WHOA I AIN'T GONNA BE LEFT OUT OF THIS FINALE RECAP POST DAY EVENT (spoilers) · 10:32pm Feb 16th, 2013
I actually don't have a lot to add.
Like our opinion on Spike At Your Service (which was an awful fanfiction), Wanderer D and I are in agreement again. His post has some vital information that help explain parts of the episode (new magic mostly).
TL;DR I really liked the episode. But I think two episodes would have made the princess-ing disgustingly boring, and what they did with a musical episode was REALLY good........
Now, in regards to pacing... I think the first part was fine. All of the cutie mark switcheroos, everypony looking sad, I think what they had was paced okay, but it could have been it's own episode. Twilight's emotional response is very sudden, and since when has "reading a few sentences" meant casting a spell? I think it should have involved more investigation, realizing what she had done, then solving it, and then, as someone else said, have a vaporized Twilight at the end.
My problem with reaching such an emotional level would be that you have an entire episode of... "twilight becoming a princess," which doesn't really have much of a plot in of itself! I don't think that would have been fun to watch, unless we actually saw her dealing with new responsibilities or something.
So, as a series of events? I think the first 18 minutes are really good. Up until Twilight falls from the stars as an Alicorn, I think the episode is paced well from the perspective of flow of events. The connection isn't built up as well, and you can always show a little more, but that's what the songs were for.
Musicals. I've heard weird complaints about this episode's musical status. "Why did it need to be a musical?" Well, aside from being a very fun creative venture (EQUESTRIA SHIMMERS), it packs a lot of emotion and information into very compact poetry, which I think is great. If this had been a regular non-musical episode, we would have had MUCH worse pacing issues.
My problems really come in the last six minutes, when she is an alicorn. It's sudden, her friends reply in really weird ways (in the coronation itself especially. Why are they randomly announcing that they love each other? Are they giving us the six-way-ship?), there's celebration, there is very little ACTUAL explanation as to why this happened... I'm sure it's explain in the S4 premier (and I hope it undoes it), and it's just all a bung of information that no one wants to deal with.
The worst part is that this doesn't seem to expand Twilight's character. Her initial reaction? GOTTA READ A BOOK. Cliche joke of the character, I get it. But let's see here: Luna had the book in the S3 premier, so that means they were planning this to some degree. They give her the book, probably expecting her to immediately cast it and ruin all of her friend's lives for an entire day. When she then accomplishes her goal, she's thrown into the twilight zone and, without permission, given wings, and thrown into being a princess. I don't think she wanted this, was ready for it (I Wasn't Prepared For This, anyone?), or is going to keep on wanting to be this princess, if she can't be with her friends.
As such, it is my hope that the S4 Premier undoes her status as a princess.
GOD I LOVE RAMBLING
WRITING UPDATE TOMORROW
Celestia raped her.
The S4 premier is going to be the New Adventures of Scootaloo so I doubt they will undo it.
835474
That too.
I dunno about the "Twilight becoming a princess wouldn't be an interesting episode" thing. I mean, they've made compelling narratives out about sleepovers, the fashion industry, a Let's Learn to Not Be Racist! plot--I think they could handle 22 minutes of Twilight becoming a princess. Plus if they had more time to work on Twilight's ascension, I think most of the complaints I've seen regarding Celestia's questionable behavior or Twilight's bizarre reactions to her transformation would have been addressed.
837076
It was definitely rape.
You also forgot the "one pony spends an episode choosing her pet" boring synopsis.
837090
That I did.
But seriously, though:
"Twilight, by achieving your destiny you will become an alicorn like me, gaining wings. Do you accept this honor?"
"Yes, Princess, I do!"
That would've been, what--fifteen seconds of dialogue? And it probably would have erased a lot of the complaints I've seen about Celestia's behavior. If they'd given the Ascension plot thread time enough to breathe, they could have worked in stuff like that--but giving that plot thread would have taken away time from the mixed-up Cutie Marks story.
Which is why this really should have been a two-parter, if they were gonna tackle two different stories like that.
837195
About Celestia's behavior maybe, but if Twilight acted that way you would have heard the same amount of complaints about her acting out of character.
Seriously, the pony who flips out in Lesson Zero would just simply accept being a princess? 
835474
I couldn't agree more.
835482
I was hoping for The Cutie March Chronicles Extended myself.
Imagine Scootaloo writing a letter to Princess Twilight.
Dear Princess Twilight,
Today I learned a very important lesson about friendship. If a pony is your true friend, they won't care if your an orphan, or that you can't fly despite being a pegasus. They will support you no matter what, yadda yadda yadda blah blah blah.
Yours,
Scootaloo.
To which the newly coronated princess would use her new alicorn-spawning spell and make an alicorn of Scootaloo and the rest of the CMC.
The end of S4.