S09:E24+E25 - The End of the End

[Twilight Luna 31,345]

4 minutes ago, Fluttershutter said:

Same thing we do every time, Pinkie. Try to save the world! I literally cheered. 

My only real gripes were Discord being Grogar, still don't see the point of it, and how every other creature got there so fast for the batte. But that's minor.

 

I didn't actually expect any deaths but it was still exciting.

Yay! 

Anybody remember that old video of Twilight and Pinkie with the song? The clips were all from "Feeling Pinkie Keen" It seems to have disappeared from youtube.  There's a similar one there but the old one was better.

Either the writers had that in mind from the beginning or realized that they wrote themselves in the corner by having four villains in the finale. It was a cheap way out but I didn’t see the twist coming. 
 

I’m glad that the epilogue wasn’t so far in the future that all of Twilight’s friends were dead. That would have been too much to handle.

[Fluttershutter 2,421]

1 minute ago, Twilight Luna said:

I’m glad that the epilogue wasn’t so far in the future that all of Twilight’s friends were dead. That would have been too much to handle.

Me too. I saw a picture of big Twilight and Spike before I saw the episode and I was so afraid of that.

[Dark Qiviut 22,383]

1 minute ago, Twilight Luna said:

Either the writers had that in mind from the beginning or realized that they wrote themselves in the corner by having four villains in the finale.

According to the Great Leak of 2019 from two days ago…

Spoiler

…the twist was planned from the very beginning.

 

[VeroxVitrus 70]

Spoiler

I actually respect the writers for not reforming tirek, cozy glow and chrysilis

 

[Wingnut 6,988]

1 minute ago, VeroxVitrus said:

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I actually respect the writers for not reforming tirek, cozy glow and chrysilis

 

I do too. If they did, then the only franchise out there with more face turns would probably be Dragon Ball. Seriously...almost all of Goku’s best friends were once bloodthirsty murderers who tried to kill him. 

[Pentium100 2,122]

3 minutes ago, Wingnut said:

Seriously...almost all of Goku’s best friends were once bloodthirsty murderers who tried to kill him. 

Making friends with people by beating them up. It's the preferred way of both Goku and Nanoha.

[Misty Shadow 7,846]

Such a legendary final two-parter. I went in worried that the leaks were going to ruin it for me, but no, the things about the leaks that disappointed me actually helped me look at it more objectively and appreciate more how great this final showdown in the show is.  It’s action-packed to the brim, I loved seeing the characters fighting while they were massively underpowered, and how they were able to give so many other characters besides the Mane 6 some time in the spotlight. My favorite moment besides the fight with Starlight and Chrysalis is when Twilight and her friends accept death only to be saved by everyone in Equestria. Yes, no Grogar and us being left to assume that Discord had the best intentions in bringing the villains back is still a letdown, but this was still amazing for what it was. They didn’t even sugarcoat the moral. “There will always be darkness in the world.” Truer words have never been spoken by a pony show. 

[Twilight Luna 31,345]

I'm glad that the show got the respect to have a prime time series finale and not in its regular time slot. It shows how much the series has had an impact.

I was surprised that they included Tempest in the finale battle but no Kirin. The finale was missing Coco Pommel and grown up Flurry Heart.

[Sonic5421 423]

The final season finale of the series, and they spared no expense with it.

As the Legion of Doom continues to spread disharmony and distrust among the three pony races to bring back the Windigoes, they are able to use Grogar's bell to power up and expose Grogar for being Discord all along, forcing him to flee and warn the Mane Six and Royal Sisters of what's happened, but upset upon learning the truth, Twilight loses all confidence she had gained since the season premiere, and does her best to prepare Canterlot for the inevitable attack, only for her preparations to have been in vain when Star Swirl and the Pillars are overcome easily by Tirek, Chrysalis overpowers and captures Starlight after she had Trixie evacuate the School of Friendship, and Cozy manages to use Grogar's bell to drain Celestia and Luna of their Alicorn magic, forcing Twilight to flee to the Crystal Empire to be with Cadence, Shining Armor, and Flurry Heart while the others are captured. However, a heroic move by Discord, Starlight, the Pillars, and the Royal Sisters buys time for the Mane Six to escape and regroup with Twilight, where once the Windigoes appear, things seem bleak, but the Mane Six are able to rally, restore Twilight's morale, and head back to confront the villains. However, their plan to get Grogar's bell to recover Discord and the Royal Sisters' magic fails, and Spike is used as leverage by the villains to force the Mane Six into surrender, before moving to finish them off as they prepare to, presumably, die together as friends.

