HereComesTom

Actually, Moliminous had a video on youtube saying that the show's creators are paying attention to how fans are reacting to the leaks. That's one of the reasons why I'm working on a kind of a proof-of-concept G-5 fanfic based on the information we have so far, and even a song (pretty basic) to start it off; I'd like to see if that gives the writers any help. So...it's kind of not true that we have no control. That's assuming the leaks are real; I know that faking all of this can be done, but if it is a hoax, it's a very thoroughly-thought-out one. I'm hoping that the speculation above is right, that they're keeping G-5 in their back pockets and ready-to-fire, but that more G-4 can be and will be on its way. It definitely feels too soon to pull the plug on G-4; we've gotten to know the mane 6 (or 7?) really really well, but it feels like we're just barely getting to know the world!

Probably this focus (if you can call it that!) on these characters like the pirates and Capper was what took away screen time from the mane 6, now that I think about it. Funny thing is: it's the mane 6 themselves, their personalities, believably, and depth, that make FiM as amazing as it is, and this movie didn't really give them enough of a chance to shine in that way. I'll admit that they did shine in the sense that Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash managed to connect with and make allies of these other characters, which is friendship and is part of the show's core message, but the execution in the film didn't give any of them quite enough time to really shine as characters the way the TV show does. The one silver lining to adding all those characters was worldbuilding, but I'm not sure they'll get a chance to do all that much with worldbuilding before they wrap G-4 up (but that's another discussion).

Boops @SolarFlare13 very carefully, because I'm a rock for Pete's sake!

Another question, Tempest: it seems like the removal of most of your horn meant that your magic was less versatile, but it overall gave you more firepower. Is that true? And if it is, do you suppose some unicorn royal guards might deliberately have most of their horns broken off, sacrificing their magic's versatility for firepower, so that they'll be able to better defend Equestria?

Do you have a cutie mark, Tempest? If the answer is "no", then...well, I guess that just means you haven't figured out who you are, yet, and that'd be pretty understandable, considering what it was like to work for the Storm King...

That's kind of spooky. Makes me wish I'd seen that whole episode... I think I heard somewhere that the writers say Scootaloo's parents are almost always working, and don't have much time for her, and for the most part, her aunts take care of her. I don't think it's quite as bad as your first theory, but about the same as your second theory. Question: were your theories mutually exclusive, or did you think that both neglect and abuse were in play?

Actually, considering that there weren't any royal guards at all in the whole film as far as I could tell, here's a plausible theory as to why they and Shining Armor were absent: the Storm King made Celestia believe that there was going to be a threat to Equestria at some place other than Canterlot, which served as a diversion to trick her into mobilizing her guards elsewhere. Shining Armor is among the best of her soldiers, so he'd be right there with them. Consider how much planning had to have gone into the attack on Canterlot---after all, the stormguards had anti-magic armor and weapons, specialized obsidian orb grenades to petrify the princesses to neutralize them as threats while still keeping them alive and get past said princesses' magic defenses, and they had anti-magic restraints and cages made to keep the ponies enslaved, too. Clearly, the whole attack had a very carefully-thought-out plan, it's not a stretch to think that creating a diversion elsewhere in Equestria could be a part of that plan, albeit a part that the writers simply couldn't fit into the movie's narrative flow.

What I'm really looking forward to is hearing the commentary; the fact is, the story went through a lot of iterations. The villain was going to be Celestia's brother Cosmos for a while, then the Storm King was going to be an elemental beast for a while, Rainbow Powers were going to have a hand in it---the story went all over the place, and I'd like to see what the writers/director/etc have to say about how those earlier iterations affected the plot or visuals of the final movie.

What I found awesome about the Smile Smile Smile song is that Pinkie knows exactly why she was put on this earth and absolutely rejoices in that purpose! I'm...well, religious IRL (trying not to say anything that'll set anyone off, here), and knowing you're part of a bigger picture and finding your place in it is something that really resonates with me. I wish I could've voted for more, though; A True True Friend was also excellent, and Flawless nearly brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it because it just makes me love the mane six all the more.

Not bad! Not quite how I remembered it in a few places, but pretty stinking close!

