What are your thoughts on the new comic story arc Reflections?

[Rarity Paige Belle 1,854]

With the whole Celestia/Sombra shipping thing, and the fact that in the parallel universe the Mane six are going to travel to Celestia and Luna are evil, and Sombra and possibly Chrysalis are good, I just wanted to gauge your opinions.

[Trekkard 49]

Pretty exciting and it's going to be a four-parter. The scene where Luna disguises herself as Celestia is hilarious.

[Scootalove 10,692]

I think it's a very entertaining comic arc, and I'd recommend for anyone to read it.

[Castle Bleck 19,455]

Not bad. Just one thing, though...

 

 

I do NOT support this ship.

 

 

SINK, MOTHERBUCKER, SINK!!!

 

[Metemponychosis 1,262]

That Sombra is most likely not the same Sombra from The Crystal Empire. He is most likely good, as that other user pointed out about the covers being indication of the direction the plot is going to take. If this is right, I have no problem whatsoever with shipping the two. I just think it's more about an alliance to defeat the evil Celestia (who I'll after this point refer to as Tyrantlestia....  ).

 

With that out of the way...Damn... That comic was awesome. The whole story with Star Swirl and Celestia, Luna and Spike, the girls exploring the caves. The mirror itself. (Why couldn't THIS be Equestria Girls?!?!  ). And Pinkie yelling "Deus ex machina!"... That cracked me up. Not to mention Luna trying to dress as Celestia and raising the sun.

 

The only thing that perturbs me A LITTLE is that Luna is using the archaic dialect. It just... I like to think Luna is intelligent enough to learn how to "speak in modern". But then again, maybe she just doesn't care... In the show she changed.

[Nuke87654 1,849]

I'm interested, but at the same time cautious because as I said in my review, they're handling Celestia in a way that I'm curious how well they execute it because if done badly, it will heavily damage the poor girl's already maligned reputation in the fandom.

Edited March 20, 2014 by Nuke87654

[Metemponychosis 1,262]

I'm interested, but at the same time cautious because as I said in my review, they're handling Celestia in a way that I'm curious how well they execute it because if done badly, it will heavily damage the poor girl's already maligned reputation in the fandom.

Celestia has a tendency of ALWAYS being mishandled. I don't know. Maybe the writers are afraid that if she does anything she'll ruin the story, as if she always has all the answers, knows all the "deus ex machina spells" to fix stuff. Let's hope that she can do something in this comic, even if because she found "an equal" in Tyrantlestia.

 

But I'm calling it now: she is going to get clobbered and will need help. Most likely from the Mane Six.

[Andaasonsan 3,205]

I found I was really getting distracted from the story with all the pop-culture references. Cook/Price always seem to go crazy with them.

 

On the first page we already had a reference to Fringe with the Observer Pony.

[Rarity Paige Belle 1,854]

Celestia has a tendency of ALWAYS being mishandled. I don't know. Maybe the writers are afraid that if she does anything she'll ruin the story, as if she always has all the answers, knows all the "deus ex machina spells" to fix stuff. Let's hope that she can do something in this comic, even if because she found "an equal" in Tyrantlestia.

 

But I'm calling it now: she is going to get clobbered and will need help. Most likely from the Mane Six.

I would love to see one of the sisters falling in battle, but I know that ain't gonna happen!

[Metemponychosis 1,262]

I would love to see one of the sisters falling in battle, but I know that ain't gonna happen!

Then I think you need to go watch Canterlot Wedding. Also, Celestia's own comic, in the micro-series, to an extent.

[Rarity Paige Belle 1,854]

Then I think you need to go watch Canterlot Wedding. Also, Celestia's own comic, in the micro-series, to an extent.

I meant one of them shuffling off this mortal coil, copping it, pining for the fjords etc.

[Nuke87654 1,849]

Celestia has a tendency of ALWAYS being mishandled. I don't know. Maybe the writers are afraid that if she does anything she'll ruin the story, as if she always has all the answers, knows all the "deus ex machina spells" to fix stuff. Let's hope that she can do something in this comic, even if because she found "an equal" in Tyrantlestia.

 

But I'm calling it now: she is going to get clobbered and will need help. Most likely from the Mane Six.