However, thanks to the Student Six and a couple of other young ponies who took the lessons from the School of Friendship and Hearth's Warming to heart, they are able to rally the three races back together, and joined by Rain Shine, Prince Rutherford, Dragon Lord Ember, Changeling King Thorax, Grandpa Gruff, General Seaspray, Chief Thunderhooves, Tempest Shadow, and the races allied with Equestria in the yaks, dragons, reformed Changelings, griffons, hippogriffs, Kirin, buffalo, and more, they are able to hold off the villains for as long as they can and save the Mane Six before Twilight confronts the villains, magically frees the Pillars, Starlight, Discord, and the Royal Sisters from their imprisonment, and fueled by the magic of the Elements of Harmony of the Past, Present, and Future, Twilight is able to dispel the Windigoes before blasting the villains and draining them off their power, defeating them once more.

Of course, while Tirek and Cozy are now scared for their lives, Chrysalis refuses to give up on her revenge, until once restored of their own magic, the Royal Sisters and Lord of Chaos see that the three unreformed villains pay for their crimes with being eternally imprisoned in stone until such a time when they finally will accept friendship into their black hearts.

With the kingdom and its neighbors safe from the Legion of Doom, the Mane Six relax before they prepare for Twilight's coronation once Canterlot is rebuilt following the destruction caused by the three baddies.

I give this finale a perfect 10/10, if not 100/10, for how everyone showed up to help the Mane Six in their hour of need, not to mention cameos from Tempest, Queen Novo, and Princess Skystar.

[Lucky Bolt 35,062]

Can I just say how EPIC these episodes were?! But, you know what, my favorite part was how badass Starlight was, especially in that snowy arctic scene with Chrysalis. Lol

And Princess Cozy Glow. REAL badass villain right there!  

All in all, this was really emotional, and thrilling. The show writers really outdone themselves. I know there's going to be people who complain and whine about how the finale didn't add up to their expectations...but I think it was perfect all around. 

[Js250476 1,367]

I’m so emotionally affected right now the Equestria Daily Stream And my talks with my best friends on discord have completely lifted my spirts. I must say thank you everyone for this amazing fandom. It was an honor to be by all your sides these past 9 years.

[Jeric 46,850]

On 10/8/2019 at 9:20 PM, Say my name said:

Title: The End of the End
Air Date: October 12th, 2019
Written By: Nicole Dubuc
Synopsis:  A villainous alliance unleashes their unified might on Equestria and it's up to the Mane Six to save the kingdom."

 

It's almost time to close the book Twilight

 

Here we are folks. The finale three are upon us. I have been so busy I have yet to truly reflect over this journey, and I will save that for the actual finale. Since they are airing both this two-parter and the epilogue together, we almost broke from tradition and put they all in one topic. We ultimately decided against that. Instead this topic will be first and open. The episode thread for the finale will be created soon and will be a seperate one. For now, enjoy book horse completely ignorant of what the next nine or so years will take her. She's a good pony, her. 

 

For those that have avoided the spoilers, all 2 of you, I would stay clear of this topic until you see it. 

Poll is up me from the past. Next time remember .... 

 

oh 

 

 

[Jeric 46,850]

Okay sooooo

 

Grogar did kinda annoy me with the execution, but that was quickly overshadowed by a rather fun, emotional, and highly engaging two parter. Chaotic Pie, Rarity going all “Tom Attack!”, Villains being really vicious (poor Spike), and Starlight doing her damndest hero impersonation to keep the kids safe and battle OP Chrissy. 
 

I’m sorry that was a fun bit of pony. Season 9 was up and down for me the first run through and it ended strong. 

[Allen 1,387]

At last, now for the penultimate episode of the season and the series! We anticipated our final threat to Equestria from our league of villains known as the Legion of Doom today! That's the final battle that they anticipated for Equestria's fate. I'm very happy that all background ponies and other characters are here in this episode!  That includes Thorax, Pharnyx, all changelings, Ember, and Fizzlepop Berrytwist (Tempest Shadow) too! 

Later on, the combined magic with rainbow of light from the Mane 6 ponies, the Young Six, and the Pillars altogether with Twilight Sparkle defeated the league of villains (Legion of Doom), once and for all! Now that's what I call it the Ultimate Rainbow Beam! And after they're defeated, they're imprisoned into stone for their crimes against Equestria, and they will never, ever be free and try to conquer Equestria again. That includes Cozy Glow too and she'll never grow again.

I'm a little sad that both Princess Celestia and Luna will relinquish their equestrian leadership to Twilight Sparkle,  as Celestia say that back in this season's premiere that Twilight will be ready to be the new ruler of Equestria. I will be happy that Princess Twilight Sparkle will be on her leadership duties of Equestria,  and she would be up for the coronation after this episode. At the epilogue part, I'm very happy that Twilight and her Mane 6 friends are celebrating together at the Canterlot Donut Restaurant for their battle victory, which leads to a successful conclusion of this episode!  At last, I will say this episode is great for defeating last of our villains of the series as a victory in this thrilling final battle! 

