Cleverclover

I'd have to say Rainbow Dash simply because it appears that she may have some violent tendencies when she gets angry. 

She already lost her treehouse, which got replaced by the abomination of architecure that is her new castle, so leave the poor girl alone.

I actually blame the loss of the library on Twilight rather than Tirek. Seriously, what reason did she have to teleport there? Just to look at him through her telescope? 

Her horn, because it'll cause a wonderful wave of outrage in the community which I will sit back and laugh at.

Agreed. Meanwhile, Twilight no longer having the ability to alter the minds and bodies of living creatures, something that should honestly be illegal within the world of FiM, would be nothing but a positive thing for Equestria. 

You would think that the more you get on planes, the more comfortable with flying you become. But that isn't the case for me. I've probably flown on airplanes upwards of twenty times in my life, and I'm still not completely, 100% comfortable with it. I still freak out silently to myself when the plane hits turbulence and when it banks sharply to the left or right. 

And I know people always say "Car crashes are far more common than airplane crashes", and while that's true, it doesn't particularly make me feel any better for two reasons. The first reason is that a car crash doesn't exactly guarantee that you won't survive, whereas when an airplane crashes, there is a far greater likelihood that you'll die than you'll survive, even if you perform the "head-between-knees" technique. The second reason is that car crashes are quick and over in pretty much an instant---before you even realize your car crashed, it already happened. With airplane crashes, you will realize that the plane is crashing long before it does. I shudder at the thought of waiting long, painfully agonizing seconds while the plane continues to lower itself to the ground. 

Not sure why, but I have a feeling that Celestia barely even acknowledges her birthday, and that no one in Equestria knows it except for Luna, who might share a cake with her in the evening. 

I'm glad you have an interest in martial arts and took it up because you wanted to. It's a great sport and you can learn a lot from it, not just how to defend yourself in a fight.

I actually took up a lot of stuff when I was younger. Played baseball for a while (sucked at it), did gymnastics, recreational bike-riding. So in addition to becoming less social as I got older, I think I also ended up becoming less willing to try new things. Though about a year ago, I took up tennis just as an elective for college, and I ended up becoming pretty damn good at it.  

Sometimes I wish I had continued martial arts. I'd definitely be a black belt by now if I kept at it. How far did you get? 

I think everyone goes through a part of their childhood and definitely their teen years feeling awkward and at least a little out of place. I'm glad you weren't bullied when you were younger but, unfortunately, I was and it sucked. It was because of that bullying that I ended up taking martial arts when I was a kid (paid for them myself, too, doing various odd things like mowing lawns and cleaning out attics.) After my first real fight with a bully I didn't get bullied, anymore, but that was a different time, a different age, and expectations were different, then.   I have to admit that I'm sometimes annoyed by Pinkie's over-the-top antics but I think the wonderful part is that all the other ponies just love and accept her just as she is and I think it's something the rest of the world could take as a good example of how everyone could be if they just put in a little effort.

I'm sorry that you were bullied. I always told myself that if anyone ever tried to bully me, I would fight with that person, and wouldn't even care if I got suspended for it. That's due in part to my dad being a tough-as-nails Marine who always told me to stick up for myself. 

Ironically enough, I also took up martial arts, not because I wanted to defend myself from bullies, but because it was just something I wanted to do. That was about when I was 10-11, so I was still in my outgoing/hyperactive state. Unfortunately, I only made it to Green-White belt because I ended up moving to another state and I never bothered to take it up again. 

Yeah, it's funny... I may well be the oldest Brony in existance (and I'm really beginning to think I am and it's not an easy job but somebody's gotta do it! LOL!)

That's pretty cool. It actually makes me feel a lot better because I've been beginning to wonder at what age does it become socially unacceptable to be a fan of a show about magical talking ponies... 

@, You know something? Between your avatar and your smart, knowledge-filled posts in this thread, I can't help but read them with Twilight's voice. 

And it's sooooooooooo annoying. 

I can honestly say that I never would have felt like there was anything wrong with me.

That's not the same for me. I've always known that something was off about me, particularly when people in my middle school life referred to me as "gay" because of my unusual mannerisms (That said, I was never actually bullied, per se. People just liked picking on me because I was strange, I guess). I knew that these mannerisms were not normal, but I just couldn't really stop myself from doing them in public. Thankfully, I'm now much better at that. 

In fact, Pinkie's eccentric mannerisms have made me shake my head on more than one occasion. Just can't help but think that it's a bit unfair that she's allowed to be strange and different, and yet no one picks on her for it. 

Now, here I am, fifty years past my childhood

Say what, now?   You may be the oldest brony I've ever heard of (assuming you are one, of course, but given the site, I imagine it's a safe bet). 

