PacificGreen

The pukwudgie. Or maybe the quarry eel or the Hydra.

I wouldn't count it out. Given the way she said "He's Starswirl, he can do anything" back in the S7 finale, it sounds like there's a lot he knows that she still doesn't. As to whether it'll actually happen, that's a different question. Wait, have Season 9 summaries been released yet?

I personally don't think she's that overshadowed. Each of the Pillars, to me, is special in their own way, and it shows through their individual legends. Meadowbrook may not be as strong an Earth pony as Rockhoof, but she's good with medicine and animals, apparently. Similarly, Mistmane might not be as accomplished as Starswirl, but she definitely did something remarkable by giving up her beauty to restore her village. As a result, she's a legend in Equestria.

I've been hoping for at least a BG appearance of the ponies in Princess Spike again. Still haven't seen them since Season 5. Kinda wishful thinking but I hope Dandy, Hard Hat and Wrangler get a chance to redeem themselves...or at least make another cameo appearance.

Season 5. Not only because I think it had the best episodes overall, but also because I could watch my favorite BG ponies over and over from Princess Spike. Yes, I know that episode was pretty bad, but I loved the inclusion of the ponies from all over Equestria.

Well, the ponies do make up the show. It's kinda hard for one to exist without the other. But based on your first post, I guess I do. Basically, no matter how good or bad an episode turns out, I think I'll always like seeing the characters in some form or another, whether in official or fan material. I guess it's kinda gotten to the point that I look forward to seeing one of my favorite ponies return to the show than I am interested in actually watching the plot of each episode unfold. XD

As I've said before, this really is an OK episode, but I think there were two small moments that especially ruined the episode. One is Rarity saying "I'd never trust some horrible Saddle Row Pony to look after my shop" or something. Did Rarity seriously just insult her clientele? Like I get that some ponies are jerks, and no one's perfect, but that was just mean, Rarity. Not to mention painting people with a broad brush. The other is shortly after that, with Fluttershy's little tirade against that one pony who just makes an off-handed remark about Rarity and the contest. That...really didn't make any sense.

Honestly, it almost makes the school feel more like a day camp...Which, if you think about it, it essentially is. I feel like if they'd called it a "camp" from the start, the whole situation could have been avoided. But it also means that Celestia, not the EEA, was probably wrong to tell Twilight that she needed to get EEA approval here, since, as you mentioned, the friendship school wouldn't have needed their approval in the first place.

Fair enough. What's weird though is that later in the series we basically see them running the friendship school like any other school, with tests, lectures, and homework, which make me think Twilight's rulebook shouldn't be all that different from the EEA's. I do think that aspect of the message was muddled up a bit with the racism aspect. Essentially, it felt like the episode was trying to give two different messages, but wasn't sure how the villain (Neighsay) was supposed to be perceived (a well-meaning bureaucrat or a despicable bigot).

Yeah, that last part is pretty ridiculous IMO. My opinion is that seasons 4 and 5 were probably the high points of the series. The first few seasons you can tell were them trying to, as you mention, find their footing- the dialogue felt a bit more juvenile (though that's also probably because the episodes were more slice-of-life and episodic), and the lessons were pretty basic ones you'd find in your typical kids' show (e.g. don't judge a book by its cover, share your feelings with your friends, appreciate each other's differences). The later seasons seemed to keep up most of the same tone of seasons 4-5 and add a bit more depth to their lessons, and for the most part have maintained the quality of the show, but I do feel like the mane six are kind of running their course and it would be better to shift the spotlight to other characters, as it seems they've been doing with Starlight, Trixie, the school students and the Pillars. Either that or it's the new show writers (I'd really hate to point fingers here, but it's definitely a possibility). This is also probably just me, but the later seasons also seem to be a bit more ham-fisted with their message and their execution, with episodes like School Daze, Fluttershy Leans In, and Fame and Misfortune. Kind of an aside, but I personally actually think the map episodes are some of the best of the series. Aside from getting really cool new characters (the Las Pegasus Ponies, Saffron and Coriander, the Kirin, and Vapor and Sky), the Mane Six fill in the role of teachers. Sure, the way they're summoned (the all-knowing Cutie Map just "calls them") is pretty contrived and often feels forced, but usually the mane characters end up as something like guidance counselors, where, even though they mess up, they use their strengths to help push others in the right direction towards solving their problems. I like that about these episodes. Discord's kinda an oddball. I feel like there's a lot he could do to mess with the ponies, but just doesn't, because he's just that capricious. It was pretty interesting to see that play out in A Matter of Principals, which actually makes me think he might be more powerful than the Tree of Harmony if he's able to tamper with the Cutie Map. The school itself...is hard to describe. My opinion is that, in theory, it's a great idea and a natural progression of Twilight's role as Princess of Friendship, but in practice you just end up with something that should be way harder to deal with than the show makes it out to be. I was actually about to applaud the Season 8 premiere for introducing a sort of "checks-and-balances" where Twilight would have to deal with the intricacies of starting a school while also keeping with government laws, but in the end Neighsay's a racist and apparently the EEA are bad at actually making schools effective places to learn so their objections are pretty much invalidated (and it's treated as a good thing). But at least everything works out in the finale so...yay?

