S03:E13 - Magical Mystery Cure

[morethanicecream 116]

Well, this episode made me feel upset at the end CAUSE I DONT KNOW IF TWILIGHT LIVES IN PONYVILLE OR LIVES IN CANTERLOT. Can someone tell me what is going to happen. I hope she still lives in Ponyville and doesn't have to live in canterlot

[Emerald Glow 40]

On a different note...

Anyone else got the feeling that Celestia tricked Twilight into casting the "broken" spell and them fix it.

Like a test?

ummm...Yeah. Celestia is one MANIPULATIVE little despot. (but she's benevolent and princessy so it's all okay). Sort of reminds me of the original Clash of the titans with the greek gods literally playing board games with the mortals.

[morethanicecream 116]

Alright so I think the Most interesting pony commercial was directly for us, because what little kid would know where that came from? that was my favorite commercial so far

Which commerical was it. If you have a link, can you give me it so I can watch it. I woke up too late and couldn't watch the episode

[lalaithmlp 5]

Changing Your Cutie Mark: the Mane Six and Twilight's rewriting of 'destiny':

 

Thanks to moonlightavenger for directing me here - first time posting, so forgive any newbieness!

 

I've had a bunch of thoughts about the issue of Twilight's changing cutie mark, whether non-unicorns can become princesses, and the question of what's actually going on when the Mane Six are recovering their cutie marks in this episode.  I think I've come up with a plausible theory.  Here goes:

 

I've always thought a cutie mark was supposed to be an expression of the pony's mature inner self-concept once they've settled into it (which is why the ponies wouldn't just be born with them, and why some ponies could be confirmed as asshats and bullies, like Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara). However, it seems like the altered Mane Six in this episode are under the impression that they *have* to try for the skill-oriented careers they are marked with.  Moonlightavenger brought this up in the ED comments as an issue of tyrannical destiny - that a pony is screwed if he/she doesn't obey the destiny written for them on the cutie mark.  This is a potentially really serious issue for the universe's worldbuilding.  This also means that if Twilight were simply fulfilling her 'destiny' or innate nature to become an alicorn, then we couldn't chalk this up to her own deserving.  At any rate, the way the Mane Six behave with their selves and cutie marks 'rewritten', it is almost as though with the cutie marks came a desire to fulfill those roles in Ponyville society, like with Rainbow Dash's mark had somehow come an insatiable desire to manage weather patterns. It's interesting that with these 'in the wrong career' ponies, the entire Ponyville society quickly disintegrated into unhappiness and fighting.  

I think I've figured it out! Here's the thing. If you look carefully, the magic by which the Mane Six rediscover their talents and rewrite their cutie marks isn't Twilight's - it's *theirs*, under their own steam, motivated by their friendship but enacted by leaps of personal growth.  They see their friends in trouble and venture something 'new' - different - that they confirm in themselves, rewriting the identities placed on them.  Then they (recovered) use their friendship to help the next pony towards taking the leap.  The parallels (them seeing flashbacks of their lives, like Twilight and Celestia's starlit MLP tour; their collapsing briefly afterwards) suggest that their revelations are also in some way similar to Twilight's alicorn transformation.  Incidentally, this means that earth ponies and pegasi *are* capable of magic, of the very highest kind.  And that when it shows that their magic combines to boost Twilight towards her own transformation, we should also take that seriously.

 

As for Twilight, and identity-development: Twilight's spell-finishing is exactly like the other Mane Six's leaps of personal growth: motivated by her friendship, she discovers a talent, but this time, for writing friendship-magic, not simply performing it.  Twilight then undergoes the same process as they did, reviewing her life and taking a leap to understand herself in a new way.  With this new personal growth, Twilight's cutie mark permanently changes in this episode to six surrounding stars instead of five.  This transformation then isn't because of some pre-written 'destiny' - it's like a second stage of realization - or self-actualization.  

 

Re: other ponies becoming alicorns, and the possibility of changing your cutie mark:

If Twilight can have a mid-life epiphany, then surely any pony could have the same. Because it's a utopia, most ponies wouldn't stretch beyond their usual talents to level up in this way - but if I'm right, theoretically it *could* be possible for an earth pony guru or pegasus to change, and even to ascend to alicorn-status. I bet that's what Zecora is quietly doing behind the scenes. 