.As an Aspie, I can say that Asperger's Syndrome definitely isn't a "disease" - it's a learning disability, not caused by any sort of virus or bacteria.

This. I have Asperger's as well.

In my pre-teen years, I was very outgoing and had a ton of friends because of it, though I often did not focus much in class. I changed as I became a teenager and went from being outgoing to being highly uncomfortable with putting myself out there, and so I did not have quite as many friends in my teens. That persists to this day. I'm 24 years old and I've never had a girlfriend because I'm too uncomfortable with asking a girl out, even girls who have flirted and showed interest in me. 

Anyway, I guess I should probably consider myself lucky that I don't have a more severe case of Autism, but I definitely don't feel like it's any positive step forward, evolutionary or otherwise. 

So... we're just going to forget Spike? Again?

Yeah, Spike needs more love.

Anyway, my favorite of the mane six is definitely Applejack. I would trust that pony with my life.  

Pinkie, and it's not even a contest.

She has The Smile Song and Pinkie's Lament, which are two of my favorites. That's in addition to: Giggle at the Ghosty (at least I think that's what that song is called), Evil Enchantress, and the Cupcake song. 

All Dogs Go to Heaven is actually one of my favorite movies from my childhood.   I definitely don't think it's aged well, but I still like it. 

Anyway, I once had a nightmare where I was on a plane that was crashing. It was pretty damn scary. 

Probably The Return of Harmony simply because Discord was the most competent villain this series has had to date. 

My ranking:

1. The Return of Harmony 

2. A Canterlot Wedding

3. Princess Twilight Sparkle

4. Friendship is Magic

5. The Crystal Empire

6. Garbage 

7. Vomit

8. Pus

9. Feces

10. Twilight's Kingdom

I wouldn't count on Celestia and Luna ever getting an episode. It's just not in the cards.

Celestia's role in the show has been reduced to the point where she's now just meandering about, waiting to get knocked down several more pegs by McCarthy yet again just for the sake of making Twilight look superior. The show would not suffer in the slightest if the decision was made to write her out entirely, and I'm honestly surprised that didn't happen in Twilight's Kingdom. 

Luna's role is dwindling as well, not that hers was ever as big to begin with. 

At this point I think Celestia is presented as just two dimensional, always having to come off as the perfect ruler. I wouldn't mind seeing a few of her flaws and character defects.

Please watch Twilight's Kingdom if you really think Celestia is a "perfect ruler." 

If Twilight lost her horn, that would mean she would no longer be able to tarnish her friends' souls by her own carelessness, and it would also mean that she would no longer be able to alter her friends' bodies on a genetic level without their consent.

...

Hmm, yep, sounds like a pretty good deal to me. 

I'm not a brony and I don't like bronies but I love the show (there are other members here the same way but not many)

I agree. More and more, I'm finding that I really disconnect with bronies and generally accepted fandom opinions.

Most bronies loved Twilight's fight with Tirek. I detest it.

Most bronies now love Equestria Girls. I really kinda wish that it wasn't a thing. 

I wouldn't particularly say I don't like bronies, but I definitely don't connect with them well. 

I don't have an OC, nor do I really have any interest in creating one. 

I have to ask, do "Season 1 and 2 loyalists" even exist? And if they do, I also have to ask, why isn't season 3 included? I don't think it's that much different from season 2. 

Season 4 may be a different story. Personally, I enjoyed most of it, but there certainly were a number of episodes that simply relied on gimmicks for the sake of making them more memorable, when honestly, they really only brought them down and made them worse.  

Wow, I see quite a few "death" responses.

Personally, I'm actually more afraid for my relatives dying than myself dying. I have a pretty huge family on both my mother and father's sides, and I care for all of them simply because they're family. Yet throughout my life, I've never actually had to attend funerals on a consistent basis like most people with large families often do. In fact, I was 19 the first time I lost one of my relatives (I'm 24 now), and she remains the only one I had lost up until recently when my grandfather passed last month. 

What I'm really afraid of is that at some point, my relatives are going to start dying one after another within a relatively short span of time, like perhaps I'll have to attend at least one funeral every month or every other month. That really scares me. 

Not particularly, no. 

*really personal self-loathing rant incoming*

I have Aspergers which is possibly mixed with ADHD. I suck at math and nearly all fields of science. I often display short-term memory in that I'll often forget what I'm doing if my mind isn't entirely focused on it. For instance, sometimes I go to Youtube to look up a specific video and I get sidetracked by another video. By the time I finished that video, I will have forgotten what the video I initially wanted to look up was, and it usually takes some serious memory-jogging to remember it. My grades throughout my life have mostly been average. A few A's in some places, a few C's in some others. Not particularly impressive, just enough to get myself to graduation. 

