TheTrueMelissa

That's a good point. I guess a friendship-based show will always lean heavily on the idea that everyone should have lots of friends. It would have been very interesting if the Mane 6 had met someone who had successful friendships but still didn't want to be their friend. That's a situation kids will encounter, after all.

Hmm. Is Daring Do supposed to be learning a lesson that everything's better with a friend along? If so, I agree it's a little broken. It would fit with Twilight teaching a friendship lesson to her own hero, Star Swirl.

You know, that's often true, and she isn't corrected for it.

I do believe the G5 showrunners rethought the emphasis on princesses and decided a different approach would be more positive. When Sunny's in alicorn mode, all the extra respect and prestige is presented as a lure she should avoid. For Twilight, that was just how things were. Sunny has now learned there's a difference between Sunny and "the alicorn." Is Pip scheduled for a more realistic version of this? So far, I like this show. It honors the previous show while also doing its own thing.

The first thing I noticed is that our new protagonist, Sunny, is a child -- a filly who lives with her father, not a mare. Soon I learned that the glorious, friendship-driven culture of Middle Equestria has been replaced by strife and hatred. The pegasi and earth ponies are both convinced that other kinds of ponies are bad, though the unicorns seem innocent of this. Also, during all the time that's passed, the earth ponies developed modern technology and now have things like phones. This technological development may be because Equestria has somehow lost its magic -- pegasi can't fly, and most of the unicorns seem downright ill. Can the new team save the day? Of course they can. There was some good music. I got into "Angry Angry." The style's a little more pop-rock than the kid-music style of the old show. I preferred the old style of music, but this is okay. The lore development was interesting, too. We now know for sure that pegasus flight is, indeed, their own form of magic. We also know that an earth pony can become an alicorn. I'm intrigued to note that earth ponies, no longer growing the food for three species, had a real creative explosion. I'm sure the show didn't intend it, but it kind of supports the notion that the G4 earth ponies were being oppressed. The vibe's a bit different. They're going more for sassy fun than for the old show's sweet and innocent approach. I guess they figure that's what modern kids like.

The idea of stage magic in a world with real magic is a little senseless on the face of it. What ever gave Trixie the idea of using engineering to fake having greater magical skill than she has? It's as if I were bad at juggling, so I invented some animatronic self-juggling balls and went on stage to display what a great juggler I allegedly am. Even if it works, I'm missing the real story, which is that I have invented self-juggling balls. Trixie's show's billboard should have a prominent disclaimer that absolutely no magic is used at any point during her show. Unicorns, and alicorns if any, would be invited to monitor the show for the use of magic. For lifting her wand and similar tasks, she would use her mouth like an earth pony, because not a scrap of magic is to be used on stage. As she performed feats thought possible only with magic, the ponies would wonder how in Equestria she could perform such miracles. They'd experience the sense of amazement and wonder which is usually the point of such a show. At some point, someone will try to prove that Trixie is faking. She'll pass any test, because she isn't faking. That's the happy life Trixie could have had. Of course, then she might not have discovered the magic of friendship. What do you think of my alternate path for Trixie?

Are there any theories on why Cheese Sandwich, whose special talent is jokes and fun and parties, has a cheese sandwich for a cutie mark? He could just be really good at making grilled cheese, or love to eat them. That's clearly not what drives him, though. I think it's safe to say that literal cheese sandwiches are not his purpose in life. Perhaps it's one of those cutie marks which is more symbolic than literal, as Diamond Tiara and Cozy Glow have. How, though, does a cheese sandwich symbolize laughter and fun? The only connection I can think of is "cut the cheese," and Cheese's humor goes in many more directions than mere farts. What's the deal?

I just finished G4, and I am feeling the lack of ponies. I'm not sure how well I'd like G5, though. I'm not even totally sure what it is. It's a movie and two TV shows, I guess? Or is the movie the only part which really furthers Equestria's story? I can probably adjust to the 3D, but I'd rather not enter if there's no central narrative to it. What do you recommend, G5 viewers?