Ganondox

Here the link to image the header reminded me of, it's just some light swearing: https://derpibooru.org/2127827 I figured Discord's final comment on the statue implied they were still conscious. This gave me the idea of fic or comic which just consists of the trio conversing with each other while in stone.

Despite what some of my comments in the spoiler's forum may have implied, I didn't actually hate this episode, and I came to like it significantly more the second time I watched it as I was free from expectations so I could just watch the episode for what it was. I still think having Grogar being Discord was a terrible idea and they did not do a good job at building up to it throughout the season, but after that point they did a good job with what they had. Once I realized that for some reason Twilight thought ALL her successes were set up by Discord, not just Beginning of the End, the episode had significantly more weight, and the climax of the episode with the calvary of all the races rushing in was an appropriate climax for the series as a whole. My main issues with the episode now are just in the details, like the Windigos not actually doing anything and I think they threw in a bit too many references. Last thing is I really don't like the punishment for villains, even if they aren't redeemed it doesn't fit with the themes of the show, and they've grown too sympathetic over the last couple seasons to do that to them. The fact they failed to properly learn friendship is tragedy, and if they had to suffer it would be better to see them suffer by their own hooves than by Discord and the Sisters. Other than that I liked these episodes a lot.

Neither. I choose to stay in the past where Twilight is still a unicorn, lol.

The exact age of Ponyville isn’t really important to the story.

Coherent in the sense that was less blatant contradictions.

I didn’t watch this show for eight years because I was waiting for it to end. Regardless of how bad the ending was or wasn’t, it can’t change those years because they already happened, and I did enjoy those years. For the sake of telling coherent story I’ve concluded it would have best if they show ended at Season 2, but I’m really glad they didn’t because I’ve enjoyed every step along the way. Even with Season 9’s very definitive ending I’m still really to here about a Season 10 in the comics because even after everything the magic is still there.

That gif reminds me of a certain vulgar but hilarious post on Derpibooru.

I don't really have much to say about this episode, I think it's just because it wasn't morally driven like most episodes in the show are. All I really have to say about it is that is was much better than the previous two episodes.

Why do you think this is almost certain?

The premise of this episode really doesn't work at this point in time, especially coming after The Last Crusade. While I'm one to roll my eyes when people complain about episodes not respecting supposed character growth, the Cutie Mark Crusaders actually did grow a lot, and this episode portrays them as far too immature for how they were handled in the last few seasons. As a concrete example, apparently going on the train by themselves is too much for them, but them doing that was vital to the resolution of The Last Crusade! Aside from being poorly placed, the details in the writing were just awkward. Like this: "Apple Bloom: I wish it would happen all at once. Then we'd know everything we need to get to the fair and back with no problem." With the way she worded her wish, I think it would nullify the upcoming conflict in this episode even if it introduces other problems, but no. Then basing the conflict around the Whirling Mungtooth didn't work very well, it turned the message into a Space Whale Aesop as well as not really even exemplifying the message they were trying to send as the issue was they were abusing their authority as adults, not that they lacked any particular knowledge or maturity that adults would have. I wish they just ended the Cutie Mark Crusaders arc with The Last Crusade instead of including this.

The problem has nothing to do with whether or not it’s possible (it’s fiction, the writers can make anything they want to be possible), it’s whether or not it was implied. It’s a blatant plot hole, the burden is on the watcher to contrive something like Windigos to fill it when it shouldn’t have existed in the first place.

