Emerald Glow

That did bug me a bit. I'm sort of hoping S4 opens at that moment, the camera continuing to follow her graceful swoop as she flies smack into the side of the castle. That would be lovely transition to an opener where she has to learn how to fulfill her duties...from her friends, who have to learn that she can be a princess AND Adorkable Twilight..

ummm...Yeah. Celestia is one MANIPULATIVE little despot. (but she's benevolent and princessy so it's all okay). Sort of reminds me of the original Clash of the titans with the greek gods literally playing board games with the mortals.

Here goes my thoughts...(as posted earlier on my facebook): FINALLY!!! I have been dying for this season finale not so much for the content, but because I hoped it would make certain more panicky members of the fandom SHUT UP ALREADY! Seriously, bronies, chill. The show’s raison d’etre from day one has to been TO SELL TOYS. Fortunately they made a better show than they had to, hence the phenomenon. (You played into Hasbro’s hands by the way, but I’m saving that for a planned essay on types of fandom drama on my blog.) With that, to the review! Recap: In between songs, Celestia sends Twi a broken spell. Twi grabs the idiot ball, casts the spell, and Fubars the Mane 6’s destinies. Twilight undoes the magic and earns wings. Shining Armor cries Manly Tears Liquid Pride. Derpy shows up. The end. Strengths: The Songs were incredible, ditto the (too brief) depictions of each pony acting out the wrong destiny. I thought they handled the transformation itself as well as possible in 22 minutes. Weaknesses: Major pacing issues (which y'all have discussed) aside, So many questions! Did Cadence ascend too? Is Twi immortal? Are there new duties? Most of all, what about the Mane 6? The biggest issue on every Brony’s mind was only given lip service. OK, they’re still friends, but… Where they go from here: I saw somebody on Tumblr suggest that Celestia seems to be amassing an army. First she put Twi in position to free Luna. Then, the marital and magical union of Cadence and Shining Armor, followed with the reformation of Discord (a loose cannon if ever there was one), and finally dangling some nice shiny bait that she knew Twilight would promptly chomp on, decode, and thereby earn a power-up. I also wonder if Celestia doesn’t see some sort of big threat on the horizon, and isn’t setting up the chessboard to her advantage a la Gandalf or Dumbledore. Final thoughts: Twilight is now Princess of/Jedi master in Friendship. Heck, her awesome powers are essentially DUE to her connection with the Mane 6. Immediately growing apart from them just because she gained wings and a mediocre dress (seriously, Rarity could have done better) would undercut the whole point of the show, and might well lead to her LOSING her powers. That said, there are serious logistical and relationship concerns bubbling under the surface of the season finale. If the show is true to form, those repercussions (and the need to resolve them to defeat a Big Bad) will be explored very soon. I think the final song might have lampshaded this: Unlike the season opener, the reprise’s lyrics weren’t changed. Despite a huge paradigm shift, Twilight assumes everything is once again hunky-dory and statically perfect. I smell a subtle setup for the other shoe dropping next season, and can’t wait to see how the Mane 6 adjusts to their first major change since befriending Twilight. I’ll be a tad nervous until we see the full implications of today’s events play out, but I for one (cautiously) welcome our new Alicorn Overlord.

THIS. Seriously folks. It's also what happens in real life friendships as girls grow and change into young women (some inevitably becoming more successful than others), and could make for interesting stories if handled well. That's the question, and we probably will not know the answer until next season. There is middle ground between staying friends and staying the same forever and ever. As others have stated, we simply don't know what Alicornification does to a pony apart from giving her wings. Alicorn powers and Alicorn immortality, for instance, seem to be two different matters.

Oh, differences will definitely be magnified, and the shift might be too great for the relationships to survive. But not neccessarily, and I think I've convinced myself to withhold judgment till we see how this is handled. Remember the subtitle of the show. In Equestria, Friendship is pretty strong Juju, to say the least. Your second point, actually, is the biggest reason why this might NOT work. Even if she stays in Ponyville her life may well be very different and it might take the air out of a lot of the plotlines. I wish we knew more about what Cadence's life is/was like when she's not being hurled off balconies by her new husband (that came out wrong). Her daily life pre-Crystal Empire probably holds a clue for what's next for Twi in the short term, especially since I suspect the short term (AKA season 4) is all that's left in the series. Unfortunately all we know for certain is that she spent a goodly amount of time as a foalsitter, fell for Shining armor, and was kidnapped by Chrysalis from under the nose of her warrior fiance and two "goddesses". Too bad she never had any nightmares about her predicament, Luna would've sprung her from jail before the invitations went out. I am still concerned, but I'm beginning to think that this is not neccesarily a portent of doom, and that we need to give the friendship of the Mane 6 and the skills of the writers a wee bit more benefit of the doubt till the show airs. Well said! If I had to guess (which I do, really), the writers will take this opportunity to explore what really happens when there's a big change in the power dynamic between friends, something which does happen in real life. That said, these are the Elements of Flipping Harmony we're talking about here! If it's possible to navigate what will absolutely be a new, changed landscape, they have a good chance to pull it off, if not without some bumps in the road. Much will hinge on the exact nature of Twi's new powers and responsibilities. We won't know that till the season finale at the earliest. It'll probably be something related to spreading the wonders ot friendship, rather in the same way that Cadence spreads love in her role up in the Crystal Empire. If that's the case, why wouldn't she and her team of crack lieutenant friendship experts be tasked to travel the land together, meddling in dysfunctional friendships via the power of their awesome Harmony? I'm not saying this is a good development for the show, and I am pretty sure this portends that season 4 will be the last. However, I think they can make good enough lemonade from the lemon handed to them by Hasbro that the show can still end on a reasonably high note.