 

So, I now think 'destiny' isn't really a key concept here after all, even though they are always singing about it. If cutie marks - even being a princess - are passive expressions, not determiners, of identity then we're still safe from Orwell. It would look very odd for a pony to be trying to work at a job that didn't fit their identity – like the G&PTrixie at the rock farm – and the prospect of a pony not being natural at his/her cutie-mark activity would be nightmarish and unthinkable for them all. But under those circumstances, if the pony could summon the will to experiment and change (as the Mane Six do here), identities can be renewed and rewritten. That makes me feel a little better about the agency of the non-princess ponies.

Edited February 16, 2013 by lalaithmlp

[Fluffy Pinkie 417]

Season 4 finale - Princess Celestia decides to turn everybody into Alicorns! Meanwhile Luna sits in the background and says "What happened to Alicorn meaning something special!"

[Silverwisp the Bard 2,353]

The last minute, they waited for the very last minute of the last episode to bring Derpy back.

You magnificent sons of bitches!

 

 

Oh and also, the episode was okay, could have been a two parter really. Didn't care for all of the song, but they did give sufficient gravitas to the transformation. Hope we don't get back to business as usual without acknowledging that Twi's essentially a demi-god now though.

We'll see how it turns out in S4.

Edited February 16, 2013 by Silverwisp the Bard

[PoisonClaw 8,155]

Now that I've calmed down a bit, about time I gave my full opinion on this episode. And...I thoroughly enjoyed every moment. I will admit that I was a little surprised that it was a musical episode but I quickly warmed up to the idea and how well the songs fit with the themes and images perfectly. Special mention actually needs to go songs #3 (I Have To Find a Way), #4 (True, true Friend) and #5 (Celestia's Ballad).

 

"I Have to Find a Way" is a truly heart wrenching song as Twilight laments that this is all her fault that she has unknowingly ruined her  friend's live. You really feel Twilight's sorrow and Manly Tears were most definitely shed in response. "True True Friend" picks up intoa cheerful number that wonderfully exemplifies and personifies the theme of friendship that has been present though the show from episode 1. Lastly, "Celestia's Ballad" is something many fans (myself included) have waited a long time for, a chance to hear Celestia sing. The end result is simply beautiful as Celestia makes it known how far Twilight has come and how proud she is of her, all the while replaying Twilight's achievements and adventures from episodes prior. No Trollestia to be found here!

 

Then there's the numerous continuity nods scattered throughout the episode. I can't be only person who noticed Crystal Ponies in the background, and I love that they included the group photo that's been seen in the opening since the very first episode. Off topic for second, but did anyone notice that when the Elements transport Twilight to what I can only assume is the Ethereal Void (which looks awesome by the way), the scorch mark she leaves behind is shaped like her cutie mark, complete with smaller outer stars?

 

Anyway, I can easily call this not only a really good finale, but it ranks up there as one of the best episodes of Season 3 period. Here's hoping that Season 4 will be just as exciting!

Edited February 16, 2013 by PoisonClaw

[immblueversion 331]

Well, this episode made me feel upset at the end CAUSE I DONT KNOW IF TWILIGHT LIVES IN PONYVILLE OR LIVES IN CANTERLOT. Can someone tell me what is going to happen. I hope she still lives in Ponyville and doesn't have to live in canterlot

Behold the words of Tara Strong.

 

Ahem.

 

"Well the good news is, Twilight is going to stay Twilight. She is overwhelmed and surprised and grateful for this new phase in her life but it’s not going to change how she is or how she interacts with her friends, she’s staying in Ponyville. I’m certainly not changing any of my performance and it’s really the same Twilight except she can do more stuff now. She can fly…it’s not going to change the overall feel of the show, she’s going to be with the Mane 6. It’s just Twilight but a little bit better, she can do more stuff! But overall, it’s not really going to change that much. I think that’s what everybody’s afraid of, that it’s going to change sort of that core element that everyone fell in love with these six characters and that’s not going to change at all. I’m not changing a thing about my performance."

 

Feel better?

Edited February 16, 2013 by immblueversion

[TailsIsNotAlone 3,694]

Because this whole episode felt like a Hasbro executive shoving me aside with an "Outta the way, nerd. We've got kids to entertain."

