Abia

Would you mind elaborating? I'd like to hear it. ^^

Sorry about the late response. I haven't checked this forum in awhile. She doesn't remember her past with the apple cutie mark. She still knows who her family is, and I suspect she still shares a strong bond with them. The Apples are close and, while Applejack's troubles might put strain on their relationship, I highly doubt it would ruin it. I expect family still plays a large role in AJ's life even in this alternate universe. I assumed Star Swirl's spell altered the cutie marks and redefined history so that it fit as if the new marks had always been there. This means the destruction of the farm, the boutique, Ponyville's decline in happiness, etc., would have all taken place over several years. While restoring the lives of the mane six (sans Twilight?) would've taken time, the first steps could've occurred in the same day, in my opinion. The Elements weren't necessary for some of the memory recall, though. Fluttershy, Rarity, RD, etc. all got their memories and cutie marks back without the assistance of the Elements. If I remember correctly, Pinkie Pie was the only one who had to wear her Element before getting her memories back. So she's the only whose destiny is uncertain in this AU. I wrote this under the assumption that Celestia had little idea of what the spell would actually do, so I haven't really considered this. That's a good point though.

It's about damn time. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon character development? The CMCs get their cutie marks? Is this even the same show anymore? The content of this episode was good. DT and SS are long overdue for development. Finally, the CMC cutie mark arc has come to an end. We can focus on the more interesting parts of their characters now. Yes. I'm also a fan of musical episodes, so the songs were all right for me. I'm thrilled that we were able to hear DT and SS sing. They both sounded great. The pacing of the episode was poor. I feel like this would've made a great 2-part finale. There was a lot to cover in 22 minutes and getting cutie marks is definitely a finale-worthy event. Starlight Glimmer's got that time reserved, though. This has been a pretty packed season so far. I... don't know why I'm still typing. I didn't like the pacing in this episode. That's all I wanted to say. I think I started rambling. Cheerilee and Diamond Tiara had terribly inconsistent mane pattern colors. Distracting. This episode, along with "Appleoosa's Most Wanted" (which was much worse, by the way), contradicted what we know about cutie marks. We've been told that you get your cutie mark when, and only when, you understood who you are and what your destiny is. DT fits with the lore much better than Troubleshoes, since she knew what her special ability was and, being young, still had to figure out who she was as a person... pony... character. My rant about Troubleshoes is irrelevant to this episode, so I won't include it. I'm a little disappointed they didn't decide to give one of the CMCs a cutie mark before the others (I suppose Babs Seed counts, but that was underdeveloped), but this was satisfactory. Their special talent certainly fits what they've been doing this entire time. DT's sob story was a little tiresome, but it's better than having no development at all. Overall, the writing of this episode wasn't great, but the actual content, plot, and characterization were long overdue, and I'm glad the presented issues were finally addressed.

Absolutely not. Spike is a great supporting character, and I believe his lackluster standalone episodes are more the fault of the writers than the Spike character. The writers need to follow through with what was said in Power Ponies: Spike is worth a good deal more than simple comedic relief, and needs further development to truly display this.

@@Music Chart Fan, as always, your thoughts are a pleasure to read. One thing: I believe the point was that Luna's guilt was unnecessarily intense. Very few bad things actually happened when Luna became Nightmare Moon: some property was destroyed, Celestia was traumatized. When she returned, some ponies were scared, Celestia was thrilled, and the princess resumed her role in Equestria. Nightmare Moon's goal was eternal night, which isn't that bad at all. I mean, I'd be bummed, but I'd definitely prefer the wrath of Nightmare Moon to that of Discord, Chrysalis, Tirek, or Starlight Glimmer. Luna's guiltiness was exaggerated in her own mind, which was the idea. Everyone makes mistakes and, while you should recognize when you've done something down, torturing yourself over past misdeeds isn't going to benefit anyone. In other words, her guilt was intentionally overdone (to my interpretation). -- The episode was okay. The dreams of the mane six were all pretty boring and eyeroll-worthy. Goofy-looking monsters aren't all that nightmarish in my book, especially when compared to Luna's dream, and the other things the mane six have endured. Luna's guilt was pretty tiring in my opinion. Her creating the blue smoke thingy (I don't remember the name of it and I don't feel like looking it up) was cool, but her big confession at the end didn't do anything for me. It was exasperating. I don't enjoy watching characters pity themselves. Parts were interesting, other parts were exasperating and boring. They even out to an acceptable but dull and tired episode. Edit: After further thought, I didn't like this episode because I am sick of Nightmare Moon. She was a weak villain who made virtually no effect and I see no reason to keep rehashing Luna's guilt. I get it, she feels bad. Move on to something interesting.

