relax and change its pace. The characterization and foreshadowing made the episode much stronger than it should have been, but the fast pace weakened the overall episode and made his redemption not so convincing.

And again for Magical Mystery Cure:

Magical Mystery Cure amplified KCaFO's main flaw. The songs were slow, but everything was all crammed in one twenty-minute episode (with some like I've Got to Find a Way chopped from time constraints). The conflict was resolved way too quickly, and the inorganic foreshadowing (a.k.a., the Twilicorn resolution) that was shoved in sped MMC up further. There wasn't any time to genuinely calm down and space the information apart so we can see and feel the characters in between the songs. The conflict, resolution, and consequences were brief and had no time to fully explore. Although the songs were great, it made the episode even faster because there wasn't as much dialogue to calm down the pace and space everything apart for everything to make logical sense. Not only could it have been a two-parter; it SHOULD have been a two-parter.

 

Expanding them to two parts not only would've made Discord's redemption plausible, but it also would've saved Magical Mystery Cure from being a headache-inducing, twenty-minute waste of time.

No, he doesn't need to be redeemed and he shouldn't. Sombra is the embodiment of pure evil. His soul is dark, and he desires nothing more than pain, agony, and misery at the expense of his slaves. His extreme cruelty makes Discord look tame in comparison.

 

Instead, if they ever bring him back, give him more character development to show us viewers how evil he can be. Show us more of an evil, disgusting personality rather than have us proven that he's evil by the artifacts he possesses nor a vision of his past cruelty with the Crystal Empire. Give him a genuine, three-dimensional, EVIL personality instead!

@@Anadu Kune, Just like that, you fall into a trap that's killed so many arguments.

 

You're equating that liking it equals being good and not liking it equals bad; and that mindset couldn't be any more wrong than it already is. I actually LIKE The Crystal Empire a tiny bit less than Magical Mystery Cure because I personally take other things into account a tad bit heavier than others, like Sombra's characterization, my attachment to various moments and songs, and so on. Sombra's really flat personality is one of the reasons why I like TCE less than MMC.

 

But that's viewing it in the form of taste. I'm viewing it here under a quality perspective/litmus, which is completely different. Taste and quality often don't mix, and they don't here. I'm here to dissect why The Crystal Empire is better than Magical Mystery Cure regardless of prejudice. I can like something and know it's bad, and I can dislike something and know it's good. In my review linked in your quote, I explained why Magical Mystery Cure isn't a good episode, even though I do like it.

 

In TCE, the two-parter as a whole is much better handled beginning, middle, and end despite the two main issues being Sombra's flat personality and the slow pace in the first two acts of TCEII. (It also had one minor issue, which is Cadance suddenly being the Crystal Princess.)

 

Magical Mystery Cure, on the other hand, rushed so much in the first two minutes of the episode and only increased in tempo to the point where it made zero sense logically and realistically, more so than Keep Calm and Flutter On. MMC had big issues in plot, coherency, logic, and plausibility, many of which are explained in my linked review.

As weak as both episodes are, The Crystal Empire is objectively the better of the two. You can read my review for Magical Mystery Cure here to read the strengths and glaring flaws in the episode. What makes The Crystal Empire better are as follows:

1. Much more expanded characterization of the cast. Despite being very heavily characterized in Twilight's perspective, we got to see how the others handled themselves quite a bit, and each line worked. Outside the lyrics in What My Cutie Mark Is Telling Me, Magical Mystery Cure's characterization of the Mane Six outside Twilight and Spike wasn't that strong.
2. The plot flowed much more. Magical Mystery Cure performed the worse of the two evils, which is cram a needlessly complex plot in one twenty-minute episode. Moreover, MMC opened a gaping plothole by retconning the already established concept of cutie marks being the ponies' predestined livelihoods instead of it being their biggest self-made interests and lifelong goals in order to fit the Twilicorn in the canon. Albeit abruptly introducing Cadance as the current Crystal Princess without any true rhyme and reason, The Crystal Empire, on the other hand, took a much simpler plot and expanded it, in part two really slowing it down to the point of a crawl. While it was more plausible and a hell of a lot more coherent, it resulted in making Sombra a flat, boring character. Sombra isn't anywhere nearly as menacing as Discord or Chrysalis simply because Sombra is a typical cliché with no depth aside from the Door of Illusion.
3. The story, needless to say, is much better told. Magical Mystery Cure crammed it in in one twenty-minute episode, and the songs ate up WAY too much time, only speeding it up further. The Crystal Empire, once more, took its time with more dialogue and less songs that clog up screentime.
4. (More of a consequence from MMC) The foreshadowing of the Twilicorn is much more organically placed in. In MMC, because of the rushed method the episode was written, the Twilicorn (and Princess Twilight) hints were shoved in inorganically and felt like they didn't belong unless Larson severely rewrote it from the ground up. Compared to The Crystal Empire, the foreshadowing flowed. The animated scene of Luna and Celestia with Twilight before the gates shut was a very clever method to hint where she may go once her studies were over. The script didn't dictate it (and if it did, the Twilicorn hint would've been better foreshadowed), but the animated background helped out.

