"Growing Up is Hard to Do" Review: Growing up's hard..... and losing somepony is, too. · 10:02pm Sep 29th, 2019
What an episode. This is the last time I can watch a new Cutie Mark Crusaders episode. The last Cutie Mark Crusaders episode of the entire show. The way I feel about this is anything but pleasant. My head hurts. My eyes feel hot. I am emotionally tired. It feels like I am going to cry any moment. And I don't remember when I felt such an intense sadness the last time. And I'm not even sure if I ever felt such an intense sadness before in my life.
I dreaded the arrival of this episode and yet looked forward to it at the same time. A weird, contradicting mix of emotions that I never had with any episode of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, yet alone with a Cutie Mark Crusaders episode.
Now the final curtain has fallen for them and I'm feeling like that makes me fall, too. I do not know yet how I can handle it that I will likely never see my Crusaders again. And it doesn't help that this last Cutie Mark Crusaders episode ends in a way that leaves me worried for them.
When the episode started during its premiere, I could only facehoof when I saw how Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Twilight treated them. All they wanted to do was making a trainride to Appleloosa to visit a fair there. Something they did before without problems and without getting into trouble or danger. The way they acted and treated them was embarrassing, overprotective and belittling.
After watching the episode several times, I could see where their motivations for being so overprotective came from, but this doesn't change the bad feeling their behavior leaves in my mouth.
At first, I was very confused. Several times, we've seen very clearly in the show that Equestria's society is trusting children more than human society does. One of the most prominent examples is the trainride to the Crystal Empire that we've seen Applebloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle do with Spike in "Just for Sidekicks" in Season 3. The three of them didn't have a chaperone back then and nopony was making any deal out of it that they were in the train without adult supervision (remember that Spike is seen as child by ponies despite being adult already, cause ponies know "next to nothing" about dragons, as Twilight confirmed to us in Season 2), neither the conductor, nor the adult travellers that were in the same train. More than that, it was THEM who had to be chaperones for THE PETS so that the conductor would let Spike into the train with the other pets of the Mane Six, so he could look for Angel there. Unlike in this world, young children are considered capable enough to go on a trainride to a faraway city all alone in Equestria.
Remembering this, I couldn't make heads nor tails of it why Applebloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle suddenly spoke of needing a chaperone who goes with them on the train to Appleloosa, instead of just riding the train alone as they've already done in the past. Especially considering that they were a few years younger than they are now back then, this didn't make any sense. I started to wonder what has changed in Equestria in the meantime that foals are suddenly not allowed to do that anymore.
But after seeing the episode a few times, it was like scales fell off my eyes. We haven't seen any other adult ponies than Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack (and with her it's really no surprise, Applejack is famous for being overprotective to foals), Fluttershy and Twilight carrying the opinion that three fillies can't ride alone on a train. It was when I had realized this, that my mind began to connect the dots.
From Season 1 onwards, it has been shown to us that Equestria is a very dangerous place. Which became clearer and clearer with each season. We learned about the Everfree Forest right at the start of the show, we've seen a hydra roam around freely, we heard about dragons attacking towns, we found out about the changelings and the constant threat they are to ponies, we met the chimera who has a taste for foals, we have seen cursed places that house ancient evils that just wait to become awoken or for somepony they can possess and we got taught that even seemingly ordinary citizens of Equestria (see Cozy Glow and Starlight Glimmer) can pose a huge danger. Not necessarily the kind of world anyone would wish having to raise a child in.
However, most adults who live in Equestria rarely encountered such threats and have dealt with any very infrequently at worst. And barely anypony else have made such deep-seated experiences with the evils that lurk Equestria as the Mane Six have. Most citizens of Equestria have a rather carefree outlook on life as their lives are usually peaceful and safe. But the Mane Six have seen it all. Ever since Twilight came to Ponyville, they had to fight all sorts of monsters, demons, overlords and general enemies of Equestria. They know about Equestria's many dangers and threats far better than the vast majority of Equestria does. While other citizens might be used to monster attacks, it's the Mane Six who faced those monsters and looked them into the eyes. It's them who had to fight them and who saw the darkness in them firsthoof.
Is it surprising that six mares who regularly look into the abyss of Equestria get sensitized and develop a level of cautiousness that exceeds those of their neighbors by far?
Once you realized that literally no other adults than the Mane Six (and the crazy ticket taker in Hayseed Junction, but he is obviously insane so I'm not considering him), who essentially have witnessed hell in the years since Twilight came to Ponyville and they inherited the Elements of Harmony, suggest that three fillies can't ride a train to a different town without a grown-up accompanying them, it is easy to see that the stance of Equestria's society on that hasn't changed. It is them who are opposed to the idea because their experiences with Equestria's dark and dangerous, sinister and corrupting, side have shaped them. Fluttershy even said something that serves as very hard proof for that observation, because it sounded very much like she was talking about Starlight Glimmer's village, which was one of the most challenging and scarring missions they've went on:
Or get lost in a strange town and end up in a dangerous situation with no pony there to help you.