In this case I think it's important to consider the writers, and not just the characters. It would've been very unwise to canonically make Lyra and Bon Bon a couple, both because of some of the controversy about homosexuality and "exposing" it to children, and because of the differing opinions in the fandom. In an episode made as a tribute to the fans, it's best to allow for multiple interpretations so as not to step on too many headcanons. Thus, "being coy" may not be realistic on the part of the ponies themselves, but it was the farthest the writers and animators could have gone without further destroying the fandom. It was left ambiguous for a reason. Certainly a romantic relationship can be inferred, especially considering the sheer amount of fan service in this episode and the popularity of the Lyra/Bon Bon shipping throughout the fandom. A romantic relationship between the two was heavily hinted at, but it's not canon, and I'm under the assumption that this scene was included for the purpose of winking to the shippers without ignoring those who don't like the shipping. TL;DR: Both interpretations are valid.

What a great episode! Moondancer was adorable, possibly my new favorite pony design. I'm really digging the development of background/minor characters this season. This wasn't spectacular, but it was solid, and definitely high up on my list of episode favorites. It was very interesting to see the dynamic, both past and present, between Moondancer and Twilight.

1. Pinkie Pie 2. Rarity 3. Twilight Sparkle 4. Fluttershy 5. Applejack 6. Rainbow Dash I don't dislike any of the mane six. There's a large gap in my preference, however, between 1-3 and 4-6.

Just rewatched this today, and I gotta say, I still love it as much as I did when it first came out. I might say it's even the best (pair of) episode(s) FiM has come out with. We get insights into Equestrian magic, a whole new kind of fight scene, a new layer of depth to Discord's character, a new villain with kickass abilities, and overall just a really cool plot and great characterization. Honestly, I like it most because of Discord's part in it, which is pretty incredible and made sincere leaps and bounds for his character. I'm not really one for action sequences, and seeing characters fight doesn't do much for me, but watching Tirek and Twilight was still pretty enjoyable. I'll be honest, I was always sick of everyone except Fluttershy treating Discord like shit after his reformation. It's necessary to recognize that he's still chaotic and sometimes misery-causing, but instantly suspecting he's the one behind anything going wrong is... well, it's not what friends do. I think Discord trusted/cared for the mane six (sans Fluttershy, who cared equally for him) far more than they did for him, which isn't saying much. The idea that, despite this blatant imbalance, they were still friends didn't sit well with me. I headcanon that Discord's friendship with Fluttershy was... precocious, if that's the right word; that he had accepted her as a friend before understanding, even subconsciously, what friendship meant. The ideas and values of being a friend grew on him gradually throughout season four, without his realizing. In abandoning the mane six for Tirek, Discord put genuine trust into someone else, entirely by his own initiative, for the first time. In this way he put forth his true friendship for Tirek. When Discord was abandoned, he realized what betrayal felt like, and that friends value each other more than pure self-benefit. [Twilight-esque friendship speech.] Discord's few words after being drained of music are pretty telling. Discord is normally very chatty, so this new silence speaks for him, showing (what I imagine must be) overpowering shame and humility. What makes this episode so great for me is the ability to emphasize with Discord, and the power of those feelings is really neat to experience. I don't know if emphasizing strongly with fictional characters is a weird thing to do? But it helps me enjoy things more, so I do it. ...I still hate Rainbow Power, and "Let the Rainbow Remind You" isn't great either. The mane six's designs at the end of the episode are godawful. I'm usually okay with blatant money grabs, but these were just so showy and overblown. Yuck. There are times when I doubt continuing to watch this show. Not every episode delivers: I've never denied that and I never plan to. But episodes like this remind me of what drove me to this community, and that even through the flaws that will inevitably come with any show, MLP:FiM has heart. Now I just really, really hope nostalgia goggles won't make Rainbow Power appealing to me someday.

