S05:E25+26 - The Cutie Re-Mark

[CastletonSnob 3,025]

Well, congratulations, Princess Spike. You’re no longer the least viewed episode of the series.

 

Part One only got 25k viewers.

[Kivil 1,721]

This completes the symmetry in my life for the mane 6

 

We have two Pegasi

We have two Earth Pones

We now "have" two Unicorns

And the one Alicorn is nice to keep around

Oh yeah by the way... If this episode had a test it would be failing it harshly

 

 

H for Horrible

[PittyPaws 118]

I like the fact that we got to see Sombra, Queen Chrysalis, and even Nightmare Moon again as well as blink-and-you'll-miss-them cameos by Discord and Tirek. 

 

I thought it was rather petty that Starlight Glimmer's original problem was her jealousy over her friend getting his Cutie Mark first. It might be probable that SG suffers from pathological jealousy so she did her best to create a place at the beginning of season 5 where no pony was anymore special than anyone else, but in reality it was a place where only SG was truly special even if she had to hide it.  It's odd that she would even do this especially after she had had her Cutie Mark too unless she lived in a place where ponies with Cutie Marks were considered better than those who were blank flanks and that this mentality was not only not challanged, but seen as the norm. (And we thought the CMC had had a hard time.) 

 

So she decided to go back in time to prevent the Rainboom Event from happening and thus making it so that the Mane Six wouldn't get their Cutie Marks at the same time. Now obviously this means that there is something significant about the fact that they each got their CMs at the same time as opposed to each getting their mark at a separate time. It was this simultaneous event that made the Mane Six connected even before they were ever associated with the Elements of Harmony.  Now it is interesting that SG  knew about the significance of the Rainboom Event because I would not have been surprised if the episode had featured  SG going back in time to prevent the Mane Six from getting the Elements of Harmony since it seems to be their connection with these elements that has helped them defeat some villians in the past and these elements would be seen as more important than Cutie Marks since everypony has the potential to get a Cutie Mark where as being chosen to poses or represent an element is something only a handful of ponies get to do. 

And since Simultaneous Cutie Markism seems to be significant than what does that mean for he Cutie Mark Crusaders? Could they end up playing major parts in Equestria's history too since they all got their Cutie Marks at the same time like the Mane Six? 

 

You would think that SG would've stopped being jealous of her friend 

[Mentis Soliloquy 3,024]

great season final keep it up guys, loved how it wasn't a two part no cliffhanger!

 

See my review here:

[Magnum Flare 553]

I just realized 2 things after a while...

 

1. This might just be me, but when Twilight told Starlight about the butterfly effect, Starlight's past was one of those effects. Starlight chose to not move on from her friend Sunburst. This led to the whole equality town and Starlight attempting revenge on Twilight. She could've chose to move on and all of this wouldn't happen.

 

2. I'm not sure how you guys define canon, but Friendship Games mentioned time travel loop. Twilight traveled through alternate timelines, going back and forth in this episode. Should this mean that EQG is canon all along?

[LunatheNightmare 68]

I loved this episode! It's my favourite out the entire series. I've always been a sucker for time travel stories and reforming villains. They made Starlight very likable in this episode

[Professor 101 1]

The canon has misfired and sunk the Ship.

[Tonyan 122]

I really liked the idea of Time travelling themed situation. I think it added a lot more depth and unexpected surprises to the episode.

[Dracu98 139]

so well, I guess the good points have already been discussed over 1000² times, therefore I'll make it short and talk about the one and only thing I didn't really like: starlights motives and her background-story. her motive to create a world free from cutiemarks was quite understandable, but she totally overreacted. which is, of course, completely normal to villains, but starlight is just on a new extreme. she lost a friend when she was a child (which doesn't even make much sense. she lost said friend because he was send to the canterlot-school for gifted unicorns, but starlight herself wasn't invited there? she could keep up with twilight for christs sake!), therefore she not only basically steals the personality and identity of some people, she is also willing to destroy the whole land of equestria? because she lost ONE friend? that girl is mentally unstable, and I would send her to tartarus either than giving her a third chance to join the good guys.