 

EDIT: Wait, never mind...

 

My five year old niece turned and looked at me after that episode was finished and said, "That was dumb."

You've got me, folks. I'd love to know what I'm supposed to get out of that other than some cute outfits and songs because I am officially stumped.

Edited February 16, 2013 by TailsIsNotAlone

[Star Charmer 12]

So much happened in just 22 minutes, it was hard for my pony mind (is that one word or two words?) to keep up with it all!!!  

 

1. The episode was very quick, I wish it was a 2 parter so it wouldn't have felt so rushed 

2. I loved all the songs, very interesting how they made the episode a musical...so awesome! 

3. Twilight as an Alicorn Princess will be interesting to see in season 4.  I can't say much about her right now since she was only an alicorn princess for a few minutes so it wouldn't be fair to jump to the conclusion that this is a horrible or a terrific idea, so I guess season 4 will determine that for me 

[SonOfTheNorthe 412]

Okay. That was way too much singing. I like the songs and all, but god. There was way more singing then actual dialogue.

 

Which is exactly why this episode is master-tier.

[PonyEcho 1,610]

yeah it kinda is going to be a 3 parter carrying on to season 4.

Also am i the only pony thinking that everything was going a little too well? the main conflict was resolved with ease (and in song) and the change to Twilight was so sudden and unexplained. (yes its a kid show but still )

 

also massive plot hole- Twilight becomes an Alicorn because she created a new spell...... surly she isn't the first pony to, Starswell surly made plenty of them... but i guess he had no friends so not alicorn powers for him :/

 

sorry for the rant

 

overall i think its a dream and Twilight is rely trapped somewhere 

Edited February 16, 2013 by PonyEcho

[Fluttershyfan94 5,739]

This episode was actually better then expected.. I trusted the writers and it was right to do so. They did this in a way that at least i accepted it.. Im really glad that i saw Derpy there in the background.. Also 14:04 to around 16:00 was really neat..

I had doubts about this episode.. but it turned out ok.. It should have been a two parter though.. that's my only complain.. It would have been a lot better if it had been a two parter.. But they made it work.. So im glad.

Though Twilight as an alicorn feels weird, i feel like she didn't change that much.. so im glad to say, that she's still the same old Twilight Sparkle we all know and love..

[Leafeon 2,701]

Which is exactly why this episode is master-tier.

The show is not a musical. Liking the songs is fine, but singing for the sake of singing in a non-musical is not. Saying something like this episode is one of the best isn't very fair to all the well written episodes. 

 

Good writing should always be more important then random songs.

[Scootaloodle 1,621]

A little rushed episode but still a good one none the less, I love the good music and check out how cool Twilight looks with her new wings, hopefully they wont change the structure in the show to much now Twilight's a princess but anyhow we'll just have to wait and see

[RockinRarity 1,605]

 

The best scene of the episode was when Twilight and Celestia met in the astral plane, just after Twilight got zapped by her friends. Celestia at last received a singing role! How awesome was that? Nicole Oliver has a wonderful voice; I'm glad they took full advantage of it. Combined with the montages, the whole scene was moving. If this had been the series finale, I probably would have begun to sniffle---shedding some liquid pride, as Shining Armor might say. The entire sequence was very well done.

 

Oh, and what do I think specifically of Princess Twilight Sparkle, the newest Alicorn of the bunch? First of all, I wasn't terribly distressed by the news in the first place; second, what good what it do me to get annoyed over the change? Why drag my feet and pretend it didn't happen? I like it. I'm willing to give it a try. If it backfires... well, them's the bricks. I happen to believe the concept has a ton of potential.

 

 

All of this. Especially the part that I bolded for emphasis.

 

When I asked my fiance what he thought of Twilight Sparkle becoming a princess, his response surprised me.

 

He said that he liked it, and that it will bring a good change to the show. Because when it's just the same thing over and over and over again, it will get stale. The writers are going to run out of ideas, and the show will turn into The Simpsons or Spongebob, where none of the characters change and yet the writers keep trying to pump out new material, with the quality of the new material degrading further and further as seasons progress.

 

If we don't want MLP to be like Spongebob, then we should be happy for change, character development, and continuity. We should be able to differentiate between a season 1 episode and a season 4 episode.