Yes, that's what I'm saying. Spike is one of my favorite characters. I just think he deserves better recognition than what was found in this episode.

Yes, but we see other characters far less often. In fact, Spike appears more often than the CMC, yet they have grown more than he has. I don't know if "development" is the right word, more like "establishment". You establish traits about a character, then develop them. If the first point is establishment, the second would be growth (or lack thereof). Twilight: hated friendship → liked friendship Pinkie Pie: irresponsible → more understanding of actual contributions that need to be made in order to be a worthwhile citizen Applejack: stubborn and hard-headed → more open to others' ideas Rarity: snooty → more accepting of other lifestyles Rainbow Dash: harsh and careless → more thoughtful Fluttershy: completely lacking self-confidence → confident enough to help others and give advice Discord: hates friendship → open to friendship and understanding of sacrifices CMCs: want butt tattoos → realizes there are things more important in life Spike: easily corrupted → just as easily corrupted Note that many of these changes have occurred in single episodes, whereas we've had Spike for five seasons and he still hasn't made any major improvements. So yes, I guess I agree with you. Spike has a decently scoped out personality, but his personality has stayed the same throughout all these seasons.

You've got good points, but I'm too tired to respond to them all at the moment. Overall picture is: Twilight does have lapses in her character, but they're much more minor. Twilight's mess-ups don't affect very much, whereas Spike makes his major mistakes when everyone is counting on him.

It was all right. I enjoy it when the show makes subtle nods to the fandom. This was an entire episode of fan service. For me, it was.. too much. There were parts I enjoyed, but overall, not my cup of tea. There were many things that got on my nerves. Derpy and Doctor Hooves, for example. That whole bit felt forced to me, especially the "Allons-y" reference. Vinyl and Octavia were pretty cool, but nothing special. Lyra and Bon Bon were good, my favorite part of the episode. "Agent Sweetie Drops" was hilarious. I prefer substance episodes as opposed to silly ones like this.

I prefer to ignore the show premiere. If the first two episodes had been the first I'd watched, I don't think I would've stuck through any other episode of the show. I headcanon that Discord is the most powerful being in Equestria, but his personality prevents him from seriously using his powers. He's interested in the game, not the outcome. His reign, though terrible, would be better than that of another villain's. Sombra was pretty bad. I mean, good. A powerful villain. Bad for the ponies, though. Chrysalis was my favorite villain. She had a solid plan, defeated Celestia, and successfully infiltrated all of Canterlot. Tirek was strong, but didn't really stand out to me. What was his plan after taking all the magic? I actually don't remember. Starlight Glimmer was a mastermind, but I don't consider her particularly dangerous because she only held power in a very small part of Equestria. If she had had a larger scale control, she'd be a huge threat. Overall, in terms of actual danger posed: Tirek: all of ponykind had their magic/life source drained from them. Chrysalis: changelings would breed, need more love to reproduce, and eventually enslave all of Equestria (?). Sombra: he kept an entire kingdom miserable for years, but his reign was limited to that kingdom. Discord: though his power stretched long distances, ponies were still able to function, for the most part, under his rule. Starlight Glimmer: she has the potential to become incredibly powerful once more ponies hear her message. The Dazzlings: though their plans were solid and high functioning, they moved around enough to minimize destruction to certain areas. Sunset Shimmer: yeah, her goals would've destroyed Equestria, but the chances of her plans actually working were slim at best. Nightmare Moon - seriously, she was just going to kill 6, maybe 7, ponies, and then just keep night forever--that isn't dangerous, if you ask me.

Discord, definitely. The background ponies haven't had much of an opportunity to grow, since their personalities have really just been established. The girly stuff is a good point as well.