Like many people here, I have two answers for this, too.

 

Quite honestly, if it weren't for the fandom advertising the show like crazy via word-of-mouth promotion, YouTube clips, and memes, I wouldn't have discovered the show in the first place. Despite knowing that the My Little Pony franchise existed in the form of commercials, it was barely promoted in the New York City toy stores. Until I discovered the fandom, I had no idea Friendship Is Magic even existed. If it weren't for the fandom, I doubt I would've discovered this show and community even today.

 

Now, if the fandom were to disappear off the face of the earth, would I continue to watch it? Definitely. Both fandoms go hand in hand, but regardless of the fandom's size, the show itself is very good, too. I'll continue to watch it even if it was no longer around. (Nonetheless, I'd still miss the brony fandom. )

Of my three blogs, one of them has comments (from members and Section Moderators) moderated and hidden from public till I either approve it, delete it, or report it. One of my blogs has comments disabled and another blog's comments are unfiltered. In the one where comments are moderated, any comment posted will give me a notification. But for Dark Qiviut's Columns, unless it's a global mod or administrator, I get no notification and constantly have to go to the "Manage Blogs" setting in my control panel to see if anyone commented.

 

Brohoofs for blogs are another. I get absolutely no notification for brohoofs in my blog or blog comments, either my own or someone else's blog.

 

So I have these suggestions:

1. An option to be notified of comments in blogs that have comments moderated/filtered. Furthermore, if you post a comment that needs approval, you get a notification that the comment you posted has been approved for public viewing or removed.
2. An option to receive notifications of brohoofs for your blogs and your blog comments.

Because in the show amethyst star is confirmed to be dinkys sister

You're countering fanon with a more obscure fanon, thereby killing your argument. Dinky and Amethyst Star are nothing more than placeholder characters to fill in negative space the background. Like what Happy Plant said, Dinky has been seen with other families in season two; having them team up in Sisterhooves Special doesn't equate to them being sisters, whether it's blood or surrogate.

You don't need to write one hundred words in order to post. You need to type in one hundred characters (some requiring more or less depending on which forum you post under). Any letter (capital or lowercase) or number counts as a character, but punctuation marks, spaces, and paragraphs don't.

 

The purpose for the character minimum filter is to ensure higher quality posts rather than higher quantity posts and prevent spam from clogging the topics. Prior to the minimum, there was a lot of criticism from former forum members because the posts (particularly the brief one-liners and macro-only posts) lacked the quality control. The character minimum filter is there to mandate people here to type in high quality.

If there's one huge peeve of mine in any fandom that really grinds my gears, it's this one.

 

Anyone who quits being a fan of something because of the fans' transgressions was NEVER a fan of the product to begin with!

 

This same thing applies to the "brony" who wrote that idiotic review and overall opinion of MLP:FIM on TV.com. Fans don't determine the quality of the overall product. The professionals affect the quality of the overall product. The quality of the product results in the passionate fanbase, and the product NEEDS this passion to help push it forward. MLP:FIM is a quality product, and people in general spot quality the minute they see it. That's why there's so much passion here: The quality's high, and the bronies respond to it. And this passion is needed, NOT shunned.

 

If you let the fanbase ruin your enjoyment of the show or fandom in general, then you won't enjoy anything in your life, period. It's a completely misguided mindset with NO good reasons whatsoever. In short, the bronies aren't the the reviewer's problem. The reviewer himself (and anyone who follows this same double standard regardless of fandom) is his real problem.

