Season 4 Premiere · 4:41pm Nov 24th, 2013
Images courtesy of EQD, DocWario, and DragonChaser123
Ripped off from Inspired by Ciroton's retrospective reviews.
==For any and all who have yet to see the season 4 two-part premiere, there be SPOILERS ABOUND below. You have been warned.==
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Synopsis (Parts 1 and 2)
Some time after her coronation, the newly crowned Princess Twilight Sparkle is still having adjustment difficulties. Apprehensive of her new-found responsibilities as a princess, and even more nervous still about what it means for her friendship with her five Ponyville friends, she tries her hardest to prepare for the upcoming Summer Sun Celebration. After all, the only ponies the celebration means more to than her are Princesses Celestia and Luna, and it will be the first time that the former will actually be looking forward to the event.
That is, if she will even be around to see it happen.
After Celestia and Luna spontaneously disappear, and freak events (creeping vines, aggressive storm clouds, and a sinister half-day and half-night) start to affect Equestria, and most prominently Ponyville, it falls to Twilight to take charge, and lead her friends in saving the whole of Equestria from an invading Everfree Forest.
At first, the six friends are rightfully suspicious of the newly-reformed (though not that reformed, according to Spike) Discord, but when his summons provides no new insights, the ponies instead turn to Zecora, the zebra having fled the now overwhelming Everfree Forest. After presenting a potion that can only be properly utilized by an alicorn, Twilight takes a few drinks, and is flung into many a vision of the royal sisters' past. After witnessing the banishment of Nightmare Moon, and further back still, Discord, Twilight discovers what may be the source of the Elements of Harmony, and perhaps yet another victim of the Everfree Forest: The Tree of Harmony.
Cruel Moon, bring the end...
It doesn't take long for the group to decide they need to find this Tree of Harmony somewhere deep within the Everfree. But after a dangerous encounter along the way to the castle, Twilight's friends voice a collective worry: Maybe Twilight should be sitting this one out. If Princess Celestia and Luna never return, who will Equestria turn to if it loses its last princess? Hurt but hopeless, Twilight returns to Ponyville while the five others venture forth. It's only after a third degree from Discord to Twilight, a dying Tree of Harmony is discovered by the other five friends, and Twilight is nearly devoured by face-hugging, gas-spewing vine plants (not kidding), the two parties reconcile their disagreements and return to the tree.
Twilight recalls her vision of the Elements of Harmony being taken out from the Tree of Harmony, and recommends that they be returned. None are more apprehensive of this than Applejack, fearful of the group losing what she considers their most sacred bond as friends. Twilight affirms that it has to be done, regardless, and that even if the Elements did bring their group together, their friendship is what will keep it together. Thus, the Elements are returned, and the Tree of Harmony is restored to life, repairing the damage done to Equestria along with it. Princesses Celestia and Luna are also discovered, finally free of the Everfree Forest's influence. Amidst congratulations, however, the tree produces a new sprout containing an artifact, seemingly unknown to even the sisters: A small metal box, locked with six keys. Princess Celestia assures Twilight and the others that even if they don't know the answer to the location of the box's keys yet, they have a means of finding them, that, of course, being the six of them.
After a quick return to Ponyville, and a word from Fluttershy to keep Discord in line with the Elements of Harmony gone, the friends and the sisters return to Canterlot for the Summer Sun Celebration. Twilight even manages to finally pull off her final flying stunt without a hitch. Happy credits, commence!
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Impressions
I'll admit, despite some issues with pacing, which seemed to be a recurring problem with Season 3, I actually rather liked the Season 3 finale (I'd give a retrospective on that too, but Ciroton would likely murder me). Even if I wasn't entirely confident with the show making Twilight an alicorn, I couldn't fault the show staff for the decision being made. They are at Hasbro's whim, after all. That being said, I also wasn't going to blame anyone for their trepidation going into this two-parter, especially considering it was meant to be a wrap-up of the whole Princess Twilight deal (hint, hint, title). The show was walking perhaps an even finer line with these episodes than they were with the Season 3 finale.
If you asked me, it paid off.
For one thing, the story is one that demanded itself be told. Even ignoring the drama it caused with its announcement and its subsequent airing, Twilight's transformation was a potential game changer for the entire show, and Twilight's role as a character. And it's not just the viewer who knows it. From line one, it's clear that Twilight is feeling way out of her depth. She's struggling the best that she can to not collapse beneath the weight of her new responsibilities, and at the same time keep as many ties as she can to who she once was. At some point or another in our lives, all of us have needed or will need to reconcile our futures, whether we wanted them or not, with our comforting or not-so-comforting pasts. Much like Twilight, we hope that we can look forward to the former whilst looking upon the latter with nostalgia rather than grief. Given the dark origin of the Summer Sun Celebration that is revealed, the theme ties itself just as strongly to the sisters as it does to Twilight.