I've been keeping my mouth shut during the whole Twilicorn explosion, under the general "better to be silent and be thought a fool" theory that has served me pretty well in other recent fan-related events. I am a bit dubious about this development, I've never made a secret about my feelings on the situation. That said, I'm reserving judgment till we see the ep in question and, more importantly, season 4. that said, there's something that several have said that sticks in my craw a bit, and I think I want to respond to it. I'm quoting TheMarkzOne merely because he's the nearest handy example of what's been bugging me about this whole debate. italics/bold mine. Some fans seem to be making the assumption that Alicorn Twilight will inevitably either abandon or outgrow the rest of the mane 6, because she will now be more powerful, and hence "better" than her friends. Speaking as a nerd girl here, I find this a little simplistic, to put it charitably. Essentially, there are two assumptions embedded in this comment (which is just an example of many in a similar vein sprinkled throughout this thread), and IMHO both are wrong. Assumption 1: Alicorn sparkle will now be better than her friends, not an equal as she has been before. Sorry, but no. While not (yet) nobility herself, she is the daughter of a canterlot couple that also produced the captain of the Canterlot Guard, who himself married royalty (who happened to be her foalsitter). Politically, Twi is the MAGICAL PROTEGE OF PRINCESS CELESTIA. 'nuff said. Magically...well, just look at the previous three seasons. Intellectually, again we need only look at the show to date. If we are talking in terms of pretty much any metric aside from social graces (where she has improved dramatically) and athleticism, Twi has always been the strongest of the mane 6. These issues have always been at play in her relations with the mane 6 (more below), and I would also argue based on my youthful experiences that her talents were part of the reason she DIDN'T have many friends before the series permiere. Twilight's arc has been one of learning how to be a friend while also being her adorkable self. In a way, the last 3 seasons have been preparing her for this moment socially as well as magically. Which brings me to assumption 2. Assumption 2: Twilight's friendship with the Mane 6 will be (or will probably be) destroyed by her rise to princessdom. I am the first to admit that this will be a tough row to hoe for Twi and her friends in the opening episodes of the season (and this issue could still be a show-killer if not handled adroitly). However, I think this is giving Twilight and her friends WAY too little credit. Let's go to the highlight reel, shall we? The mane 6 when together are the elements of harmony, tough enough when combined to free Luna from Nightmare Moon and defeat Discord. Hearing the voices of the other mane 6 caused Twilight's epiphany in the premiere, Each of their cutie marks were sparked at the same time by the same chain of events. Twilight's special talent is magic, more specifically a flavor of magic that is unlocked and amplified via the even stronger power of friendship. Reading between the lines of the synopses, Twilight apparently BECOMES an alicorn by writing a spell to reverse the damage done to her friends. Given all that, why in the name of Celestia should we expect that they can't figure out a way to stay friends? Sticking together through growth and change is one of the most important lessons about friendship that there is, whether you have suddenly become a winged gumdrop horse or your bestie simply gets a great opportunity to go to her dream college on the other side of the country. In addition, we've got the other 5 ponies word for it that mere power differentials aren't enough to sever their bonds to Twilight. Consider this dialogue from the climactic scene of Boast Busters, a mere 4 episodes after the Mane 6 became friends: (ETA: sorry about the formatting below) In the end, it all comes down to this: do you think that any of the Mane 6's minds will be changed, after an additional three seasons of magical friendship, simply because their "powerful, talented Unicorn" is now a "Powerful, Talented Allicorn"? I can't answer for any of you, but I think I just convinced myself that this just might work. While I stil think this is the beginning of endgame for the series (unless there's some sort of spinoff or continuation starring the by-then-cutiemarked CMC after season 4), it could still end in a satisfying way. That's all I ask for a show I love. In the final analysis, I'd rather have four seasons of excellence than eight seasons of increasingly repetitive and unchanging storylines. (edited to fix a few minor typos and clarify wording here and there)