 

SNL makes fun of everything, and I for one take no offense.

SNL making fun of everything is no excuse for delivering unintelligent humor, and the fact that they forced in a laugh track shows how weak the writing is. I like my professional self-deprecating humor with quality lines and genuine intelligence. Comedians like the late George Carlin and the late Rodney Dangerfield know how to write some great humor. This team here at SNL failed to do so.

This type of "humor" is like Howard Stern's and Tosh's comments towards bronies: shock jock bullshit (with this one using the lame-ass "bronies-are-pedophiles" punchline). The writers "try" (and I say this VERY loosely) to write something "funny," but time and time again for the past decade stoop to lowbrow "humor" and force canned laughter for effect. This segment falls under the list of how NOT to write legitimately good humor.

As such, this segment of "humor" isn't creative nor cool. It's unintelligent, insulting, and NOT funny at all. Saturday Night Live and any other channel that wants to jab at the community, if you're going to poke fun at the brony fandom, at least don't try to appeal to the lowest common denominator in order to climb in the Nielson ratings scale. It's intellectually insulting and doesn't make a good quality product.

So far, there've been only three places where self-deprecating brony humor gathers any clear wit or intelligence; none of them have come at the professional level.

I hope that they just ignore the twilight alicorn thing and just continue the normal story...

Bad idea. The Twilicorn really shook up the foundation of the FIM universe, and ignoring it would make MMC look like nothing more than a twenty-minute commercial for the upcoming toyline.

 

-

 

To answer the OP in question, I'm quite possibly the most vocal critic of the Twilicorn, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. Back when the concept was first released, I wrote an editorial and updated it periodically until Magical Mystery Cure aired. I have five reasons, but the biggest for me are twofold:

1. The lack of momentum: Following The Crystal Empire, Part 2, there was nothing to hint her transfrmation until Magical Mystery Cure; her being a princess was somewhat hinted, but her alicornhood wasn't. There's a big difference between transforming into a princess and transforming into an alicorn princess, and most people on all sides of the coin — obverse, reverse, and reeds — overlook this.
2. The key reason behind it: the gimmicky gateway to promote Hasbro's toyline. Hasbro has continually pushed forward shitty ideas into the television cartoons in order to promote their own toys. Just by the poor, rushed script Larson wrote (and the half-baked PR from Larson, McCarthy, and Strong), it's blatantly obvious that Hasbro shoved the Twilicorn into the season finale in order to sell more toys. I watch FIM because it's a high quality show with the toys being so cleverly disguised that you don't notice it. FIM uses the animation to sell the toys rather than use the toys to sell the animation. MMC tried to perform the latter, and the writing failed to disguise it.

 

I think most people who dislike Alicorn Twilight see it as more of the Kim Possible situation.

I'm not all that familiar with Kim Possible, so for me, it's because of Hasbro's past. For over thirty years, Hasbro has continually shoved in shoddy ideas into the canon, forcing the animators and writers to inorganically connect them to the canons. Their track record has been hideously spotty (and for actions like what happened with G3, it nearly killed the MLP franchise), and the Twilicorn idea can really snap it in half because the concept is delicate and got off on the wrong foot. But if the writers tread carefully and develop her correctly, then Twilight can become an even better character.

Like to Full Spectrum, this reply is to a post from another thread.

 

 

Twilight has become this cute little princess that doesn't have any flaws.

Just because she became an alicorn princess doesn't equate to losing her quirks and flaws. Following her transformation, she asked aloud if there was a book about how to help rule as a princess. Plus, if the writers pay any attention come season four, she has a lot more to learn.

1. She has a history of being socially awkward around others. Although it's long since diminished now that she's become very close with the citizens of Ponyville, she still needs to adjust to all the subsequent treatment as someone above the others, when Twilight viewed herself as equal with everyone else. How will she handle the rise in the rankings and treatment the others give her, even from her closest friends?
2. She's still a character who can crack under the pressure if she can't handle it. Magic Duel and Games Ponies Play showed her ability to retain composure, but Magical Mystery Cure revealed some form of desperation, as she initially had no idea how to fix the spell.
3. Despite being a princess, she has yet to show any growth of magnificent power akin to Star Swirl the Bearded, Celestia, or Luna. In Magic Duel, Twilight used her lack of ability to perform advanced magic to her advantage by playing tricks on Trixie. She has the smarts, but is still a dabbler when it comes to physical, tangible magic.

