Roughshod

That's fine and all but this forum is meant to be centred on Celestia as a ruler of Equestria, so that's the point I think is most relevant to the discussion here. This is true, for the most part. I don't believe Celestia needs to be completely clairvoyant(despite being able to have visions) and I don't expect her to be cognizant of everything that transpires around her(despite the protests of Twilight and the evident change of behaviour in her own niece). But even if Celestia is not directly to blame she is still responsible for her shortcomings as a leader. Regardless of the reasons, she is the highest authority and chief protector, that means when a crisis emerges it is on her to resolve it. She failed to do this and that's what it comes down to in the end. Most of us here likely fit that description in some manner but it doesn't serve any productive purpose to argue in circles to no effect.

@@EquestrianScholar,@@Dulset Tarn, You're both being petty and arguing just for it's own sake without adding much to the forum. Are you actually trying to defend Celestia's ability and worth as a ruler on the basis that Chrysalis was smarter and more prepared than her? You seem to be a defender of Celestia so this seems like an odd approach to me. Chrysallis is certainly one of the most manipulative villains we've seen but in the end she made the mistake of allowing her hubris to convince her she had won before that was actually assured. She didn't even acknowledge the threat that the magical love between Cadance and Shining Armor posed to her despite having experienced it's power and utilizing it firsthand. Also, where the hay was Luna? And why didn't Celestia seek her assistance? I suppose she was probably sleeping all day... hmph.:okiedokielokie:

Even if that's generally true it doesn't actually redeem it's supposed flaw(s). In truth your statement is basically a genetic fallacy in that you're determining the qualities of something based on it's general origin. You're stereotyping. It seems I'll have to repeat myself: The core of this topic isn't just what Equestria is but whether or not it is ideal and preferable. Of course understanding the subject matter is crucial for any sort of intelligent discussion and while some opinions may vary my main contention with your stance isn't the nature of MLP itself so much as the worth of it's universe. Although it could be argued that one directly results from the other, but then again that really depends on your values. The only way we can truly examine and expound on this concept is through some sort of comparison, and there is no better comparison than the actual world that we inhabit. *** From a first glance Equestria can easily seem like a nicer place to live. But when taken in a greater context of what it's universe comprises of and specifically what its drawbacks would entail in our own reality, then the situation becomes much more complex.

I actually enjoyed the scene because it was the one of the few times when Flash wasn't just his typical one dimensional self. I don't think I would go so far as to call him Twilight's "loved one". It's a crush(creepy enough considering what she actually is, a pony) that hasn't been given much substantial development or progression so far. This is my stance as well and the most apt way to put it. Twilight's internal struggle - accentuated by her typically worrying nature - coupled with the surprise of seeing Flash's new attitude and the callousness of his criticism is what evoked the emotional response from her. She sincerely states "I thought we were friends?" and you can feel a sense of heartbreak betrayal.

True, such a change in the cast has not yet come about and in all likelihood won't. A change to the main characters this far into the show would be off putting for much of the fan base and I would prefer just to see the current male roles given better light instead of being artificially inflated or propped up for the sake of some trivial marketing appeal. Not that Hasbro hasn't done this before *cough* Equestria Girls *cough*. When I mentioned changes in the show I was referring to more subtle aspects, chiefly how it has somewhat matured and become more complicated in order to appeal to an older, more diverse audience. A prime example of this is the violent nature fight between Twilight and Tirek during the season four finale. Nothing like this would have been expected during the first season at all. You may not agree with that diagnosis but at least now you know more clearly what I was alluding to.

Okay... So what? You haven't given any reason why your opinion should hold any weight besides a rather dull interpretation. It seems you have little regard for the importance of the Brony community in relation to the show despite both being a member of this forum and(supposedly) a witness to the way the series has progressed already.

@@Everleaf, The main point isn't just how many male characters there are but what kind of prominence they have. Most of the males in the line up have little to do with the story lines of the show's episodes. I personally don't think more characters are needed so much as better developed ones. This applies to both male and female roles but especially male since they're inadequately represented in a franchise that has abundant support from both genders. Maybe... I have no problem with strong female characters in a show, in fact I welcome it and appreciate its importance for my interest in MLP. With that said I do take some issue when male characters like Spike, Snips and Snails(among others) are used as means to promote oversimplified and regressive stereotypes in order to better reflect on female characters by comparison or garner a few giggles from a less mature part of the audience. Some humour at a characters' expense is fine and often necessary to relieve tension, but it can also become a detriment to the overall message of the show and belittle its potential. In actuality Spike can hardly be called a male lead anyway, he's predominantly a supporting character in the series even referring to himself as an assistant. This is made even more explicit in the Equestria Girls movies when he's symbolically relegated to the status of a pet - although he does seem to become much more mature and sensible in the human world for some reason, mostly to act as a counter and support for Twilight's thinking and moments of personal doubt. An exception to this might be the few episodes dedicated to him; but even these have often resulted in short lived characterization that is typically discarded he next time he appears in his standard role.

If you're pointing this out as yet another example of Celestia messing up then I would agree with your sentiment. Even though Celestia's position does not innately require anyone's trust or public approval I still think her misjudgment of the outcome is worth mentioning.

This is true. It does not seem as if anything of great significance has resulted from the return of the Empire. Celestia may have overestimated the importance of the Crystal Heart and its influence for the rest of Equestria. It's also possible that she was simply being idealistic and speaking metaphorically. A campaign promise? i would call her claim a hypothesis more than a promise. Celestia has no real accountability so it makes no difference whether or not she keeps her promises anyway.

The series certainty seems to be following a trend of upping the ante with its villains. First in EQG we had one with Sunset Shimmer(plus Snips and Snails, I guess), then in RR we had three with the Dazzlings and now supposedly in FG we're gong to have an entire school!? I have to admit it would be pretty awesome if the Shadow Colts' faculty and staff were comprised of human versions of the show's villains. I'd like to see a principle Discord, a Tirek P.E. coach, or even a Chrysalis guidance counselor. It actually sounds like a good place for the Dazzlings to transfer to or maybe even the original human Sunset Shimmer to originate from. The other Twilight might have some connection with the Shadow Colts as well, who knows?

Yes, but I wish it would go deeper than just some sports tournament with another school that we've never even heard of which will undoubtedly lose to CHS in the end anyway. I want to see the original twilight and human version meet, and the existence of an inter-dimensional portal between worlds and it's signifigance explored more and given greater development. But I suppose that's asking for too much. Oh well... Go Wondercolts...

Could be fun, who knows? If what you're saying is that Celestia is just the best of the worst and that she's simply a nicer type of tyrant than I suppose it's hard to argue that. I still think Equestria could do better though.

Not entirely sure how I feel about this... I would say that at the very least this makes the idea of the Sirens returning much less likely than before.

In respect to her personal character I don't have much to say because the majority of what we see is in her official element. The entire core of her character is that of a (supposedly) benevolent ruler and surrogate mother figure towards Twilight and the rest of the mane 6.

If the progression of the show has shown me anything regarding Celestia's portrayal it is that she has become increasingly worse at handling her job's responsibilities. This is of course assuming that the responsibilities of a princess are not to simply sit around, eat cake and let younger, less experienced ponies do your heavy lifting for you. -_-