 

It's definitely annoying to see Celesia lose despite research gathered from many debaters from fictional battle websites showing that both Luna and Celestia are capable of soloing the Holy Shoenen Trinity on their own, via, send the planet they're on on a course with a moon or the sun and surviving the destruction. It's rather insulting of how scared the writers seem to be to portray the princesses as powerful as they should be simply to avoid the 'Mary Sue' trope as after all, Luna hasn't been unscathed from receiving the same 'Worf treatment' that her sister has been hit with many times if the Nightmare Rarity arc has anything to say about it.

 

But it's not just the worf treatment I'm worried about, what I'm worried about is that they may portray that the events like Nightmare Moon were caused because apparently, Celestia would rather fall in love with Sombra than council her sister when she needed it as the issue didn't answered if Celestia solved that issue between herself and Nightmare Moon before all of those dimension hopping trips happened. Thus showing the kind of romance that many in the brony community despise, warping a character's personality where they throw away whatever else they cared for for a guy.

 

I maybe ranting a bit, but that is what I'm concerned for in this arc at the moment.

[Metemponychosis 1,262]

I meant one of them shuffling off this mortal coil, copping it, pining for the fjords etc.

Ah. I see. Well, it's your opinion. so I'll respect it. Who knows? Maybe?

I go with mostly anything in an story if it is well done.

It's definitely annoying to see Celesia lose despite research gathered from many debaters from fictional battle websites showing that both Luna and Celestia are capable of soloing the Holy Shoenen Trinity on their own, via, send the planet they're on on a course with a moon or the sun and surviving the destruction.

 

Source? I'd love to read that.

 

 

It's rather insulting of how scared the writers seem to be to portray the princesses as powerful as they should be simply to avoid the 'Mary Sue' trope as after all, Luna hasn't been unscathed from receiving the same 'Worf treatment' that her sister has been hit with many times if the Nightmare Rarity arc has anything to say about it.

 

Agreed. On both accounts. I feel like killing someone every time this happens and the writers for the show AND the comics fall in this way too much.

 

 

But it's not just the worf treatment I'm worried about, what I'm worried about is that they may portray that the events like Nightmare Moon were caused because apparently, Celestia would rather fall in love with Sombra than council her sister when she needed it as the issue didn't answered if Celestia solved that issue between herself and Nightmare Moon before all of those dimension hopping trips happened. Thus showing the kind of romance that many in the brony community despise, warping a character's personality where they throw away whatever else they cared for for a guy.

 

 

I didn't think of that and now I'm afraid too. I'm going to burn these comics in a public place if this happens .... Well, not really, but damn. It's just bad writing. Man I hope that they don't butcher her character (and Luna's to an extent) doing that.

[Nuke87654 1,849]

Source? I'd love to read that.

 

 

If Outskirts Battledome, the largest repository for crossover battles on the internet, didn't did a huge reset on their wiki where they wiped out every information, including info of how powerful the princesses were, I would show you the link to their webpage. However here's a link to the fictions section: http://outskirtsbattledomewiki.com/index.php/fictions under TV/Movies/Books/etc. section, you'll see My Little Pony is included, but no link thanks to the wipe.

 

To make things to the point for what power they listed them at before the wipe, Princess Celestia's durability was rated at star level do to surviving her imprisonment on the Sun when Nightmare Moon returned (confirmed by Amy Keating Rogers via email) and surviving attacks that overpowered her own like Chrysalis in A Canterlot Wedding, latest issue seems to indicate that Luna's durability maybe around that level too thanks to surviving controlling the Sun at her control. Her strength level with telekinesis was at star level+ thanks to her control over the sun through it (also confirmed by Amy Keating Rogers), and the latest issue showed Luna's telekinetic strength also at star level. Both Princesses speed are at massive hypersonic range do to Luna being able to quickly return to Ponyville after her defeat from Nightmare Rarity on the moon so power scaling Celestia would also count there and to further support it, the fact a pegasus pony Rainbow Dash is found to be a lighting dodger, the more powerful princesses should at least have their reaction speed at that range too if not more.