The Twilicorn is a bad idea, no questions about it, and something has to give in order for the Twilicorn to fit in without Magical Mystery Cure to not age so poorly. But it's just plain ridiculous to call her a Mary Sue (or someone close to it), especially with all of the information leaning the opposite end of the scale. If you want to be anti-Twilicorn, use solid logic to back your opinion up, because your opinion here is severely flawed.

I made a similar response in another thread in the past, so I'll answer that here.

 

There are no restrictions or requirements to be a brony. A brony is nothing more the term used to describe a fan of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic regardless of gender, sexual identity, age, religion, passion for the franchise or fandom (i.e., creating fanbased works like fanfic, music, or fanart) to show your dedication for it, or origin. If you like My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, then whether you know about  — or like — the term or not, you're automatically a brony.

Derpy was spotted in the character as one with crossed eyes, caused by an overlooked animation error. Rather than ignoring it, the brony fandom (which was much smaller at the time) began to create a lot of work about her, from fanfiction to videos to fanart. When the bronies spilled outside of 4Chan, her popularity boomed because there was so much work appreciating her: Compared to the rest of the ponies, she looked different because of her wall eyes, and she was beloved partially for this. Lauren Faust caught wind of it and was able to have the animators alter one of the background ponies to one with crossed eyes intentionally before it aired, replacing Ditzy Doo in the process.

 

Basically, the brony community was able to create a canon character, and these Easter Egg appearances (plus her appearance in The Last Roundup) created a charm that made her funny and adorable. Derpy is the gateway to show the close relationship DHX has with the brony community, and it's extremely noticeable. Plus, the creativity in the community continues to promote her with the cute, aloof, clumsy, happy-go-lucky, caring interpretation with fanon ideas on the side (being a mailmare and/or a loving mother with a unicorn filly named Dinky). The more art promoting her, the more noticeable she becomes. And the more noticeable she becomes, the more she stands out and the more likeable she becomes.

I love Celestia more than Luna, but as of this point, Luna is the better princess when it comes to genuine characterizations.

 

The bronies began to love Luna initially because of at least three things:

1. Her underdog status. In the pilot, Luna is viewed as the feared princess because of her transformation to Nightmare Moon. In the world where Celestia is revered and worshiped, Luna's night is barely given attention because they're asleep. It left her cold and jealous, and then following her defeat, she was given the chance to redeem herself. The Western World loves the underdog.
2. Her design stands out amongst all of the ponies. In contrast to the pastel colorings almost every pony has, she has a very dark blue color scheme in both of her designs, and it reflects very well with her cutie mark and personality.
3. The mystery behind who she was. Celestia is portrayed as a deity authority figure with a developed personality that's already set in stone. Luna had little true personality to tag along.

When Luna was a focal point in Luna Eclipsed, the mystery remained despite not being as engulfed, and she was given a different design that was well-liked and portrayed her as royalty in contrast to her season one version. But what she brought was genuine character. She developed, but she's flawed and does whatever she can to be appreciated. Even afterwards, she still tries such as her want to participate in Twilight's mission to rescue the Crystal Empire. Besides Twilight, she's the most realistic and balanced alicorn princess. The most realistic character you have, the more the brony fandom will continue to follow that character. Luna was mysterious and then showed strengths and flaws physically and emotionally that made sense, and she retained that edge ever since.

 

Celestia doesn't have the edge nor the emotional flaws that make her as believable as Luna (or even Cadance). She's been around a long time, but her character has barely been explored. Instead of emotional and psychological flaws that make sense for her, she's portrayed as always strong-willed and is the main authority figure. Characters like these are popular, but they don't carry that huge stronghold compared to edgier, underdog characters. In a show where three-dimensional characterization pushes the stories, she's quite flat. So far, she's shown two or three spots where genuine characterization from her is shown: Friendship Is Magic, Part 2 (reuniting with Luna), Return of Harmony, Part 1 (losing her composure when confronting Discord), and Magical Mystery Cure (Celestia's Ballad). She's my third favorite character, but taste and quality don't mix. Celestia needs much more thorough writing to get a much bigger attachment towards her as a character instead of a two-dimensional deity.

 

 

It's all because of the memes that destroyed her. Trollestia, Molestia, Tyrant Celestia...