Heya! sorry I've been gone the last few weeks, start of the semester has been In-Bloody-Sane. On to stuff far more important than a pesky PhD--Fresh Pony! Great ep overall, easily trumps Spike At your Service (faint praise, I'm aware). It might actually be my second favorite Spike-centric episode of the series thus far after Secret of my Excess. One little nitpick--why wouldn't the Dragon who actually saved the crystal Empire (earning a stained-glass window in Canterlot, no less) be invited to the Empire? I hadn't heard that the next ep is going to be set in Crystal Empire...this is new for them as mentioned above, and it should be fascinating to see how they handle the timeline! maybe more later after a rewatch, I'm off to lunch with friends now.

I never disliked Dash, but up until two weeks ago she was Least Best Pony of the Mane Six. She's now 4th and rising, though there's a hard ceiling at #3 (I don't see Twi or AJ ever being bumped from 1 and 2). I could get into all the reasons, but the few things I didn't mention in the last couple of episode threads were covered nicely by other folks above. And now I got to head to work, because it's a little tacky to be late the first day of a week you're serving as acting Library Director during the boss's vacation. (Yes, they give ME real world responsibilities. Be Very Afraid.)

Animation sight gags for the grownups have been around at least since Bugs Bunny was making racist Asian jokes during WWII, probably longer. Derpy and Doctor Whooves are simply the latest in a long noble animation tradition of comedy designed to soar over the kiddies' heads and make the grownups snicker knowingly. As for Scootalove, that's not fan service so much as proceeding to the logical conclusion of the Scootaloo/Dash Arc. Frankly it was pretty obvious where that was headed for the reasons Chaotic Discord stated above. Finally, re: the "pandering" thing... The older I get, the more I suspect that some fans are just NEVER satisfied, regardless of the fandom in question.

First, THANK YOU for linking to the above fic! I just read it, and it's wonderful. Not only is it very well-written, it helped me put words to why I, possibly the hardest-core Twilight lover around, almost always hit skip when I get to this episode on a netflix watch-through. And I didn't get the vibe that Dash is now a Wonderbolt--just that she aquitted herself very well as a leader and flier at the Academy. nobody handed her a uniform or called her a Wonderbolt, and I would hope that the selection process is a lot longer than a week-long camp that hadn't even weeded out some VERY weak fliers.

I don't think she underestimated Rainbow Dash--she knows quite well what she's capable of. She ALSO knows that while Dashie is growing up and is ultimately very loyal (that being her element and all), in the past she's been stubborn, arrogant (to cover her deeper insecurities) and reckless. That's the kind of hot shot behavior that can cause major problems in the air while flying in close formation. Ergo, Spitfire likely made her wing pony to see how she could cope with a situation where she would NOT be the hottest thing in the air (and possibly wanted to make Lightning Dust lead pony in order to see if the honor of being ranked over the sonic rainbooming, element of harmony wielding, thunderbolt rescuing best young flier would go to her head). Rainbow Dash rose to the occasion, Lightning Bolt didn't, and the rest is history.

My working theory's been that they're a bit like the Navy's Blue Angels and Air Force elite flying groups that perform in air shows and such. They mostly work as stunt ponies, but are also members of the military. As such they can be and are called to active duty by Celestia when needed. Given that 99% of the time Equestria's a pretty peaceful place (Nightmare Moon, Discord, Changelings, and Sombrero Sombra aside), the Wonderbolts mostly perform their less martial duties, assuming there aren't any rampaging dragons going through premature adolescence. General responses to this week's episode: As mentioned on Tumblr/Twitter, after the last two episodes Dash has shot up from Least Best Pony (of the Mane 6) to Fourth, and could possibly surpass Fluttershy for third at the rate she's going. (Twi and AJ are a fairly safe one and two, for the record). I really like the maturity she's shown in the last two episodes as both a mentor/big sis figure and a responsible flier able to work past jealousy and serve as wing pony in a team setting, and also competely ready to jettison a lifelong dream to stay loyal to her core values. Second, I liked the contrast between Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust, and how they were initially friends, and then friendly rivals, before Rainbow had to figure out how to do the right thing while also being a loyal wing pony. Having read the controversy on this point, I saw no contradiction between the Spitfire of previous eps and Wonderbolts Academy. Reminded me of an old band director actually--we could all be joking around in his office before class started, but when he raised his baton you shut up, fell into discipline, and marched/played to his standards of excellence. If you didn't, well, woe betide you. I think it was one of the reasons we were one of the best high school bands in the state, IMHO. :-) The weak link in this episode...again...was Pinkie, for all the reasons already discussed. In fact, I think my new Least Best Pony has been the weakest link of the whole season, perhaps more so than Sombra even. I could explain this in more detail, but I think I'll save that rant character analysis for my next blog post. ;-)

Also, if we go with the Backstory via Lauren Faust mentioned up thread re: AJ and AB being orphans, that's the sort of thing that tends to tightly bond siblings and drown out rivalry. It also goes a long way to explain AJ's maturity, she probably started playing the mom role to Apple Bloom way too young. As for Scootaloo, my money's on only child, not orphan. No reason, just gut instinct.