 

Their abilities include telekinesis, intangibility (Luna being able to turn to mist), flight, teleportation including the ability to teleport inside a person's body if Twilight being able to teleport inside a beach ball has anything to say, magic including dark magic thus possibly possesses the ability to attack a person's mind, especially with Luna having the ability to enter inside a person's dreams, manipulate weather, super physical strength (Celestia was shown to be even stronger than Big Mac in the Big Mac arc, who can casually pull buildings behind him), magic bubble shield that can break out of telekinetic holds if Twilight successfully freeing her friends from Discord's control has anything to say and block physical entry if Ponyville Confidential, A Canterlot Wedding, and even block intangibility since Candence's shield managed to block an intangible Sombra at 'The Crystal Empire' showed, transmutation and reverse gravity (all spells Twilight knows so it makes sense the princesses know too), and age spells (Twilight mentions only the highest level Unicorns can do this so again Princesses should know).

 

This shows the princesses to be very powerful 'hax' mage attackers as while their conventional attacks may not be varied, but their ability to use star level telekinesis, render themselves immune to conventional attacks thanks to their intangibility, mind attack, change a person to a baby or a very old person easily, fast hypersonic speeds and reaction speeds to ensure they can handle fast attackers, flight and teleportation to ensure they have a degree of control over the battlefield, and insane star level durability to ensure their survival through all but at least star busting attacks.

 

Yea, you would be surprised to know that those two are more powerful than anyone in Naruto, Bleach, and One Piece combined.

 

Agreed. On both accounts. I feel like killing someone every time this happens and the writers for the show AND the comics fall in this way too much.

 

 

 

 

I didn't think of that and now I'm afraid too. I'm going to burn these comics in a public place if this happens .... Well, not really, but damn. It's just bad writing. Man I hope that they don't butcher her character (and Luna's to an extent) doing that.

 

Yea, that's why I enjoyed the 'Princess Twilight Sparkle' section where they showed the princesses beating Discord together without needing anyone's aid but themselves and the elements of harmony, and Celestia beating Nightmare Moon with them as it was nice to see the Princesses kick ass and names without relying on the mane 6 or someone else to do it for them.

 

All I can say is this, Reflections could very well either help IDW achieve great respect and heights with the fandom, or destroy whatever faith and trust the fandom would have for delivering major quality works the 'Reflections' arc is expected to be. Like you, I pray they succeed.

Edited March 21, 2014 by Nuke87654

[Metemponychosis 1,262]

 

 

If Outskirts Battledome, the largest repository for crossover battles /////// Naruto, Bleach, and One Piece combined.

 

This is a lot of information. I don't know how people on the forum is going to receive this in a discussion, but this sure helps me a lot with my RPG. Thanks!

 

 

 

Yea, that's why I enjoyed the 'Princess Twilight Sparkle' section where they showed the princesses beating Discord together without needing anyone's aid but themselves and the elements of harmony, and Celestia beating Nightmare Moon with them as it was nice to see the Princesses kick ass and names without relying on the mane 6 or someone else to do it for them.

 

I liked those scenes a lot, I just complain that the scene with Nightmare Moon makes it look like it was too fast. I guess that time restrictions is the problem, but I'd like them to explore why did Luna get all depressed, because her dreamwalk power doesn't mesh very well with her past in my head. But this is getting off-topic... Anyway... It sure was nice to see those scenes.

 

 

 

All I can say is this, Reflections could very well either help IDW achieve great respect and heights with the fandom, or destroy whatever faith and trust the fandom would have for delivering major quality works the 'Reflections' arc is expected to be. Like you, I pray they succeed.

I think that the first arc already gave them a big place in the collective heart of the fandom, but I do think that you are right when you say that they could destroy it with this arc. At least for the people that care about the princesses. I think most of the fandom just like Luna and don't really care about Celestia. Personally, I have more faith that they will succeed than that they will fail. I have very little to complain about the comics to this day.

[Ianpiersonjdavis 514]

What really disturbs me so far is (and I'm probably wrong here) but, with all of the scenes between Celestia and Starswirl in the past, it seemed (to me at least) that THEY were dating and then Celestia fell in love with Sombra, so I felt like there was a whole love triangle thing going on and that was why Starswirl wouldn't even let her say goodbye.

 

It seemed like a PG version of finding out your girlfriend is cheating on you and doing whatever you can to cut off any contact she has with the other guy.

 

Of course, I'm probably overreaching-but, that was the impression I got.

 

Plus, it seems kind of cold that Celestia would say the Starswirl didn't understand friendship in Magical Mystery Cure, when we clearly see in this comic that they (at least in the beginning) were friends.

 

If Celestia was really willing to abandon her sister (who was clearly having issues) as well as a blossoming new kingdom in dire need of strong leadership, then it doesn't really make her look too good.