Sadly, no. Very little, if any, and not nearly at the same scale as the mane six. The one thing I can think of would be Spike's acceptance of his own character and his place in society. Even if he isn't completely satisfied being #2, he knows that he fits in better among ponies than dragons, and that being different from his own kind doesn't make him any worse a person. He also doesn't appear to be as jealous anymore, which is likely a byproduct of the aforementioned maturation.

Maybe I'm mistaken, but I felt like that was the point. It was obscene and ridiculous and pretty damn silly, but it wasn't supposed to be thought through: it was just a fun, absurd little indulgence. I know that's definitely not for everyone, though.

Spike encourages his friends to be comfortable and proud of their own talents. ("Boast Busters") Spike goes out of his way to make sure his friends get opportunities. (Arranging Hoity Toity's visit to Carousel Boutique in "Suited for Success".) Spike is insecure. ("Owl's Well That Ends Well", "Power Ponies", "Inspiration Manifestation", "Equestria Games") Spike will give up his own treasures for his friends. ("Secret of My Excess") Though he doesn't pursue power or wealth on his own, once exposed to it, Spike will become overambitious and base most of his decisions off of greed or personal gain. ("Secret of My Excess", "Princess Spike") Spike's love for his friends is strong enough to make him rethink some philosophies. ("Secret of My Excess") Spike is unsure of his own identity, as both a mere helper to the mane six and as a dragon in pony society. ("Dragon Quest") Spike has a sense of honor and a moral compass guiding many of his decisions. ("Dragon Quest", "Spike at Your Service") While not a leader, Spike is able to take command and do the right thing when lives are at stake. ("The Crystal Empire") Spike can be overconfident/overly prideful. ("Just for Sidekicks", "Princess Spike") Spike will often overlook what is best for his friends to secure his own happiness. ("Just for Sidekicks", somewhat "Inspiration Manifestation"--sacrificing the needs of the town to protect his relationship with Rarity) Though he often works dutifully, Spike is unable to see the value in his role. ("Power Ponies", "Princess Spike") Spike lingers on his own failures and has difficulty maintaining confidence. ("Equestria Games") Spike prefers to cover up his mistakes rather than accept and admit them. ("Owl's Well That Ends Well", "Just for Sidekicks", "Princess Spike") In my opinion, a good episode is able to reinforce what we've previously learned about a character, while getting them closer to overcoming a flaw. (Introducing new traits can be good, but it really depends upon whether or not it's consistent with what we know already--basically the difference between an episode about Spike's insecurity or an episode about his addiction to crack cocaine; it's got to make decent sense within the context of his character. That, or it must be introduced in a believable way, e.g. Spike's low confidence leading to overconfidence when he is trusted with responsibility, he makes mistakes in this pride, and his self-esteem is knocked back down.) The writers aren't giving Spike new traits, and aren't expanding upon any of his old ones. They're rehashing the same flaws again and again, with the same pacing, the same downfall, the same humiliation, and the same perfect setup for the cycle to repeat.

It's not that Spike isn't developed--he does have some depth--it's just that his weaknesses have remained the same since the show began. He has not grown; it's worse than Fluttershy's recurring cowardice. Sure, Spike's vulnerability to corruption is a part of his nature, but that doesn't mean that episode after episode, season after season, year after year should solely feature this trait. My problem is that Spike is a character with huge potential. His relationship with Twilight, his past, his identity, his self-esteem, and all these other things we have no idea about because of his species, they can all be explored for wonderful possibilities. Yet all these ideas are thrown away in pursuit of a dead horse.

Foals are more ugly than cute.

Episodes like this make it difficult to defend Spike. There are ways to develop a character without utterly humiliating them.

Is it though? I think it's implied, but no more than Scootaloo's inability to fly prior to "Flight to the Finish". Strictly speaking, we can't conclude that she has the physical inability to speak until it's acknowledged canonically by another character. I don't have any problems with Vinyl's fan voice, but I do prefer the idea that she is mute. I've enjoyed her lack of lines in both Rainbow Rocks and this episode. It suits her character and is a nice acknowledgement of Nowack's work, to not bother replacing what is a common fan perception of Vinyl's voice. It's similar to not making any mention of Derpy's name.

Her original voice will always be my favorite. It's adorable, goofy, and overwhelmingly candid.