Because of those, people think that's her real personality, thus hating her. It's all shits and giggles...

False. Most of the fandom who follows these memes are HUGE Celestia fans. Almost every brony that I've bumped to who isn't a fan of Celestia despises them.

Normally, because it's a fan animation, I tend to be much more lenient in my comments. However, Zachary Rich helped produce this whole piece (along with 104 other people) with the intent to graduate from Savannah's College of Art and Design. This fan-made episode is out there to prove to everyone that he is ready to work in the professional field. Therefore, I'll review it as if it truly is a professionally published piece.

 

This is a strong animated piece, with lots of action, characterization, and humor. Rich and crew took what is My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic and created something that could fit within the realm of the canon while inserting of their own ideas. What are really strong is the following:

• Without question, the animation is the best part of Double Rainboom. One key component in animation is the fluidity of it, and it was extremely well-done. In some cases, it flowed a little better than some parts of the showand really pushed the boundaries of Adobe Flash, something DHX has been able to do.
• The characterization of Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash are, for the most part, IN character, especially given the current timeline, which is somewhere in season two. Twilight retains that adorkable edge while freaking out, getting annoyed at the right moments, and caring at the right time. Rainbow Dash, meanwhile, retained that recklessness that she didn't dispel until Wonderbolts Academy. She likes to push herself to the edge, occasionally going too far, and used to fly very recklessly. In Read It and Weep, she flew so wildly, she crashed and broke her wing. Pinkie Pie's antics worked extremely well, retaining that cheery, bubbly confidence that everyone knows so well.
• The pop culture references are abundant, but don't intrude to the story. WeLoveFine, EQD, Toy Story, Harley Quinn, and so on blended right in the piece, and you have to really slow down in order to find it.
• The plot twist was shocking, but made a lot of sense. Whether you love it or hate it, NO one saw that crossover coming. But it was done in a way that works given the fantasy, folklore, and logic the canon provides. My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic exploits their zany worldbuilding, but so does The Powerpuff Girls, and a lot of the crew worked on both projects. Lauren Faust, in part, worked as a storyboard artist in Powerpuff Girls, and the simplicity in PPG's characters and atmosphere are noticeable in FIM.
  
  At the same time, Rich and crew carefully researched various theories, especially the idea of exploring and ripping through an inter-dimensional, space-time continuum. There were bits and pieces foreshadowing the crossover, but there was one that, following the interview on Everfree Radio, gave it right away.
  • Twilight's contraption when holding Rainbow Dash back. I remembered seeing it once before when the preview was uploaded on YouTube a few weeks ago, but didn't know where. Rich explained that it came from the Powerpuff Girls episode, Bubblevicious (one of the most popular PPG episodes, by the way), and it rang in my head wondering how I missed that! It was subtle, but very clever.
• There's another part of the professional world of MLP:FIM that shines: the background score. It shines here, too. Andrew Stein (MandoPony) did a splendid job with the music, giving it his flavor, but simultaneously blending in the canon. It's fast when needed, somber when needed, and hilarious when needed. It added so much flavor to Double Rainboom.
• The humor is top-notch and follows the zany roots of both The Powerpuff Girls and My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. The funniest part is easily Rarity's hairdo becoming Twilight's, scaring away Spike.
• There were plenty of brony references, but almost all of them came during specific moments where it didn't intrude to the plot. The Scootachicken joke belonged, and it was hilarious. Derpy had more secondary screentime than seasons one and three combined, desperately trying to eat her muffin (but couldn't); and you can't help but feel for her. WeLoveFine and EQD were there, but were so subtle and so quick that you couldn't spot them immediately. Berry Punch's brony reference for her alcoholism is there, too, but almost unnoticeable because it was in the background.
• The tones for all of the characters match. The Powerpuff Girls were perfect. Twilight Sparkle, voiced by Rina-chan, closely associated with Strong's voice; and the same is said for Pinkie Pie. The only one that was half-and-half is Rainbow Dash. But despite the different voice, the way it was conveyed (her tone) matched her headstrong reckless character that was prevalent during seasons one and two.
• The crew did a spectacular job portraying the consequences of the double rainboom. It was forceful and damaging. Ponyville was in shambles, as if in the middle of a nuclear explosion. They wanted it to be graphic, and they got it.
• The end credits are akin to one of a Pixar film. Instead of being an afterthought, it's part of the episode, which is a very clever touch.