My thoughts on this are that it makes some sense to end FiM soon in some ways, and it doesn't make sense in other ways: Pros of ending it: 1) Most of the characters have grown and gotten their hopes and dreams come true; every story has an ending, and from that perspective, ending the story when their hopes and dreams come true makes sense. 2) New toys with new color schemes and new shapes allow for some variety, and a reboot of the show would advertise those. 3) The writers might have some really, really good stories that would work for a Twilight Sparkle or an Applejack who are just starting out and haven't learned all the friendship lessons, but that would never work for the close-knit mane six that we know and love. Those stories might just be worth telling, even if it means leaving the G-4 universe behind! 4) As well-built as the G-4 universe is, it's not the only possible epic universe with epic stories in it. If they have one that's cooler or has more potential, the only way to put ponies in it is, again, a reboot. Cons of ending it: 1) We've gotten to know the characters well, but it feels like we're just barely getting to know the world it's all set in. What other lands are there beyond Equestria? How do they work? Would they benefit from the friendship that Equestria is exuding? And why are all these threats that Celesta can't take on by herself coming up all at once, if she's been alone as princess for 1000 years and held her own for that time? 2) The show's popularity as it is now is very very high; it makes more sense to keep something like that open-ended than to plan its end, even if said planned end is a few years in the future. 3) Having the same characters' names in G-5 would be confusing to little girls who've been watching G-4, and that seems to be the direction they're going from what little I've seen of the leaks---both in terms of character design and in terms of the timeline, giving little time between G-4 and G-5. 4) The characters in G-4 are so believable that, at least for me, they've successfully tricked my heart into thinking they're real, and making me love them. I just wouldn't want to let them go! I don't think I'm the only one who feels this way, and if an adult feels that way, how would a little girl feel? 5) One of the things I personally think is the thing that made G-4 as popular as it is, was the pilot: the story was astonishingly epic for something made for little girls, as it dealt with 1000 years of pain and separation, it treated that as a huge deal, and it continues to do so. The fandom knew how big a deal it was; remember the "Luna" song? The writers have never really forgotten how huge a deal 1000 years of separation was, either, so that pilot did an amazing job setting up G-4 for success. In order for G-5 to live up to G-4's standard, they'll need something equal or greater in epicness in its pilot. How can they follow up the act that was The Elements of Harmony? There's probably more that I haven't even thought of, here... If it were up to me, the "MLP 2.0" stuff wouldn't exactly be a reboot; just a redesign of the characters we've seen, and possibly retooling their personalities with some story explanation of them having to go their separate ways for a few years for whatever reason, and then after the reboot it shows them getting reacquainted. They could have different designs due to being a few years older. You preserve the universe, hold onto the beloved characters and their stories while still giving them room to grow (or regrow), get all the toy-related benefits of a reboot...is there a downside?

Born and raised in Michigan, the little mitten-thing in the middle of North America. Still living there, still conditioned to accept snowy driving.

You'd see the back of the mirror. What would happen if you put the line-in from one VCR into the line-out of another VCR, then put the line-in of that VCR into the line-out of the first VCR, and hit "record" on both of them?

Bees don't have hips; it's not part of their anatomy. Does Celestia need to eat a Jimmy Dean's breakfast sandwich before she can raise the sun?

Very well-done, but I'm a bit surprised there's not more in the background during the bridge...or at least, I think "bridge" is the right term for it; it's the different-part around 2:18 or so that kind of descends a bit. It's strange; when I was a kid and heard this music, I actually found it a little depressing, and I'm not sure why; maybe it's because of the way the music goes down slightly in a lot of places...

This'd be terrific! I know the fandom has cranked out some amazing stuff, and I know that, if we had the resources, the collaboration, and put our minds to it, we could easily create a continuation that's as good as the canon series, or even better! To be honest, I'm struggling with some anxiety about the series ending, too, for the same reasons as others I've read on this thread: I love these ponies. I love these characters, not just as characters, but on a deeper level, which...well, when I put it that way, kind of sounds freaky, but it's probably the reason why we're all anxious about it. I expect the writers are feeling the same way; these characters are lovable and probably designed at their core to be loved, and it's hard to believe the writers don't feel the same way. I could wax philosophical about how every story has an ending, and the mane six have had a lot of happy endings for them, so it might just be time...but...let's face it: it's possible to do/to wish for/to act upon the things that you know are wise, but still feel depressed about it.

Welcome to the herd! I think you'll like it here

Shoot. I'm praying the rumors are false, but there's a part of me that says "Everything ends at some point; FiM needs to end somehow, and if it's going to end, well, it should be a well-thought-out, planned end." I don't think the fandom is going away even if there is a finale---I mean, look at Star Trek the Next Generation! And who knows? Hasbro might stop the show, but keep other media, like books and comics and games, going for G-4.

I'm hoping this isn't bad for a first draft; I'm expecting I'll need to make some revisions, but what do you guys think of this? There's a few things I'm not sure about; the green line doesn't have all that smooth an animation, the blue line is jerky (how did I miss that the first time?)...what do you think of the purple line? Also, the red outline seems to kid of go "boing" at one point, shortly after the tip of her mane has waved so that it's pointing to the right. Is that "boing" too unsightly?

I'm having about the same experience with Weather Factory Meltdown; at the moment, I'm taking a break from it so I can build a Celestia sprite base---including a base for the animation of her mane and tail. And I've been working on that since mid-October, and at this point, I've only got her walking base and three-quarters of her mane animated! That might have something to do with the fact that her slowly-flowing mane's animation is 80 frames long, as is her tail's animation... On that note, if you have a use for the mane and tail bases I'm building, feel free to use them once they're complete! I'm not sure they'll be at the angle or aspect ratio you're looking for, of course, but...80 frames!

*boops both Luna and Tia while they're sleeping, and hopes that a stone's boop doesn't break any bones*

Given that Tempest used the Staff of Sacanas herself to fix the collateral damage and restore the princesses, and did so right away without even talking about using it to heal her horn, I'd say she's reformed. She didn't even attempt to steal it for herself, even though she probably could've and probably would've won if she had. That said, Tempest might not know how to be good; Starlight has had...hiccups along her path, despite meaning well. If Tempest's story gets explored in season 8, I'd expect her to have some hiccups, too.

Pressing the pause button. Is there a better way?

Rum cake. Definitely something with rum; we're talking PIRATES!!

I voted for Twilight, because I think she's got the most flaws. Sure, she didn't turn into a monster and need to be banished to the sun for 1000 years, but she's still the same neurotic bookworm we know and love. (And yes, I do love her...I just think she's the most flawed of the four.)