*Facepalms* Of course. Head canon Accepted.

Well that's...DARK... You've a point though. At least it appears to be a benevolent dictatorship? More Brave New World than 1984 at least.

I have more to say as soon as I finish reading the thread (and may do a longer writeup on ye olde blog), but THIS. The Brony fan service has been done so well this season I hate to call it fan service. Almost Warner Brothers-esque in the way they can write a story for multiple generations of fans--a CMC story no less! This season started a tad slow IMHO but has been improving very week.

Point, I thought of this after. Dashie at least held it for a few seconds with no effect, but I chalked that up to being a non-magic user. Oh well. I think I'm OK with the current darkness level (heck, even the series premiere wasn't sunshine and lollipops, with Nightmare Moon tempting Dash at the rope bridge and her nearly succumbing), but I worry that much more might undercut the essential nougat-y center of the show. That's why I'm a little hesitant of the idea of series-long villain arcs and such, cool as they might be in their way. A little suspense draws viewers in though, it can't all be about destroyed cakes and the travails of babysitting. right now at least it's a good balance.

Twi, because I AM Twilight Sparkle (at least the highstrung OCD overachieverness). Granny Smith, because it’s like seeing my granny reincarnated in pony form. Doctor Whooves, because of Reasons.

Sudden Plotbunny <rarity> I-DEEE-AAAA!!!</rarity>: IIRC when we last saw Zacora, the amulet was placed in a box, and Zacora was going to take the evil trinket of evil off to somewhere safe. While she's not a Unicorn, she IS, so we learned, a magic user. What if the amulet somehow corrupts Zacora on the way?

As am I actually. Last year I would have written it off as a one shot, but they seem to be embracing continuity more and more as the show rolls on. What is it? Where's it from? Fan service aside, why's it called the ALLICORN Amulet? What else am I not thinking of?

I dunno, after 28,000 Pinkies running around the other week, it was actually kind of nice to have some peace and quiet this time

Good point about the grudge-holding, and the amulet as metaphor. Perhaps it's a situation where the Allicorn Amulet magnifies the darkness inside of you and crowds the rest out? (sort of like the Locket Horcrux come to think of it) Given how much ambition/jealousy Trixie was holding on to, the amulet had plenty to work with, hence her level of badassery by the end of the ep.

hmm...I think that Magic Duel had morals for Twi and Trixie. Twilight's was that there are other ways to beat evil than raw power, namely faith in one's friends (done to death) and sneakiness. the sneakiness/tricking trixie bit was fun, because we rarely get to see a situation where Twilight's NOT the biggest horn in town, and normally she gets extricated from those situations by Teh Friendship and/or Magical McGuffin* #12. Yes, she used friendship, but she used it in a very clever and sneaky way that seems a bit different than in the past. Trixie's moral (aside from not purchasing eeeevil Magical McGuffins) was essentially that pride goeth before a fall? I guess? It'd be a little OOC to see her turn into little miss humility, but she was still VERY proud to be humble. I hope that this is a beginning of a new leaf for trixie, and we begin to see her in more episodes where she's still vain, but essentially on the side of the angels. Some sort of situation where Twi has to go to trixie to bail her out of some sort of jam (sort of like what happened with Zacora this week, come to think of it) could be highly interesting--Twi could learn how to become friends with (or at least respect/trust) someone she doesn't entirely like. *(Hmm, we need a pony named Magical McGuffin...) Oh good! this wasn't just me. I really felt Fluttershy's character took a step back this week, which was really my only quibble with what was a very strong episode overall. At the end of the day, only Rainbow Dash (!) remembered the growth she's had over the last 2 seasons by volunteering her for the spy mission (a month after using her as a jousting target, no less!)That said, it may be that they were setting the table for some sort of episode where Fluttershy is ignored and/or discounted by the rest of the Mane 6, and saves the day in some fashion, sort of her version of Pinkie with the Parasprites. she really is good with negotiation and soft power now that you think of it, maybe settling some sort of feud? I think it would have to be something that put her animals at risk though for her to find the guts.