Honestly, I've always been envious of those with higher level intelligence. My mom in particular is very smart (graduated third in her class) and she tells me that she got that way by studying. But honestly, studying isn't enough for me and not just because of my ADHD. Sometimes, I just lack any ability to pick up advanced or foreign concepts. I've never taken an IQ test because honestly, I've always been afraid that I would test lower than average. I don't think I'm stupid or anything, but I don't think I'm really that smart either. 

The only skill I really think that I have is an ability to write, and I think that's actually going to be my ticket to getting anywhere in my life. It kinda upsets me because I wish I had more to offer. I certainly won't be praised for any artistic work, nor will I be making any medical or scientific breakthroughs in my life like some of you here might. 

So yeah, I'm just an average guy with average intelligence who will likely live the rest of his life making an earnest salary at a none-too-impressive job, living in an average two-story house with a family (hopefully), and ultimately passing on without having given much to the world. 

To compare MH with EQG is to say that the ocean and a piece of paper are the same, because they both appear flat. While it may be an apt description for one (MH) it certainly isn't for the other (EQG).

True, but still, it's not as though a reasonable comparison can't be made, particularly since EQG was indeed meant to be Hasbro's answer to MH. Also, I have to ask, have you ever watched any of the Monster High films or specials? I never have personally, yet I'm somewhat inclined to think that they're really not so different after all, aside from the one obvious difference that sets them apart, of course. 

So you have no actual basis for your accusations, you just accuse the author of not having watched the movies because you personally disagree about the quality.

Please stop being so hostile. There's no reason for it. 

Personally, I find it incredibly difficult to pick favorites. I don't have a favorite overall episode, and I also don't have a favorite food, favorite TV show, favorite movie, favorite video game, or anything else like that. Instead, I simply have a list of certain things from separate categories that I find to be better than others within their categories. 

So where FiM is concerned, I'll simply go with Rarity Takes Manehattan, which is my favorite episode from season 4: 

I think it was incredibly contrived that Rarity and her friends created an entire line of outfits overnight (with fabrics taken from their hotel room, no less) and still managed to win the competition. I mean, one pony was even wearing a lampshade for crying out loud. 

The thing is, Clover, all those points you raised were genuine criticisms from someone who has obviously seen the movies, and while I'm sure I disagree with you in many ways, your informed opinion is your own, and by making specific points you're already putting yourself in a far better position. The author, however, makes absurdly false statements, the nature of which could only be made by someone with third hand information about the movies, probably from a position of confirmation bias, and come off as a total presumption.

To be quite fair, it honestly seems to me that the writer of the article is against Equestria Girls mostly due to how it apparently glorifies overly skinny, fashionable, and attractive girls as being the ideal teenage girl, and she applies this criticism to Monster High as well. Personally, I can agree with that assessment. 

Should she have done a bit more research on Equestria Girls before writing this article? Perhaps. But even if she had sat down and watched both films, I honestly don't think her opinions would be any different. Because at the end of the day, her criticisms aren't stemming from the plot of the films. They're focused on the aesthetics of the designs of its characters, and how the designers seem to bend over backwards to make them appear visually flawless to girls, possibly instilling a desire from within themselves to strive to be as flawless as they are.  

As someone who has watched both Equestria Girls films more than once, I can honestly say that there are indeed very legitimate reasons to criticize the franchise. To name one just off the top of my head, they're filled with utterly ridiculous contrivance (a car that transforms into a fully functional sound system? Sure, why not?). 

Believe it or not, Rainbow Rocks is actually my least favorite of the two. It's not saying much, since I don't particularly enjoy either one, but I like the first film just a bit better. Sure, I like Sunset Shimmer's characterization as much as the next guy, but the problem is that she honestly ends up the only character I give a damn about throughout the whole movie. The humane five continue to serve as lousy replacements for the mane five, and yet again, I'm reminded that I would probably enjoy these movies so much more if Twilight's actual friends were allowed to be apart of them. 

Meanwhile, of course, Twilight struggles with the fact that she actually sucks at writing at counterspell, which honestly comes off as a legitimate shock to me, considering that earlier I just watched her single-hoofedly construct a makeshift machine around the portal to get it working again in no time at all, an act that most surely would have required a level of mechanical genius that Twilight has never been shown to have. But now I'm suddenly expected to believe that she would actually suck at writing a spell, even with her proficiency in the study of magic? Uh huh, sure...

