What Would You Change/Rewrite About The Aspect of MLP:FIM?

[TheDarkMare1939 11]

Looking back at Friendship is Magic, before the release of MLP: A New Generation, it was a series that was flawed but very fun and heartwarming, and it did a great job at rejuvenating the MLP Franchise.

However, if you have looked back at the show, what episodes and the forms of storytelling in the show would you change/rewrite? 

This question is meant to see what you would write different about Friendship is Magic, if you could.

Edited January 18, 2022 by TheDarkMare1939

[Tom Gallagher 33,581]

I’d only remove the entire concept of the School of Friendship and the Student Six.  Other than that, I wouldn’t want to change a thing! 

[Spidey10 846]

The Discord impersonating Grogar twist.

[Pentium100 2,120]

Two options:

1. Twilight, at some point in the show, better before getting wings, expresses the desire to be a politician ("being Princess Celestia's personal student will help me get assigned to a government position, maybe I'll even be a minister one day"), then is shown attempting to learn it (working with the Mayor of Ponyville etc) while also doing Celestia's assignments. Then, when she gets wings, she's excited because she'll soon get her own country to rule, just like Cadence.

2. When Celestia says that she wants Twilight to take over, she refuses, preferring to run the school and continue her own research instead of becoming a politician.

Either option is better (IMO) than the canon, though I would have liked option 2 better.

[JMTV99 1,352]

EVERYTHING! Literally everything....

[Dark Qiviut 22,379]

Rewriting Newbie Dash from the ground up. What was supposed to be an achievement for RD became the show's biggest black mark.

[Megas 27,565]

1) Discord never gets reformed

2) RD becoming a Wonderbolt is actually handled appropriately that both suits the character better and actually feels satisfying and not giant middle finger

Edited January 18, 2022 by Megas

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,824]

As @Dark Qiviut and @Megas mentioned, rewriting Newbie Dash, from the episode name to the contents of the episode.

[Lone Traveler 91]

My top 3 episodes of MLP I wish were written differently are Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep, The Cutie Re-Mark, and The Ending of the End. All of these episodes could have and should have been amazing, but had 2 fatal flaws each that destroyed them. 

Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep should have been a two parter so the episode could have had more fun with its concept. In the actual episode only a few minutes were actually spent on chasing the Tantabus through different dreams. This is something that easily could have carried a full episode by itself! I really wish it was a two parter where the first 7 minutes largely stays the same, the chasing the Tantabus through dreams could be the next 22 minutes or so of the episode, and the last 14 minutes or so could be a far more epic final fight with far more exploration of Luna's character and actually getting to see her discuss her issues with Celestia in a satisfying way that didn't give her serious unresolved issues. ( I think Luna's role here should have been rewritten as Joshscorcher suggested in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFBXXMTLC48 )

If the episode just had more time to have fun with its creative concepts and handled Luna's development properly it could have been one of the best episodes of the show. Even as is I still enjoy the episode and think it is fun to watch despite its flaws, because I enjoy the dream concept so much and really wish more was done with it. It's a shame the Luna dream plots were dropped after this episode.

The Cutie Re-Mark was a fundamentally broken episode since it kept on switching between so many different timelines without doing anything with any of them. It was a bunch of half baked writing prompts being introduced every 5 minutes, rather than a coherent or fun story. This could have been fixed if they actually stayed in a single timeline (preferably the first one in the episode). It could have made for a really fun and interesting story where we got to explore aspects of a changed world and how the Mane Six act in the different environment. They could have teamed up together to stop the villain in their timeline as well as Starlight. Starlight herself should not have been redeemed here. In the actual episode she was immediately forgiven in like 3 minutes because of a quick sob story. After all the horrible things she had done she really needed like a whole episode or so to actually make a redemption feel believable or earned, which there was not time for on top of all the packed time travel stuff. If the episode sticked to a single timeline and didn't redeem Starlight it could have been one of the best episodes of the entire show. Honestly, if this episode and Do Princess Dream used their concepts to their full potential, that alone would improve Season 5 enough in my eyes so that I would see it as actually part of the golden age of MLP instead of a transitional period between the golden seasons (1-4) and the mediocre seasons (6-9). This episode is where MLP truly jumped the shark in my view.