 

but don't get me wrong, I totally loved that episode. the starlight-thing and the fact that we didn't get more discord-action were the only things I didn't like about this episode, which are not enough to make it bad to me.

[alexkjel 14]

It would have been much cooler if Starlight had won, then Twilight culd use season 6 to fix it

[Meson Bolt 2,647]

Wonder if I'm allowed to post here?

 

Edit: Apparently, yes.

 

Wow, this episode was a roller-coaster. I hope I wasn't the first one thinking "Wow, this is brilliant on DHX's part, since all they have to do is copy-paste old animation!" But in all seriousness, I think this was a great cap to Season 5.

 

My favorite part was the "War against King Sombra" part. I kind of like the curt yet not unfriendly Applejack and how she explained the war. And of course, seeing favorite pony (and second favorite pony) out on the battlefields, along with Maud, made me squeal like favorite pony. War-worn Rainbow Dash (in my opinion) looks much cooler than normal Dash, although I'm not sure how she lost her wing. Someone write a fanfiction about that, dammit!

 

Of course everypony knows why they weren't winning. It's because Applejack wasn't on the front lines. "Take no prisoners, KILL 'EM ALL!"

 

The Queen Chrysalis bad future was also a great addition. I love how Zecora is all "Wait, they're glowing, and we aren't? Parallel universe theory for the win!" The changeling attack was okay, but I really expected the real rest of the Mane 6 to show up. Did Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Rarity die in the fight? ...Someone write a fanfiction about that, dammit!

 

I didn't especially like the Nightmare Moon part though. I mean... it was kinda predictable with all the observations about it being nighttime. Again favorite pony shows up, and I have to say, the worst part of the future isn't evil villains taking over the world. It's that haircut -- Dashie, what happened to your beautiful mane?!

 

Well I've rambled on long enough about the bad alternate futures. Personally, I think the synopsis is great! The characters were well fleshed-out (although I think Sunset's "fall to the dark side" was kinda sudden), the moral is eeeeeepic, and the animation way, way above par. 10/10 would watch again.

Edited December 5, 2015 by Meson Bolt

[Marine_Vet_Brony 317]

For me this is a Mass Effect 3 episode. For most it was okay with some cool time travel but the ending was bad it just destroys the whole episode for me.

[Sketches_The_Unicorn 10]

I LOVED IT!!! I was screaming so much! I liked it when starlight glimmer was a filly :3

[Cimarronboy 247]

It was a good episode just a might touchy with all the darker outcomes (was I the only one who joined spike upon seeing the corpse of carousel boutique?). The one thing that gets me is the spell. It was one of STARSWHIRL'S spells. How the slag did she get her hooves something like that!? Seriously you'd think something of such value to Equestria's history and to one of the most influential ponies of such would be either buried in places even the princesses would struggle passing security into or lost to chronos himself. I still can't get over the fact it was Starswhirl's time spell she was using. Both mind blowingly awesome yet so enraging that she had access to it or accessed it. What more of his works or belongings does she have? How did she get the spell? What more does she know about it's creator?  

[MiniHoovy 37]

This really was a great episode to end another great season I'm really looking forward to seeing how things work out next one

[Mentis Soliloquy 3,024]

for those who are curious little ponies here is a more in depth look at how those bad endings may come about. (if you like my videos off coarse) 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVKG_ERDJnE

[roptiriolg 49]

I have to say some things on some of the critics and many questions that arise from the different timelines, although some of the ... reviews were too large to even read. Some of the concerns:

 

'Why was Starlight so obsessed with Twilight when the whole Mane 6 were responsible for her losing her power in the village'?

 

Because she knows Twilight is the 'leader' of the Mane 6, because she knows that she changes the time and that would affect anyone from the Mane 6 and even a lot more ponies (because it is more like a revenge on the whole Ponyville (the village of those who ruined her life in her own village) and even other places that are different from her = village) and she knows that the Map or something in Twi's castle can mess things up.

 

'How does she know about the cutie map' 

 

Well, if she didn't learn from the Mane 6 in Season 5 premiere, there were cases where she was appearing on the background, kind of hinting she's been watching them and learning some things. You don't need to see everything done to say that it happened, do you?