Furthermore, what fails even more about this is the fact that we're not given any insight whatsoever to Twilight's thought process as she attempts to write the spell. Perhaps if we knew what she was thinking and why she was writing whatever she was writing, we'd at least understand why she's struggling. But that doesn't happen. All that we really know for sure is that she doesn't seem have the slightest idea of what she's doing. However, given the fact that she was still legitimately surprised that she ultimately failed to write the spell, it simply seems that Twilight thought that she was going to succeed for no other reason than because she actually believes that she is unable to fail. Yes, that's right. Twilight herself actually believes that she's perfect. At least that's what I'm taking away from it. 

I also dislike Rainbow Rocks more because of its blatant brony pandering and fandom references. While I would much rather see that stuff in these films than in the actual show, I can't help but feel they're a huge contributing factor as to why people love Rainbow Rocks so much. Unfortunately, that just doesn't do it for me. I'm not exactly going crazy over the confirmation that Octavia actually has a British accent or that Maud Pie (a character who I did not even like in her first appearance) made a cameo. 

Anyway, I wouldn't go as far as to say that the Equestria Girls films are bad, but I simply find them to be average at best. At the very least, I would watch them for the music alone, because that's one of the only things I actually do enjoy about them. 

Go back and watch the battle again. I just did. After Twilight looked back and saw that the library was destroyed, she teleported again. Twilight had ALL of the Alicorn magic. She could have teleported thousands of miles. Watch the scene carefully. It takes place well away from Ponyville. Once the fighting starts, no other buildings, structures, animals, or characters of any kind are visible. It's all rocks, trees, and mountains. AKA badlands.

After checking it again, I kinda see what you're getting at. Tirek was actually a pretty fair distance away from Ponyville when he destroyed the library, not too far considering how quickly his blast actually caught up, but a good several meters at least. Still not far enough away where it wasn't possible that it would have been caught up in the battle, though. And it still wasn't anyplace that could be considered "badlands." It only became badlands after their fight laid waste to the grass and the trees that made up that place, and ironically enough, Twilight actually contributed more to that than Tirek did. So I guess because her own home was destroyed, that gave her the right to destroy the homes (as well as inadvertently cause the deaths) of numerous animals out of her lust for revenge? 

I mean, what, in your opinion, would have been the right thing for her to do? 

I'm not going to deny that she was placed in a sticky situation, and it was mostly Celestia's fault since it was her brilliant plan to transfer power to Twilight in the first place. But in any case, I honestly think her best bet was to flee and grant herself more time to gain control. Granted, she did try this initially, but I didn't really think she gave it much of an effort. I honestly doubt that Tirek could really move as fast as she could, and if she had actually made a legitimate attempt to get the hell out of dodge, it would have been quite some time before he found her again. 

And even if I could accept that Twilight had absolutely no other choice but to engage him in battle, I would have certainly expected her to show more rationality and smarts that she is so well known for rather than just mindlessly firing off death blasts without the slightest bit of regard for anything around her. 

She probably figured that if she didn't stand and fight, Tirek would probably destroy Equestria.

I don't think that was a factor in her mind at all. Because she didn't engage him for the sake of Equestria. She engaged him for the sake of herself. I bet it felt damn good to her that she was throwing everything she had at him. 

You certainly don't have to like it.  That's fine.  But I just felt that I couldn't walk away without defending it again. 

Well, I'm not trying to get people to stop liking what I don't like. My original intention was to point out that the battle had no actual relevance to the episode whatsoever, and that its only purpose was to appease the bronies. 

From the scenery, and judging from Hasbro's map of Equestria, I'd suggest that the battle probably took place around Rambling Rock Ridge, which is where the Diamond Dogs live, and not very far from Ponyville.

Could have sworn I saw trees and grass in the area where the fight took place. Of course, it's all laid to ruin now, so who knows. In any case, it doesn't make any sense that it would have taken place anywhere other than the border of Ponyville. The moment Tirek destroyed the library, she engaged him, and the battle did not move anywhere else (at least not until he threw her into a mountain). 

And if only she were shown going off into the woods on her own for a while, to be by herself, and then the camera left her to focus on other elements of the plot, so that we were able to assume she had at least some time to practise using her newly acquired powers... Oh wait, she was!

Sure, she tried. But you know what happened? She failed and ended up teleporting in all sorts of places. So it was clear that just before the fight, she still had not gained control. But I guess that didn't matter, because moments later, she controlled it all perfectly, as if we somehow missed the montage of her attempting to gain control for the next several hours. And hell, she even used teleportation and yet she miraculously never ended up anyplace she did not intend to go. 

It's bad writing, and this is only one example of it because the entire two-parter is chock full of it.