 

As for the episode itself, one of the best this season. I think that I liked Keep Calm and Flutter On best, but I think that this one is my second favorite this season. It was rushed, but that's OK. It probably didn't need a full hour, maybe only 35 minutes.

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 40,561]

I posted this in another thread earlier about the Twilight thing.

I have a strange yet sensible view on the Twilicorn thing. I liked the finale, it did what I think it was supposed to do. Introduce Princess Twilight and quickly wrap up season 3 in preparation for the much larger season 4 (Which is confirmed 26 episodes).

 

With the Twilight thing, I actually hope that they DO NOT change her back. One of the biggest cliches in cartoon history is changing a main character in a somewhat substantial way, then changing them back in the same episode or something close. They do this to prevent any paradoxes with the way things are. Well, I think it would be fantastic if the writers could show that they can do something like this and not resort to that overused device. Hows about character advancement??? Just because she is now royalty doesn't mean that everything has to go crazy nor does it mean that she cannot live in Ponyville. Why couldn't she? She is a F*CKING PRINCESS so I would assume that she would have that choice. Come on! Make it happen Hasbro!

 

I know that many will disagree with me, but I see promise with this. I can see the potential with Princess Twilight and many different adventures with that. Remember, she doesn't exactly need to report her findings about friendship anymore, which she has done none of in season 3, so the doors are open for so many other things. Keep in mind that Luna and Celestia are still the rulers of Equestria.

 

I liked the finale and I look forward to season 4 so much. The ONLY thing that could disappoint me is if they follow the cliche that I mentioned, but I would get over it eventually, I still hope that they keep Twilicorn.

 

Seriously, where does the DOOOOOOM come from??????

Overall, I liked the episode quite a lot. Yes it was rushed, but I think that was the plan as I said above. Now my sights are set completely on the awesomeness of season 4 and it's 26 episodes. Also, Derpy is back!

[RaptorART 258]

I liked this finale more than S1's but not as much as S2's

I loved ALL the MANY songs we got (i'm a HUGE FAN of the Brony Musicians, and can't wait to hear the potential remixes!) and they gave us 7 songs!

WOOT!

 

also for those of you who don't know this

this is a 3 Part, and the next 2 episodes in S4 will continue this out

 

So what's up with Celestia running around so much with the Arabian Horses all of a sudden?

we saw them 3 times i believe off and on in S3?

and Celestia needs Discord's help with something?...

A war is coming! lol

 

As far as Alicorn Twilight goes, I'm not mad or angry at all about this

I can't wait to see what happens next honestly

I mean c'mon we KNOW we are gonna see more Villains for S4 (with 26 MORE episodes!)

it would not surprise me to see Crysalis and Sombra once again

[AnonBrony 1,467]

yeah it kinda is going to be a 3 parter carrying on to season 4.

Also am i the only pony thinking that everything was going a little too well? the main conflict was resolved with ease (and in song) and the change to Twilight was so sudden and unexplained. (yes its a kid show but still )

 

also massive plot hole- Twilight becomes an Alicorn because she created a new spell...... surly she isn't the first pony to, Starswell surly made plenty of them... but i guess he had no friends so not alicorn powers for him :/

 

sorry for the rant

 

overall i think its a dream and Twilight is rely trapped somewhere 

Like you said, the first 2 eps of season 4 tie in with this. Hopefully we get a better explanation. Perhaps Twilight is more special then we think she is. There has to be a reason why the Princesses wanted HER to become an alicorn princess.

[Booksmith 87]

I disliked how she kept throwing her wings out to the sides like that. Made her look like an arrogant **** if you ask me. I mean, what was up with that entrance after she transformed? Do Alicorns get wing-boners? She seemed to have a problem with those things flapping out on their own and that "Behold The Princess Twilight cometh" was a bit much. 

[~Master~ Button Mash 2,307]

This (among other things) is one of the main reasons I think Twilicorn is temporary and part of the larger 3-part story arc. When a character in a show is given something like this so abruptly, there's usually a pretty good chance they'll lose it in the end.

 

If this was meant to be a finale, then yeah, it was rushed as hell. However, if its a setup to a more epic struggle, then the pacing works better.

[RepInt 20]

I felt that this was probably the biggest troll from Hasbro.

