zenith32

Between the two, I'd say Dash. As mentioned though, Starlight has some excellent smug/silly faces.

I felt for Twilight in that moment because I've been in that position before, where I've attended some event as a staff or lead organizer and was promised to be able to do literally just one thing, attend just one panel/event/etc., only to get screwed out of it because of a scheduling conflict or something. Not saying I like seeing these characters be miserable and sad, but using moments like that has an undeniable emotional impact on the episode.

Given that Starlight has become an integral character in the past 2 seasons, her only getting a cameo baffled me quite a bit. I suppose the same applies to Discord and the CMC, but I feel like Starlight should have at least been given a few lines somewhere in the beginning.

Other than being sick and the rather empty theater, it was not different than any other movie screening I'd been to. No screaming kids or really obnoxious bronies.

Friends and I went to a later showing at Longmont, CO's theater and all told there were maybe 20 people (including us) in a theater that can sit nearly 100. Unfortunately low turnout seemed to be a trend elsewhere in Colorado as well. That being said, there was really not much in the way of marketing for this movie that I saw beyond the occasional social media update and the early viewings on Thursday were almost not mentioned at all, at least around here. Seems to me like Hasbro may have decided that this movie just wasn't worth putting that much money into for marketing and just wanted to use it to further the toy lines, which is a shame because I thought it was an excellent movie, especially given that it wasn't animated in the same style like the rest of the show has been.

I feel that scene was totally in character and would have felt pretty lame and awkward had she not snapped. As stated by other members, being put under the tremendous stress that she'd been for the entirety of the movie would cause her to do things she might not otherwise do (such as stealing the orb). We have a fair number of examples of her patience being tested time and time again by her friends' shenanigans (iirc mostly Pinkie's but still) and I definitely felt her frustration with Dash over the Rainboom. Incredibly reckless and thoughtless for a group of ponies who are in hiding or protecting someone who is in hiding. Now I'll grant you that AJ, Rarity, and Fluttershy hadn't really done anything to warrant being snapped at like that, and it was pretty crummy of Twilight to yell at Pinkie after she had done...well, frankly, exactly as Twilight had asked. But up to that point, I had gotten the sense that Twilight's friends either didn't really understand the gravity of Twilight's position and mission and as such didn't take it as seriously as they should have or maybe they did but, thanks to prior experiences, figured that Twilight was (as she is prone to do) overreacting and that this new menace would be taken care of no problem like pretty much every other villain they've faced thus far. I felt with Twilight when she finally reached her breaking point and I think the whole scene would have felt wasted had she not snapped like that.

Don't see why not. As stated above he served a fairly important role in the original changeling hive, makes sense that he would continue that role now. Plus the somewhat unique design is indicative of an important role if we use conventional cartoon logic.

I was going to say BBBFF but I'd completely forgotten that this was a thing so...yeah. That.

I quite enjoyed this episode. The legend of Sonambula was pretty nice and I thought it was good to see an otherwise relatively no-nonsense and more assertive character put into a perspective you wouldn't really expect (dejected, humbled, disheartened, etc). Excellent character development in my opinion. My only complaints with this episode are how the first half is almost entirely exposition and how Dash's capture seemed really...weak? Like, Dash should not have been captured that easily. That aside though, pretty good episode.

The immense amount of side character development this season is something I've been looking for since Season 3. Hell today's episode didn't even feature any of the mane 6 beyond a name drop! You can only do so much with a small group of characters before things start to get stale or worse (ie. contradicting themselves), so it only makes sense that as time goes on we'd start to see more new characters and more development for them.

I was wondering when we'd get another Daring Do episode. I've enjoyed them all so far, and this one promises to be just as interesting as the last ones.

Just some of my favorites. :3

Without Nightmare Moon to prompt the search for the Elements of Harmony, chances are Twilight would very likely have just considered the other members of the Mane 6 that she met during the Summer Sun Celebration just normal ponies to organize an event with and would not likely have made friends with them. Assuming no other strange events take place, she likely would have just gone back to Canterlot and there'd basically be no MLP:FiM, at least not as we know it. Maybe she would have learned the value of friendship via her 'old friends' from Amending Fences?