 

Learning more about Startlight's past, what made her hate cutie marks, how did she become so powerful and more than even Twilight

 

Who says there cannot be another pony with powerful magic and probably even more powerful than Twilight, I don't think it was ever suggested that Twilight is the most powerful pony of all Equestria because the magic essence is her mark. In Twilight's Kingdom she was so strong as she possessed the magic of all ponies - of Luna, Celestia, who else, of the Mane 6, of course she was strong there, once this was over, she got back to her usual Alicorn powers. She is most powerful in friendship, that's what I think is eventually implied. Although, it is like some said, I dont think Starlight was presented as more powerful, rather just as equal and capable of affecting friendship and using time. Twilight could have messed up the time too if she wanted to and modified that powerful spell.  And it is not that Starlight's magic was making Twilight look weak and helpless, it was the very idea of changing time.

 

'How can stopping the sonic rainboom cause either Tirek or Chrysalis or Nightmare Moon ruling all Equestria and not the same villain regardless of what happens, or not even them uniting against the ponies?'

 

It's simple really, like some pointed out, once change can cause a myriad of consequences. For example

 

Rainboom is stopped:

 

a) Tirek comes out as supreme ruler, b ) Chrysalis comes out as ruler c) Nightmare Moon takes out all under her reign d) Discord turns all into chaos e) The flim flam brothers turn this ito industry f) desolate wasteland

 

(another event happens after rainboom is stopped .. )  - you can get the same outcomes

 

Fluttershy is left alone, they no longer make fun of her -  (the same villains win, again because of some other events after)

 

What is squeezed in 40 mins is showing like  the best of the best, so I think it is pointless to find illogical things in that. It is implied that in one case one is rule, in another case another, makes this an more awesome episode for us. Nowhere does it imply that changing one thing strictly leads to another villain coming supreme.

 

And lastly about having more background on why Starlight's past that lead her to these decisions. Use your imagination, but you can't possibly put all these answers in 2 or even 3 part episodes. Would you like to have episodes that have no logical holes  and absolutely nothing happens, it can be done 2 parts of showing everything so soapy and slow that really, ok we get everything explained and yet what did we see? Nothing much happened, no development. Cause I have seen such episodes and while I've seen them rated high, for me they are lesser episodes. I certainly love that they presented more interesting moments for the cost of leaving some things unanswered but you can't answer all these in such a limited time.

 

I always find it easier to criticize. Actually you can get some more of the things answered if a whole season makes episodes that revolve around the final story and I am up for that. I've seen it in one past girly show I've watched with also 26 episodes a season *totally spies" - so you watch in Season 4 villains unite in the first episode of the season, it also follows the seas 3 finale, then the next episodes also have things revolving around these villains, while having also episodes unrelated to this problem, then in the 2nd half is the epilogue of this story, taking maybe 5 episodes to develop. They could do such things in MLP, instead of having unrelated episodes focusing only on Mane6, having some episodes focus on what could address some of the questions in a season finale.

 

So many why's you can't answer all in such a show... perhaps it would need episodes movies like star wars to answer.

Edited December 7, 2015 by ImtR

[SilverComet 169]

The alternate timelines essentially confirm that the fate of all of Equestria is dependent on the Mane Six and their friendship, which I think might make the Mane Six too powerful in the grand scheme of things. 

Shouldn't Equestrian society be able to survive without the friendship of six of its members? And as a consequence of this, Twilight's attempted lessons about how all friendships are important fall flat, since her and the Mane Six's friendship is so much more important than most everyone else's. 

 

--

 

Episodes like Daring Dont [s4E04] show us that regional scale villains are constantly defeated by ponies as anonymous as the mane six were before Twilight´s coronation and Castle sprouting.

  

Equestrian society DID survive by itself in the Sombra timeline (it has tones of the WW2, meaning it will be long, terrible but it will end well for the survivors). In the worst case scenario the ponies of Equestria will have to leave to other lands to avoid enforced slavery [just like it happened eons ago with the Windigos]; since its unlikely that Sombra actually wanted WORLD domination.

  

In the Changeling timeline Canterlot was conquered, but aparently Ponyville was left alone (otherwise the "trick" they were trying to do pull would have never worked). Most of the ponies in Zecora´s village probably fled in advance because of the inminent invasion (instead of being persecuted by the bugs).