 

David Ingram said that Hasbro forced them to make it about the cutie marks changing, to make it a musical, and to have Twilight become an alicorn.

 

These songs weren't BAD, per say, or too memorable, but the sheer volume made me shake my head. I felt as if nothing really happened for a while (except for some reallt disfunctional story about switching cutie marks), and then, BAM, Twilight vanishes, Princess Celestia appears, breaks the fourth wall, and shows Twilight how cool the inside of TRON looks.

 

Overall, the writers and artists made do with what they were given, but what they were given was simply not the caliber I had expected from a season finale. I cannot stand the fact that this is, definitively, the last episode of the season. If there wa an episode next week, it would be straight back to Brony activities 'till next week, but instead, I have to wait until season 4. Which happens...when? I'm officially taking a break from ponies for a little while. I might look on the forums, but that's about it.

 

 

My logical mind tells me that the episode wasn't THAT bad, but the emotional mind wants for me to curl up in a corner, cry, throw up, and then slowly die. Graphic, but that's how I feel. I don't know why. I just feel sick about the whole thing. In truth, this whole season has felt like a grand MLP identity crisis. They need to figure out their true direction before continuing. (NOTE: I'm not saying that the alicorn idea is bad, just that Hasbro itself needs to straighten itself out. It feels...wobbly)

 

Edit: And another thing: WHEN DID TWILIGHT LEARN TO FLY???

Edited February 16, 2013 by RepInt

[Mr. Jaguar 1,402]

Ok, I did not like this one. First off, what was with all the songs? Like, 90% of the episode was pure singing. Second, the plot. Okay, I said I was neutral to the idea of alicorn princess Twilight, and would reserve judgement till I saw the episode. But now that I've seen it, I gotta say: what the actual fuck, Studio B, what the actual fuck? The issue Twilight's friends had began and was resolved WAY too fast, there's just nothing to say to that other than that it was rushed beyond what I would say is acceptable. It happened, then boom, it was over. Literally. What was the even the point? And then she becomes a princess, okay, I thought this could be done well, but they failed utterly to pull it off well. There was no logical reason given as to why she became princess, as it was never explained why they even needed a third princess (Celestia and Luna are still around), and she's not even royalty, the latter of which I could maybe overlook, but the former I certainly cannot.

 

 

In short, the issue of the episode was wrapped up way too fast, and there was absolutely no logical reason given as to why Twilight became princess, all she has done in ponyville does not justify it. So no, I did not like this episode, I'll even go so far as to say this is hands down the single worst episode of this entire show.

[PonyEcho 1,610]

Like you said, the first 2 eps of season 4 tie in with this. Hopefully we get a better explanation. Perhaps Twilight is more special then we think she is. There has to be a reason why the Princesses wanted HER to become an alicorn princess.

yeah..... i think i'm going to hold onto my 'Its all in Twilight head and she is rely trapped somewhere' theory tho because there is not better prison then the perfect dream 

 

and as for why Twilight would dream of being an alicorn.... she wouldn't but she would dream of being Celestia's equal  

Edited February 16, 2013 by PonyEcho

[Pony Joe 582]

If this had been a two-parter, it could have been the best episode yet.  The idea of swapped lives is really intriguing in the MLP universe, and could have been expanded upon in a really great and epic way.  Each character could have had a longer scene, there could have been more conflict in getting each one to realize their destiny, we could have gotten more exposition on Starswirl... but nope, just a 15-minute story where Twilight makes things bad, wallows in doubt for approximately 30 seconds, and makes them good again.  Such wasted potential.

 

However, I feel like this episode had a lot of strengths regardless of its brevity.  Celestia's song and the way she revealed Twilight's destiny in particular were very well done, much more so than people give it credit for.

 

Speaking of songs, I'm just going to say that musical episodes are awesome.  "What My Cutie Mark's Telling Me" is definitely my favorite of the bunch, but the sheer variety of musical tones packed into this single episode was truly impressive.

 

Anything else?  Well, the opening scene was really good!  I'm a bit of a sucker for big musical numbers after grandiose camera movements (cough, cough, Les Mis).  However, the reprise of the first song was kind of unnecessary, and took up time that could have gone towards raising the stakes of the plot.  I'm also sort of disappointed that Twilight just suddenly knew how to fly.  That would have made a great episode.