Hard disagree. Caballeron is clearly in the wrong, and Daring Do is in the very least on the high ground relative to him. The Ahuizotl stuff does complicate things, but the issue is that it's completely inconsistent with how Ahuizotl was previously depicted so I can't take it seriously. He HAD a motivation - he wanted to rule. This issue has the same problem with Sweet and Smokey - they are trying to make a character sympathetic by reworking their characterization rather than working with what was already established, and it doesn't fly at all. It they just wanted portray the moral ambiguity of Daring Do's actions they could have thrown in a character that didn't have the same baggage Ahuizotl had in order to play the same role, but no, they wanted to change the perception of Ahuizotl. Daring Do and Caballeron wrote a book together, their dynamic has clearly changed beyond just not stepping on each other's toes. It was intended to be a redemption story, they just didn't pull it off well. It's just another case of Fluttershy softening a villain's heart through kindness, it's been done to death at this point and I doubt anymore depth was intended. Caballeron came across as less jaded and more just surprised that there a different way of doing things. I get the honor among thieves thing, the issue with your explanation is that Caballeron was cursing the amulet while wearing it. The nature of the amulet would prevent from being dishonest about that for purpose of manipulation. As such, it clearly wasn't a deliberate gambit, Cabelleron just had the idiot ball and it ended up filling that role anyway. The mechanics of the amulet could have been changed so that wasn't an issue, but that's not what they did. Pulling Windigos out of nowhere is where you cross the line from merely having different interpretations of the events to just making excuses for bad writing, there was zero implication of such. Yes, the writers would have to explain such a thing, because if they don't they will rightfully be called out for telling an inconsistent story. It doesn't matter if Ahuizotl isn't in a situation where he would explain such things because the writers decide what situation to put him in the first place! The issue is less what Ahuizotl didn't say and more what other characters DID say - "Fluttershy: But why? Nopony ever asked Ahuizotl what his side of the story is. He must have a reason for being so upset." Generally, he was accept because Daring Do was foiling his plans for control of the basin, that was pretty explicit in Daring Don't. Fluttershy was there, she should know better. I guess technically what Fluttershy said works in the context of the episode by itself as Ahuizotl merely being bad doesn't explain why he was chasing them in this particular scenario, but the claim he never was a villain is utter nonsense. Even if you conjure up an explanation for why 800 years of sweltering heat is a good thing, it doesn't account for "the dark magic of the Ketztwctl Empress". The more obvious explanation than Ahuizotl really being good all along is just that this episode was poorly done retcon motivated either by the writer forgetting about how he was originally portrayed (where he was a treasure hunter himself who attempted to use artifacts to inflict suffering on the world, that was there in Read It and Weep) or where betting on the reader forgetting about it so they could tell the story they wanted to. As I said before, Ahuizotl being a guardian is far more interesting characterization than a sadistic megalomaniac, but the precedent had already been established. The episode failed to convince me that this change in characterization is believable. Your justifications for it aren't part of the story that was presented, so it doesn't matter if they explain the blatant plot holes as the episode itself did not. If they just wrote this episode a bit differently to fix the flaws I might have liked it a lot, but they didn't.

This episode reinforces my belief that making Daring Do be a real person in the world was one of the worst decision the show ever made. That arc only has one good episode (Stranger than Fanficiton) and like the original Daring Do episode the denial of it's fictionality actively works against it's moral. I actually had high hopes when this episode, it had an interesting premise and they hinted at there being some more depth, but then they didn't actually do anything with it. Daring Do's flaws are touched on no more than any other Daring Do episode, and Caballeron really just is in it for the money. Sure, Cabelleron ends up learning to appreciate Fluttershy, but really the only reason Daring Do and Cabelleron teamed up was because they were trapped in the same predicament, not because they came to any deeper understanding of each other. They threw in this truth telling amulet, and aside from the fact the characters just wear it for no reason for the sake of plot advancement, it doesn't actually reveal anything interesting. Their one reveal was with Ahuizotl, but that made zero sense with how he was previously portrayed. Honestly it's a way better characterization than the 800 years of sun crap, but you can't just sweep that under the rug and pretend it didn't happen when you're trying to explain him because it did. The end result was needlessly reforming two characters whose loss of villainhood is actively detrimental as it effectively ends the Daring Do stories, just because the show is ending doesn't mean the in-universe stories need to end as well. At least there is no more Daring Do garbage after this. :P

I liked this episode. Yet another surprisingly mature moral. The cast of ponies was unexpected, and for a moment it really seemed like Octavia was going to get the role. One thing though is the resolution was still kinda nepotism, it was just for more appropriate roles. One thing I did notice is that in the second phase Trixie really wasn't doing bad, the issue was just who she was paired with. Glad to see they acknowledged that at the end.

8/10 I guess. It’s not a perfect show by any means, but I can’t deny the impact it’s had on me and the joy it inspires.

Give the writers freedom to tell a story and let that inform the toys rather than visa versa. It was a much bigger issue early on than later in the show, but that problem earlier on set a lot of the trajectory later.