Since Crysalis was not interested on capturing ALL ponies of the village (taking just their leader willingly if that was posible); it means they do not have unlimited "changeling resources" or space in the Canterlot Dungeons; meaning most ponies in Equestria will be free to live their lives as long as they do not oppose nor help "The Resistance" [ocasionally being drained of their good vibes is just another tax to pay to the current regent].

There is always hope to restore the control of the country to ponykind in the far future.

  

The Endless Night of Nightmare Moon has not created the mass plant death from lack of sunlight. The racism to non-ponies may root from the scarcity of food (since things may grow slower in the Celestia enhanced moonlight).

Otherwise a tolerable existence is one with zero hope of changing status quo for at least a thousand years (probably more, since Nightmare Moon will ensure nothing would be ready to either weaken her or help Celestia).

    Something similar with Discord (more nasty, since he do not care about ponies wellbeing nor want respect or adoration).

 

Tirek just destroys everything from pure boredom. Is no more than a force of nature like Wendigos. Massive exodus of ponies and non-ponies to other lands.

  

The Flim Flam Brothers timeline is one where the society of Equestria decided to suicide itself slowly.

It is their problem, not Twilight´s responsability.

  

The wasteland is either a Secret Boss that never popped out in the normal continuity (maybe one of the horrors from the deeps of Tartarus that did not escaped in S2E20); or is the end result of Startlight Glimmer achieving success in her Master Plan involving cutiemarkless princesses a few years earlier [no sun/moon cycle].

[Tonyan 122]

Have any of you felt like this season finale COULD have been the serie's finale? I know that I'm not the only one thinking that, because so far, pretty much all the main characters objectives have been reached and achieved:

 

-Twilight has became the princess of harmony, has her own castle, and will probably have Starlight as her own student.

-Fluttershy has fought the issue that she was way too kind and that she has to be a little more stern and confident. 

-AppleJack and Pinkie Pie's families are now connected in an extension at some point.

-Rarity is now successful in Canterlot and has her own Canterlot boutique.

-Rainbow Dash is now flying with the wonderbolts.

 

I know that it is not the end, that there is still Season 6 to come AND the movie in 2017, but I can't fight this little bittersweet feeling, that it's soon coming to an end, since there isn't much left to do with the show, excepted developping side stories with the main characters and other characters. Man, I don't want this to end...

 

[Lithophila 291]

This episode was amazing. I guess you can say they are mane 7 now instead of 6. Kinda glad they added another Pony on their team. This should create some interesting development on Starlight Glimmer when she arrives in Season 6. Princess of friendship formula did good, all it needs is understanding and friendship

Edited December 7, 2015 by Lithophila

[YoshiFanGM 48]

When I re-watched the episode, I noticed that Rainbow was missing a part of her ear and a wing (she has a metal one) during King Sombra's reign. It just creeps me out :S

 

But overall I loved this finale! Good to see Chrysalis and Sombra again.. 

[Tonyan 122]

This episode was amazing. I guess you can say they are mane 7 now instead of 6. Kinda glad they added another Pony on their team. This should create some interesting development on Starlight Glimmer when she arrives in Season 6. Princess of friendship formula did good, all it needs is understanding and friendship

Starlight might become twilight's student as well. Twilight is pretty much ready to teach another pony the way of friendship, as celestia did with twilight.

[Lithophila 291]

Starlight might become twilight's student as well. Twilight is pretty much ready to teach another pony the way of friendship, as celestia did with twilight.

Yes. Twilight is a pretty good pony

She is the princess of friendship and have lots of good friends.

[Discovery Dream 592]

The minute I saw time travel I knew it had to be good. I love Starlight Glimmer and I'm glad her true self, not clouded by jealousy or loneliness, got to show in the end. This is such a fluffy, cute show filled with fluffy, cute things, and I'm here for it.

[Reading Heart 167]

I found this.. I had to link it here, it's a link to fallout equestria, and as headcannon goes, it's fairly good, though some of it clearly never will be canon.

http://vector-brony.deviantart.com/art/How-it-should-have-ended-575213990

Edited December 8, 2015 by Reading Heart