The Ending of the End had another fantastic concept, but was brought down by major missed potential. Tierk, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow had a fun dynamic and Grogar looked like he would be a very interesting villain in how he understood how to truly use friendship against the ponies. Instead this potential involving Grogar was thrown out the window for no reason, destroying 6 seasons of Discord's character development in the process. This twist was the single worst writing decision of the entire show in my view. Although Tierk, Chyrsalis, and Cozy Glow were still fun, the dynamic would have been so much more interesting if they were still forced to work for Grogar who could basically be the final boss of the show. The other main issue is that the potential of the final fight was also wasted. We should have been able to see the process of how the Student Six and the other side characters teamed up, which could have been exciting and a good way to see so many of these characters on screen one last time. The actual fight should have also involved the side characters far more. Instead the fight in the episode just felt like a weaker version of Twilight's Kingdom. If they went all the way with the Endgame style ensemble fight it could have instead been its own unique thing. On top of the frustration of the wasted potential and the destruction of Discord's character, the episode itself just felt like a more convoluted and less fun version of the Season 9 premiere (an episode I find to actually be really fun and one of the best of the show. As much as I liked the Season 6 and 7 finales, the Season 9 premiere is the only two-parter post Season 4 to truly bring back the magic of the golden age 2 parters imo). If Grogar was actually used as a villain and the side characters got to play a bigger role in the fight, this could of been a truly amazing finale. Instead it is just okay.

 

Edited October 18, 2021 by Lone Traveler

[HedonismBot 239]

1. No more brazen character assassination ("Spike at your Service". "Non-Compete Clause", "2, 4, 6, Great", and the like).

2. Newbie Dash: Keep the message about learning to be a team player, ditch the hazing (as the scenes where Rainbow Dash awkwardly impersonates her friends).

3. Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep: Rewrite it so that Luna's dealing with her past as Nightmare Moon doesn't amount to self-harm.

4. No beating around the bush with Scootaloo's wings. Want to do the "disability representation" thing? Get her a proper in-universe diagnosis and let her partake of one of the multiple examples of aeronautical engineering displayed across the series.

[Castle Bleck 19,327]

The Beginning Of The End:

No unrecognizable Sombra. Would either keep him consistent with Seasons 3-5 and/or the 2015 comics, or leave him alone and use another villain (e.g., Pony Of Shadows).

[Cagey 4,248]

There are a lot of little things, mostly to do with episodes or character arcs, but I'm going to say... I wish it hadn't ended with a time skip.

It makes their futures set in stone. I would rather an open ending, so that we can all imagine what we want. And I don't like picturing the characters I love as far beyond the "good old days" -- and I don't want to think about the end of their lives. 

[Splashee 28,563]

After Season 5, a kind of race between Twilight, Sunset Shimmer, and Starlight Glimmer for who(m) to rule over Equestria in the end, that would span across multiple seasons until the end, where the winner would be decided by both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. With a similar episode spacing as the Cutie Mark Crusaders quest for their cutie marks. Of course this would allow Sunset back into Equestria after Forgotten Friendship, ending Equestria Girls in the process.

The race would be about friendship quests, magical quests, and so on.

A deep rival that would eventually lead to the ultimate friendship, and...
 

Spoiler

Three rulers of Equestria instead of two.

Sunset Shimmer doing the sun.
Starlight Glimmer doing the moon.
And Twilight doing the stars or whatever. Who cares I am not a writer!

 

[Sparklefan1234 169,738]

6 hours ago, Megas said:

1) Discord never gets reformed

 

THIS! 

I would also like to add that the student six should have been introduced in season's six or seven or they should never have been introduced at all.

I say this because they were introduced in the eighth season and did nothing particularly noteworthy for the two years they were a part of

Friendship is Magic, IMO.

Edited October 18, 2021 by Sparklefan1234

[cuteycindyhoney 13,306]

Fluttershy would be an only child...That is all.

[Tom Gallagher 33,581]

5 hours ago, Cagey said:

I wish it hadn't ended with a time skip.

It makes their futures set in stone. I would rather an open ending, so that we can all imagine what we want. And I don't like picturing the characters I love as far beyond the "good old days" -- and I don't want to think about the end of their lives. 

Yeah, my biggest flaw with the ending too. 

Edited October 18, 2021 by TomDaBombMLP

[Tom Gallagher 33,581]

5 hours ago, Splashee said:

After Season 5, a kind of race between Twilight, Sunset Shimmer, and Starlight Glimmer for who(m) to rule over Equestria in the end, that would span across multiple seasons until the end, where the winner would be decided by both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. With a similar episode spacing as the Cutie Mark Crusaders quest for their cutie marks. Of course this would allow Sunset back into Equestria after Forgotten Friendship, ending Equestria Girls in the process.