Friendship together. Victory is ours!

Edited October 13, 2019 by Allen
Sentence update.

[Will Guide 21,360]

I think it's time for me to put up what I've written weeks ago.

First of all, let me address the elephant in the room. The reveal of Grogar's true identity being Discord:

Quote

It does make a bit of sense and at the same time, not much sense at all. The not making sense is exactly what the Lord of Chaos does. So it does make sense for Discord to pretend to be Grogar. Plus Discord's words at the end of the Summer Sun Setback was a big clue. So, it's not totally out of nowhere.

As for the collateral damage caused by Discord's Plan

Quote

Arguably, the only real damage from this plan was the destruction of the Tree of Harmony. And even then I wouldn't call it permanent.

In his defense, Discord's plan didn't kill the Tree of Harmony. The original Tree of Harmony itself may be gone. But its Spirit lives on in the form of a new tree in the middle of the old castle. And ultimately if serious problems can be fixed or moved on from, I wouldn't call it a problem anymore. Some plans shall always have some risks to it. There was some damage but the damage was fixed if not made stronger such as the Tree becoming a sanctuary of sorts.

I believe it's much more impressive to find some good out of a bad situation. It shows how we can be adaptable to tough situations. And it's important to turn a bad outcome into a lesson that makes one stronger. So as bad and stupid as the plan can been seen by some. I'm glad to see the good characters improve because of it.

Speaking of characters, about the surprise when it seems our heroes will suffer a terrible fate

Quote

Everyone is Here! Just what I thought Super Smash Brothers Ultimate would have a huge cast returning for the ultimate showdown, practically every character, even from the first season shows up to save our heroes! Plus as a Thorax fan, I'm happy that Thorax got a say a few words.

Everyone: ponies of all the races, changelings, Yaks, dragons griffins hippogriffs, even the Kirin and some of the buffalo tribe all working together.

Heck, even the Flim Flam Brothers came to help. They may be con ponies but even they draw the line with the terrible Trio plan to do.

Like I said earlier, Discord's plans made have been poorly thought out, but this ultimate crisis is what got all the races Pony or Non-pony to come together and defend their world from evil doers who very actions threatens the return of the Windegos just like in the Bad Future of the Christmas Carol-inspired story. And in my mind, it was so worth it!

About the Terrible Trio final fate

Quote

As for the Terrible Trio, they shown they refuse to change for the better, so I won't mourn them. Not even Cozy Glow. She's insane enough to make the original Stewie Griffin, who wanted to kill his mother, look well behaved. Child or no, she's dangerous

And honestly, King Sombra to me was more like a force of nature than a character, so to be blunt, it's not really a big deal that Sombra goes back into the "ether" as Rarity puts it. Grogar warned him that if he loses to the heroes, it's back to the way he was before he was resurrected.

Still with the Terrible Trio turn to stone there's a chance they can still come back in the future. Like how Discord was introduced in the G4 show  The option is still left open for fanfiction writers.

And with that, all the main points I wanted to make have been said. There might be one or two more in the future but for now I leave you with these thoughts. I thank you all for showing the wonderful experience with me even in spirit.

And the forums will be around for a while longer; you can bet I'll still be here. Who knows what might happen in the future. Whatever it shall be, I'm happy to share the journey with you all.

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,824]

Wooweee!!!! 

Now THAT was spectacular. Man...I'm speechless. I know this isn't the very last episode, but wow...bringing everyone together...just...I got goosebumps. 

I knew Pinkie was gonna try to wield everything at some point. And the good old fashioned rainbow to end it all. I was like "Taste the Rainbow motherf*****s!"

[Phoenix821 7]

This finale was amazing. So many amazing moments, everyone showing up including movie characters was the best.

[The Recherche 29,967]

I overall enjoyed the episodes, though they did come across as rather... hasty, for my tastes, especially since they were near the series finale. The resolution for the three antagonists felt a bit sudden, if I am to be honest, as well as the rise from the darkest hour.

Ultimately, I would say that I liked it, although it was a bit too fast-paced for me.

[bwrosas 252]

DVR'ing all 5 airings of the finale (initial, to the 4 encores) to DVD Recorder later as part of my Season 9 dvd 2-set, and as they own individual dvds. Because let's be honest, this was More of A Movie Finale For The Series, than just a regular 3-part finale, and honestly, they treated like one!  