But there were also rather noticeable flaws.

• One brony reference was redundant: Snowflake's "YEAH!" Albeit funny, it ate up too much time on the clock.
• Some of the animation look like it was tweened too much. The biggest example is Fluttershy escorting the chickens before Rainbow Dash zoomed by — It was rather choppy.
• Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup's lines were way too simple to display much genuine character. The only moment where the character was displayed was Buttercup's aggression during the fight with the monster.
• The script was to the point, but it was actually too simple. While many of the lines were in character, some didn't have the depth necessary to make the characterization as convincing as it should, especially the Powerpuff Girls'. Better lines from them and more hilarious conversation between the PPGs and Dash (and maybe Professor Utonium, if you want to brainstorm) would provide such great chemistry.
• The explanation for the double rainboom was nonexistant. Where did it come from? It's evident through the script's effects that, if going fast enough to break through the speed of sound AND light, a double rainboom causes a rift in the continuum, landing the individual who's going through it into another dimension. But there was never any history or backstory behind it in the form of the actual script. It came off as extremely abrupt, and we still never got the full details behind them. In other words, given the current writing, it's a glaring plothole.
• Twilight's mere anger following Rainbow Dash's return didn't match. She was worried that Dash would kill herself, and then couldn't find her. She showed absolutely NO relief that Rainbow Dash is back in one piece, just frustration and anger, and it didn't fit her one bit. A combination of both (combined with disappointment) would've been much more in character.
• The deus ex machina, while fitting in the canon and Pinkie's "fourth wall breaking" was stupid! Despite the foreshadowing early in Double Rainboom, there was absolutely NO buildup for it, and it made no sense, even in the context of the letter.
• The letter to Celestia fit: Dash drank the potion without thinking ahead and resulted in some serious consequences. But the letter felt very incomplete and didn't have the right enough polish for it to make it very convincing. (The reference with Pinkie entering through the "FL" door was hilarious, though.)
• The episode is too short and didn't have the balance between Rainbow Dash's hilarious scurrying in Townsville and Twilight's method to get her back to Ponyville. It was exclusively Rainbow Dash's side of the story, and part of the plot suffered from it. Double Rainboom's plot would've been much better if the perspective was more omniscient here, focusing on both Rainbow Dash and Twilight. If the perspective was balanced, then Pinkie Pie's portal traveling wouldn't be such a rough deus ex machina, and Pinkie Pie's inclusion would've made more logical sense.

In short, Double Rainboom had very great polish in its animation, and there was a lot of heart. There were minute, but very glaring issues in the executions of the PPG's characterization and concepts that bogged down Double Rainboom, so what could've been even greater wasn't. Nevertheless, for a long production, Rich and crew did a marvelous job laying down the groundwork needed for the fandom to come up with future material. He shows that he is ready to go out into the professional world of animation once he graduates, and I can't wait to see what other ideas he has in mind in the future. Very good work!

Echoing @@TanktheTortoise above on one thing. I'm also looking forward to it, particularly the second half of the fan-episode. I watched the first half of it when some people recorded the preview from the conventions, and it was very well-done. I hope Rich and the rest of the crew continue to keep up with that quality in the second half.

 

Normally, because it's a fan project, I tend to be much more lenient in my comments. But not this time. Rich and his crew are treating this piece like a professional product made my DHX, as if it can be released on television. This project is necessary for him to graduate, and he is attempting to prove to his college and audience that he is ready to work in the animation business. Therefore, I'll give Double Rainboom the same treatment like I give to the professionally licensed episodes and will judge it accordingly.

 

 

I hope that more fan videos gain traction and have the intelligence to go to Hasbro first, like this one, rather than hoping they will be protected under fair use.

I hope so, too, but I don't think Hasbro will continually grant bronies permission unless without a good reason. Hasbro granted Rich the permission to work on Double Rainboom because he needs this piece in order to graduate from Savannah's College of Art and Design.

Nope, it hasn't. I dreaded the concept of the Twilicorn because it made absolutely zero sense given her current development. The idea is so dumb, I wrote an editorial slamming it. Magical Mystery Cure's shoddy execution of the Twilicorn didn't sway my viewpoint, either. However, season four — with its bigger budget, longer season, and how the team knows it isn't the series finale — gives me optimism for the Twilicorn's future.