I love how Autumn Blaze is, like, leading the poll by a landslide. In no particular order: The Student Six Chancellor Neighsay Autumn Blaze Sludge (a.k.a "Dad Bod Dragon") Cozy Honorable Mentions: Firelight & Stellar Flare (they're more or less the same but opposites so they're a tie for me XD) I have not seen the holiday special yet.

I actually don't mention my liking for the show in public either. I'm mostly a closet fan IRL, but hey, more power to you if you're more open about your love of pony.

I mean, sure. I love this show a lot and, probably, the fandom and its creations even more so. I find it difficult to even name a fandom that has nearly the same kind of creative backing we do. Maybe Star Wars and Star Trek?

Have you ever thought about how critical you are of certain episodes in the show, especially with regards to how far into the show an episode is? If so, what is your opinion on being more harsh on later seasons than earlier ones, and do you think it's a fair way to judge an episode? Personally, I gave the earlier seasons a lot more leeway (especially 1 through 4), especially since I had just started watching and my expectations weren't that high. I think during the first 2 to 3 seasons, the show was still trying to "find its place" so to speak- testing the waters with what kinds of stories were good, and which ones weren't; if there was an episode that had some flaws, I was generally able to brush it off and say "eh, it's pony, whatever". Around the time seasons 7 and 8 rolled around, I think I started finding more episodes I either actively disliked, or just didn't care much for. I think it's to be expected to some extent- as the seasons unfold, so too do the characters develop, and you kinda expect more from them as time goes on to be more grown characters. If they just keep relearning the same lessons or pulling similar gags over and over, it gets kinda old. Something Pinkie may have done in Season 1, for example, may have gotten a laugh out of me when I started watching that first season, but if she were to do it again in Season 8 or 9, it might come across more as annoying. Another factor is the side characters. During the first few seasons, the focus of the show was primarily on the main characters and how they either interacted with each other, or responded to how side characters acted (think Pinkie Pie and Gilda in Griffon the Brush Off). As time went on, the side characters played a more active role, like the map episodes, where the Mane Six were more helpers than the actual stars of the episode, so I think the show kind of set a precedent for itself with regards to how the side characters are treated. I think if an episode like, say, Fluttershy Leans In, (which did great on Fluttershy's characterization but IMO handled the three "experts" pretty poorly) had aired in Season 1 or 2, I may have enjoyed it a tad bit more. But I'm interested in what your thoughts are.

Glad you enjoyed that season that much. Mine's Season 5. BTW, forgot to mention, but Top Bolt is also probably one of my favorite episodes in the entire show. I just love Sky and Vapor as characters, and their interactions with T-Sparks and the Dashinator Teachers Dash and Twilight also helped make the episode.

I myself actually liked Season 6 as well. It was relatively low-key (well, except for the whole "Changelings capture the princesses and mane six", though that finale was relatively subdued compared to the Season 4 and 5 finales), with episodes like Dungeons and Discords, Applejack's Day Off, No Second Prances and Every Little Thing She Does. Nevertheless I thought it was pretty amusing all around. I think I'd go as far as to say that it's up there with Season 7 in terms of how much I like it. Though Season 7 had several great episodes and was a really solid season, there were a few duds that REALLY brought down that season (looking at you, Fluttershy Leans In and Fame and Misfortune! :P) So when I say it's up there with Season 7, I mean that, sure, it had less "epic!" episodes, but it didn't have as many thoroughly disappointing episodes.

I've always thought textbooks to be expensive, too, but I've sorta always chalked it up to the many factors that go into making a textbook that most students (and the population in general) aren't aware of. I mean, unless we know exactly what goes into making a textbook, who are we to judge? I know I'm sounding a bit naïve here, but that's just kinda how I am with life in general. But hey, most likely others know about this better than me, but I personally haven't been able to find any reliable sources on this.