Edited October 13, 2019 by bwrosas

[Early Sunsets 2,106]

I think they were good episodes. The ending fight was anticlimactic, but other than that I loved it. And if we ignore episode 26 and count 25 as the end of G4, I think it's a great sendoff for the show.

[bwrosas 252]

#MLPSeriesfinale IS TRENDING #1 CURRENTLY ON TWITTER!

1 hour ago, Allen said:

I'm very happy that all background ponies and other characters are here in this episode!  That includes Thorax, Pharnyx, all changelings, Ember, and Fizzlepop Berrytwist (Tempest Shadow) too! 

 

Don't forget Princess Skystar and Queen Nova

[Jeric 46,850]

3 hours ago, Sparklefan1234 said:

First they send a filly to Tartarus then they turn her to stone!   Buy our toys? 

Not just buy our toys but they turned them into toys! 
 

Hasbro Pulse exclusive! 

[Victoria Sponge 1,017]

Such an amazing finale! I’m so glad we got to see so many characters we’ve loved!

The villains were great, the heroes were great, Starlight was brilliant against Chrysalis! And even the background ponies were amazing. 

What a way to end it all, I still can’t beleive it’s over.

The only criticism I have is that I personally would have liked to see the legion of doom reformed, I know people don’t like that but I really though there was hope after they got the bell and almost bonded with one another.

I hope the fandom continues on and that Gen 5 will be something we can enjoy as much as Gen 4, one can only hope!

[Varrack 1,080]

Starlight was great, Cozy Glow was an epic villain (the scene where she took on all the chaos energy and became giant was hilarious), and everyone from every species coming together at the very end was terrific. I wasn't expecting the hippogriffs and Tempest there too, it really was everyone. Although I do wonder how necessary it was for everyone to come, given how it really just took the Mane 6 and there laser beam to defeat the villains.

Speaking of which...I was hoping there wouldn't be a laser beam or any other cliche moments, like Twilight's speech there at the end, but it didn't ruin it for me. 

I wasn't sure how I felt about the 3 antagonists "spreading rumors" among the different ponies distrusting each other...would they really have been so influential so quickly and easily?

Discord being Grogar was poor writing. Why not just have Grogar actually come back and free the other villains? It doesn't make sense that it would have had to be Discord.

It wasn't the best finale, but it was passable for the last season. 7/10

[Ganondorf8 11,288]

Now that I've finally managed to watch these two episodes... I can honestly see why a lot of people didn't enjoy how this all turned out. The whole thing with Grogar pissed me off to no end and I can't believe that they went with that rather than actually having him in person. Guess it's true that low expectations are what you should always strive for as you won't end up disappointed or worse. A three villain team-up wasn't a bad idea but again, you could see it coming from a mile away, and yet it shows that they couldn't get a new villain their props instead reusing the same ones but with some new powers. And their fate felt pretty lackluster. I am glad that they weren't reformed but still, it could've been handled a lot better than what it was.

I truly believe that this should have been three parts instead of the usual two. That would've given us a lot more to work with rather than being given incomplete parts here and there that needed explanation so we could understand it better. And don't get me started with the usual character tropes. So many had to be written to the sidelines in order for the Mane Six to ultimately save everyone. So many plot holes, unnecessary moments, and plenty of cringe inducing moments made this really painful for me to get through. I even had to skip Twilight's speech before the magical rainbow laser did its usual thing, again, another predictable moment.

However, there were bright moments to be found. Cozy Glow reminds us of just how demented she can be given that she did absorb Discord's magic. Even Pinkie Pie got in on that action, a reference to the comics. Speaking of which, Discord made a reference to Tirek's father. I never expected that though it's a shame that it was merely a throw away line that never got brought up again. I also appreciated the cameos of Tempest Shadow, Queen Novo, Princess Skystar, and a few others. At least they were given proper show vectors so that should give certain artists some neat ideas. I did like those action sequences in addition to the expressions.

And yet, this doesn't change the fact that this finale was perhaps one of the weakest we've seen. Again, I understand why this divided the fandom the way it did. Potential was here waiting to be used, yet it wasn't utilized very well and ended up becoming what we got. I'm not going to say that it should be given a re-write or anything like that. This finale is what it is and must be given the proper scrutiny from all sides. My opinion is simply that and nothing more. In the end, how this is received for now and for the future will determine the final fate of MLP.

Given how the show staff had to wrap things up, they had to work out making sure they could please as many fans as possible, and knowing full well that doing so would enrage others. A no-win scenario that I wouldn't want anyone to experience. In the end, this finale did not do the show justice and had many problems that ultimately dragged it down. It's sad for me to feel this way but I cannot ignore the obvious. To those who enjoyed it, you deserve that as such. For those who did not, once more, I understand why you feel this way.