It's not even the worst episode in the series (Games Ponies Play is followed by The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well), but my most hated is Just for Sidekicks. Spike at Your Service wrote Spike as out-of-character and careless for the sake of a cheap moral within a poor premise.

 

But Just for Sidekicks wrote Spike as just as bad, if not worse. Spike was selfish, antagonistic, uncharacteristically greedy, and completely unlikeable. He willingly broke the trust of his friends for the sake of making his jewel cake, something he would NEVER do given the current timeline of the series. He learned the consequences of greed in Secret of My Excess and understood the meaning of trust for his family in Dragon Quest. That character development was sacrificed for the sake of developing a moral that was just cheap.

 

But what made it stung more was the fact that Corey Powell wrote it, and the concept for Just for Sidekicks was great. I was royally disappointed, and I was only able to watch it once because I hated the episode so much. She's a fantastic writer, and the fact she wrote Spike so badly stung given her credentials.

PRINCESS CADENCE IS NEW BEST PONY!!!

 

EVERYONE MUST VOTE FOR PRINCESS CADENCE!!!

 

How can you not vote for the most beautiful princess in all of Equestria????

I love Cadance more than Vinyl, but preference of character ain't good enough. Vinyl has no lines, but she is full of personality. As of this point, she's the most expressive background pony. Cadance doesn't really have the design to outwardly reflect a personality.

 

Cadance, I like you more, but Vinyl got my vote.

Is this episode being animated and dubbed by studio B, Or is it all being done by fellow bronies and is being promoted by hasbro?

This is entirely fan-made by bronies. Flamingo1986/Zachary Rich wrote and produced it for the Savannah College of Art College and Design, beginning in 2011. Neither Studio B nor Hasbro are participating in the piece, and Hasbro gave him legal consent because it's an academic product (a.k.a., a Senior Project) necessary to graduate.

 

and it should be releasing soon, no?

Not just soon. It's being uploaded tomorrow!

Speaking as a bigger Fluttershy fan than Luna, I, once again, hold no loyalty for who I like more. Like I said on the previous page, Fluttershy's my most favorite character, but taste and quality don't mix. Despite her lesser appearances, Luna is the better overall character, so I voted for her.

 

For further explanation why:

1. For a monarch character, she's inherently flawed and is very relatable. She's the alicorn with an edge and a really well-done backstory of anger and corruption to trial and triumph. She still tries to rule without the scorn and is slowly coming through.
2. Her color scheme, especially the one from season two onward, is fantastic. She sticks out because she doesn't have the pastel colors, but it fits her as a royal character tremendously.
3. She's a character shown who is able to redeem herself, but will still try even harder to further prove her worth. In The Crystal Empire, Part I, she told Celestia that she wanted to volunteer, only for Celestia to convince her not to.
4. She's objectively the best written and most complex princess, and I say this as a bigger Celestia fan. When you have great writing for a character, then the audience buys into that character. The pilot led the mystery for Luna, but Luna Eclipsed solidified her into that princess that captivates the brony audience with amazing writing, realistic characterization for Luna, and character development for her to make her actually belong into the rankings of the princesses. She was a big character in the beginning, but Luna Eclipse's greatness made her a better one.

And although it's not a reason:

 

The high quality of Luna art like this one is absolutely majestic! (Here's the link to the piece.)

 

She is probably taking a bus home slightly sad from the tournament.

Doubt it. Knowing her, I wouldn't be surprised that Derpy's holding her head high, knowing that she refused to give up, even till the very end. She may've lost this round, but she'll still be forever best pony!

 

Now for the new poll, Fluttershy will likely be my most favorite pony now and forever, but she isn't the higher quality pony here. Luna is. Her color scheme is beautiful, and she's inherently flawed with a complex, sad backstory. She's not my most favorite princess, but she's best princess. So my vote goes to Luna.

 

Now, popular antagonist versus the little orange chicken. Discord and Scootaloo are fantastic characters. Discord, I may love you more than Scoots, but for this round, Scootaloo wins for the severe growth in her character that is desperately needed, one that's done so grandly.

Welcome aboard! Not often do we see one of the more popular bronies in the MLP Forums. You're a great in-character signer as Celestia, and I hope you have a great time here on these boards.