The race would be about friendship quests, magical quests, and so on.

A deep rival that would eventually lead to the ultimate friendship, and...
 

  Reveal hidden contents

Three rulers of Equestria instead of two.

Sunset Shimmer doing the sun.
Starlight Glimmer doing the moon.
And Twilight doing the stars or whatever. Who cares I am not a writer!

 

I don't know about that because that would then force people like me who hate EqG and pretend it doesn't exist to watch the whole thing. I think I would leave the fandom if that happened. It would be a good idea for a different non-canon spin-off.

[Will Guide 21,360]

14 hours ago, Cagey said:

There are a lot of little things, mostly to do with episodes or character arcs, but I'm going to say... I wish it hadn't ended with a time skip.

It makes their futures set in stone. I would rather an open ending, so that we can all imagine what we want. And I don't like picturing the characters I love as far beyond the "good old days" -- and I don't want to think about the end of their lives. 

 

8 hours ago, TomDaBombMLP said:

Yeah, my biggest flaw with the ending too. 

You know you both could just do what I do and just pretend it's just one possible future. as a believer of the multi-universe theory anything is possible and nothing is ever truly set in stone

[Cash In 22,216]

Most of my changes would be very minor things. You know, revising episodes that didn't work to make them better and maybe touching up a couple of characters. Also, since I'm hearing Newbie Dash brought up here, I would rewrite the Wonderbolts. Mainly because they never do anything and even if they did, it clearly wasn't memorable or important enough for me to remember.

[ohne 408]

• twilight never becoming an alicorn BUT only becoming a princess.
• young six, the school of friendship is okay i guess, but the young six are just...nope.
• return some of the older characters like little strongheart, she was so underrated : (
• discord being the ultimate villain 

[Dark Qiviut 22,379]

For specific episodes:

1. Cutting the jealousy angle entirely from Owl’s Well and What About Discord. Both Spike and Twilight had real reasons to react the way they did. Spike was Twilight’s longtime right-hoof dragon, and then another suddenly showed up to take up half his time; why wouldn’t he think he feared he was getting replaced? As for Twilight in WAD?, Twilight still justifiably doesn’t trust Discord over the events of Return of Harmony. His shadiness since then doesn’t help. Citing “jealousy” downplays the plot. (Oh, and cut Discord’s admission that he intentionally left her out. That nullified the moral.)
2. Mare Do Well: For the love of Celestia, that episode is so mechanical and fundamentally broken, I think it would be best to start from scratch. 28PL? Replace that fucker for a Starlight episode!
3. Flutter Brutter: Focus more on Zephyr’s fear of failure. The problems surrounding this diva are twofold: his behavior is insufferable and he was in complete control when he didn’t do what was told of him. The twist of fearing failure in particular is hollow.
4. Cart Before the Ponies: Have the older sisters become more obsessive in winning and not hog from the CMCs immediately so the audience can feel sympathetic. Focus on why racing in the Derby is a world of fun. DON’T have all three competing styles on the same double-figure-8 track! Most importantly, DON’T make the episode so boring!

Edited October 18, 2021 by Dark Qiviut

[Sparklefan1234 169,738]

40 minutes ago, Dark Qiviut said:

As for Twilight in WAD?, Twilight still justifiably doesn’t trust Discord over the events of Return of Harmony. His shadiness since then doesn’t help. Citing “jealousy” downplays the plot.

 

"What About Discord?" makes me sad/upset, too to the point where I wish it didn't exist.

I also think "The Last Problem" and "Magical Mystery Cure" should have been hour long special's instead of feeling rushed like were.

Two of Friendship is Magic's most important moments felt like they weren't given the "royal treatment" that they deserved, IMO. 

[Splashee 28,563]

Season 9 really needed more of an ending for every Mane character. It was wasted on multiple episodes with no real impact. That should be rewritten along with Grogar actually being Grogar.

[Totally Nyx 36,007]

I'd change the season 7 finale to something else entirely and cut everything afterward. Remove the pony of shadows and the last two seasons. We really don't need the bad writing and Lyra abuse.

[Sparklefan1234 169,738]

2 minutes ago, Splashee said:

Season 9 really needed more of an ending for every Mane character. It was wasted on multiple episodes with no real impact. That should be rewritten along with Grogar actually being Grogar.

 

I slightly disagree.

"Going to Seed" was the only episode I enjoyed after the Season 9 premier because, it didn't have major stakes like I felt every other

episode from the season did. 

Edited October 18, 2021 by Sparklefan1234