Zerbu

MLP:FiM is the kind of show where characters develop over time, but will there ever be a time where the Mane Six have been developed to the point of having no flaws left to address? Take Fluttershy for example, who's already starting to show signs of this problem. She's been shown learning to be more assertive, have more confidence, and not let herself be taken advantage of, while still keeping her kind personality. But what happens once she's fully learned those lessons, where does it go from there? I'm actually nervous about how the rest of season 5 will handle her, because unless they have her keep forgetting lessons from previous episodes, eventually they won't be able to develop her further. Make New Friends But Keep Discord, as funny as it was, was by and large a Discord episode. Fluttershy was largely a plot device to Discord's story. It could take years, but eventually there will come a point where the Mane Six will have learned so many lessons that there's just nothing left to learn, and the series will have to either end, focus on new characters, or repeat lessons that were already taught.

The common belief seems to be that Earth Ponies have greater physical strength. Is this really natural, though, or is it just the rules of how they're socially conditioned? In Winter Wrap Up, although Twilight was shown as physically weaker than the Earth Ponies, neither Applejack nor anypony else actually questioned her when she attempted to do an Earth Pony job. They treated it like it was just an aspect of her character rather than the result of not being an Earth Pony. In Simple Ways, the same thing happened with Rarity. She attempted to do an Earth Pony job, and although she was unsuccessful, Applejack didn't question her on it. I think an episode that addresses Earth Pony abilities would be a good idea. All we really have to work on right now are fan theories.

To be honest, this discussion seems to be going nowhere. Neither side is right. Twilight and Fluttershy are fictional characters, they don't have complex brain structures. Only the writers or someone with official control over the show can define a "right" answer, and even then, it's debatable whether that counts if it's not explicitly stated in canon. (I have AS myself just in case it's relevant to anyone)

In Bloom and Gloom, the topic of continuing to be Cutie Mark Crusaders after getting their cutie marks was brought up. In Appleoosa’s Most Wanted, the Cutie Mark Crusaders successfully helped a pony understand his cutie mark. Could the Cutie Mark Crusaders' cutie marks have something to do with cutie marks in general?

I'm most excited for this one: Why is Fluttershy having tea parties without Discord? I can't wait to find out. If the aim of the leak was to generate hype, then it's worked for me. I'm also curious about Brotherhooves Social, another Fluttershy episode that likely has interesting character development.

Okay, so some people have pointed out that not much has changed about the characters themselves. However, analyzing season 5, there hasn't been much of your typical friendship lessons focusing on the Mane Six. Every episode so far has either been about their status, focused only on the Mane Six themselves without outside interaction, focused on characters other than the Mane Six or focused on a topic other than friendship. I'm going to skip "The Cutie Map" as it's only natural that a two-parter would focus on such a major event, so I'll start with Castle Sweet Castle: Castle Sweet Castle - The focus was mainly on the Mane Six themselves and not on the interaction with the outside world. Bloom and Gloom - The focus was on the Cutie Mark Crusaders, mainly Apple Bloom. Tanks for the Memories - The focus was on hibernation, which wasn't related to friendship. Rainbow Dash wasn't shown interacting with other ponies, even though she usually would be during season changes. Appleoosa's Most Wanted - The focus was on the Cutie Mark Crusaders. The way Applejack was treated by other ponies wasn't much different, but it wasn't major enough to subvert the idea that her status has changed the way she's perceived either. Her main experiences in the episode weren't related to friendship or any kind of non-family-related social interaction. Make New Friends But Keep Discord - The main focus was on Discord, Fluttershy was more or less just a plot point in this episode, and even if you don't see it that way, it still does nothing to subvert what I'm talking about. Also worth noting is how being invited to the Grand Galloping Gala was treated as "normal" for them rather than a big deal. I guess you could justify it considering they've been before, and the gala is known to be terrible. The Lost Treasure of Griffonstone - We finally get a "friendship" lesson that focuses on the Mane Six (well, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash) but the focus is on their role as spreaders of friendship, rather than experiencing the problems first hand. Slice of Life - N/A Princess Spike - The focus was on Spike, and actually emphasized how Twilight is treated for her status. Not as bad as all of the characters being over glorified, I guess... Party Pooped - The focus was on the relationships between two lands, rather than your typical, everyday friendship lesson. Pinkie wasn't explicitly treated differently for her status, but it doesn't subvert the idea either. Amending Fences - This episode features a typical friendship lesson that focuses on Twilight, but the fact that she's a princess is considered a big deal. Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep - Focuses on a disaster that's not so much related to friendship. As you can see, so far we haven't had any episodes in season 5 focusing on the Mane Six that are about casual social interaction in a way that doesn't related to status. (Whew, long post)

Twilight is the leader, but the other five are still rulers alongside her, at least according to the season 4 finale. Agreed! If there had to be a ruler among main characters, I'd rather it be only one of them, instead of all of them. There's still some relatability, but not as much as there are in the earlier seasons.

Fluttershy is a pegasus, therefore pegasus is the best. End of story!

Something I've been thinking about lately... The Mane Six used to be average members of pony society. They went through similar experiences to what exists in real life, but in a magical, cartoonized way. Then, at the end of season 3, Twilight was elevated to the status of an allicorn princess. Fast forward to the end of season 4, and the other five are ruling alongside her. The Mane Six are now high status rulers overlooking all of Equestria. Gone are the times of everyday lessons about friendship and general social interactions.