Even Celestia had her off days, Twilight.
I also give credit to the scale that this story managed to reach while staying true to the character at the heart of it. The sheer amount of variables at play here, from the other princesses, to the rest of the friends, Discord, Zecora, and even the Everfree Forest and the Tree of Harmony ran the real risk of overcrowding the proceedings. But this fortunately never came to pass, and nearly every character had a part to play.
I do, however, have questions about Zecora just suddenly having an alicorn-exclusive potion, as well as Twilight apparently needing to use dark magic on it. Considering not all of the potion was drunk before the episode's end, I, for one, am keeping an eagle eye out for that thing.
Besides Twilight, clever bits of writing having to do with the other characters are scattered all over this episode. Sure, much of the slapstick with the side and mane characters as well as Pinkie Pie's antics was nice, but there was plenty more on a dramatic level as well. For instance, there was Applejack considering the Elements of Harmony the ultimate symbol of the group's friendship. I had a fear early on that this would become a point of derision for me, but I like how Twilight was smart enough to realise that the Elements were only the start of their bond, and not the bond itself. It actually made their letting go of the Elements towards episode's end rather more plausible.
And then there was Discord. Oh, me. Oh, my. Was there Discord.
Putting aside his antics, which make Pinkie Pie's look like mere party favours, I found myself immensely enjoying the new niche that the draconequus seems to have carved for himself. If Discord is truly reformed for good, then I think The Jerkass With A Point is the next best thing for him. I can't help but be very attracted to the concept, especially in this kind of show: an insufferable prick, but one who isn't afraid to forgo tact, and will flat out tell you in plain terms “Stop being stupid!”. It's something that I don't really see any of the other characters being able to do, and I found his deconstruction of Twilight's angsty return to Ponyville among the most amusing things in the episode.
There are still issues I have to go over, however, besides just my earlier beef with Zecora. I won't lie, the visions Twilight has after consuming the potion are interesting, epic even. But (and I really don't know if I'm playing Devil's Advocate or not here) I'd also be lying if I said I wasn't still somewhat wishing that some of these things had been left to the imagination and never been shown at all.
First, there's Nightmare Moon. In hindsight, Nightmare Moon was banished really damn quick according to this episode. Not exactly a whole lot time for mass panic among the populace if this whole thing was wrapped up in a minute-and-a-half or so. Although, that may have just been because the city streets were oddly deserted in that flashback. I don't know, maybe this was meant to add to the sisters' ties to the main theme of the episode, but it still feels a tad unnecessary. I'm probably making it sound like I despised this part, and I really didn't. I give the team credit for making it as compelling as it was. There's just some things that are meant to remain The Noodle Incident is all I'm saying.
I do admit to loving this shot, though.
This is also true, but to a lesser extent, with the sisters' confrontation with Discord. Again, in hindsight we really shouldn't be surprised that the draconequus had at least a little bit to do with the Everfree Forest. I also, oddly enough, enjoy the way his posture when petrified for the first time was explained. At the same time, though, you'd think Discord wouldn't take this sort of risk, and just magic the Elements away from the sisters before they could be used on him. Especially considering how he dealt with the friends in Return of Harmony. The seeds should be the backup plan, lazy, not the main one!
What did I expect from a guy who doesn't do windows?
Verdict
Many have given the mere concept of Twilicorn a hard time, and some still do, but I was never really one of them. But that doesn't mean I didn't have my doubts about these episodes. When all was said and done, I didn't feel silly for my apprehension, but I was still immensely glad for my doubts to have been proven wrong about making Twilicorn into a three-episode affair.
At the end of it all, I still feel like I'm not done talking about it, but maybe that's for the best. Between the other small praises (the creepy Everfree Forest designs) and nitpicks (those royal guard voices still bug me for some reason) I could offer, there's plenty left to talk about for how this season has kicked off. Well, I have said season left to ruminate on things, don't I?
Until then, Allons-y! I mean, uh... Ponies, or something...
...
Cut the feed! Cut the feed!
*static*
I'm going to jump on archonix's bandwagon here and call Twilight's visions the Hearths Warming Play version of events. They were compressed and simplified in order to get the message across in the time available.
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I've read that article, and in fact agree with it. Simplified version of events, plain and simple. At the same time though, I still feel I could have been satisfied having never seen the event at all, simplified or not. There's just some things that can never match or surpass imagination.
*shrug* That's just me, though,