Followed by biting strongly into her hoof, with an expression like she was having Nam flashbacks (I stole that joke and I'm not sorry for it~). It seems the Mane Six have developed something akin to PTSD because of their adventures and missions to save Equestria from threats, with the difference that their condition expresses itself as a manic fear for the wellbeing of others and projection of their dangerous experiences on the ponies around them ("Dangerous things happened to us, so dangerous things could happen to you too.").
Which is something that keeps manifesting itself even after the events we've seen in this episode and they have Applebloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle in a tight grip with that, in a mental sense.
Applebloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle didn't dare to travel alone against the forbiddance of their big sisters and their friends and after they became grown-ups by the powers of the enchanted flower, went to Appleloosa thinking that they now won't have anything against it anymore. And despite some unexpected hindrances along the way, they managed that just fine.
The train rode to the wrong station, but they found their way through the swamp. They managed to find their way to Appleloosa too. And they had good, safe fun in Appleloosa without getting into trouble. Even the advice they've given to Biscuit and Spur was good. Floofy is the pet of both Biscuit and Spur, so they indeed have to share him and also accept some things the other one wants to do with Floofy, instead of selfishly insisting on having it their way all the time. This was a very grown-up advice they've given them there.
And that Floofy got out of control later wasn't their fault. Neither of them knew what Floofy can do and if they had known, they hadn't given Spur and Biscuit this advice, but rather told them to make sure Floofy doesn't get too excited.
But despite all of that, Twilight insisted on it that it was their fault and that they got into trouble for going alone. Even though they managed everything just fine, having proven that they get along without adults supervising them. And the worst thing about this is that they believed Twilight, because they assumed to be at fault for the incidence with Floofy over feeling guilty for travelling alone without being allowed to, and that Twilight encouraged them in that belief and made them further think that it was wrong to travel to Appleloosa alone and that the trouble was a consequence of them running off. Since they proved more than capable of doing such a travel alone, Twilight's scolding was uncalled for and so were her assumptions that they have caused the trouble.
The episode obviously contains the message that foals are competent, too, and that they can take care of themselves, because Applebloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, while running into a bit of trouble along the way, managed to find solutions for everything and because it was also a foal, Spur, who calmed Floofy at the end, not an adult. But the episode also ended with it that Applebloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle got convinced that travelling via train somewhere alone is, despite that they could fully handle it, wrong and they got discouraged from doing that again, both by the incidence with Floofy and by Twilight's reaction. All because Twilight didn't get it that they were taking care of themselves just fine and that the worries of her and the others that something dangerous could happen to them were unfounded.
And since this is the last Cutie Mark Crusaders episode, there is no way how we can see what will happen after that and if they manage to convince their big sisters of stopping to patronize them like that.
So, the very last Cutie Mark Crusaders episode leaves me with it that they have a problem with overprotective adults who patronize them and that they fall prey to it and don't know what to do against it, without a chance to ever see how and if they manage to overcome this problem and if their stuation improves. It ended with something that leaves me worried for them, which is the worst that could have possibly happened for their last episode.
I love the episode overall, but the end is a cruel and unforgiving one and since I won't see anymore how it goes on from there and how their lives continue, it means I will be eternally worried about them and eternally ask myself the question if their big sisters will ever stop patronizing them and give them the freedom they need and deserve.
This is an extremely hard thing for me to find out at the end, that they have such an unsolved problem in their lives that bothers them, and I have no idea how to deal with that. This will always bug me from now on, and especially after each time I'll have rewatched this episode, I will be left with the same bitter taste in my mouth and the desire to find out if the situation improves for them.
I feel bad for them and worry about them and there will never be a relief for this, since it's simply not possible to see what will happen to them anymore. This couldn't suck more.
Now I talked so much about the Mane Six, even though this is a Cutie Mark Crusaders episode, so I gotta rectify that now. They and I can't have it that I barely talk about them when this is their last episode and very likely the last time we see them in any large roles that show us a significant amount of their daily lives. Or, maybe not at all anymore, not even in the background, because in four of the last eight seasons, they weren't seen in the show anymore after their respective last episode of the season. I have to squeeze as much talking about them into this review as it's possible with this episode.
I went with one very specific and personal concern into this episode, after I read the synopsis of it. Not just because I knew it would be the last Cutie Mark Crusaders episode, but because I heard they become transformed into adults. For about three years now, I have often asked myself the question what would happen if My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic lasts long enough to see them becoming adults. I've grown attached to them when they were young fillies and the fact that they are foals plays a huge factor in it that I came to love them like I do.
But when ponies grow up, they become mentally different. They learn things and become mature and could develop in a way that makes them become completely different than they were as foals. It's a thought that always scared me, to imagine that they lose what makes them foals and that, in the worst case, they could maybe even become really awful as adults, as some adults tend to be. I'm not sure how realistic it is to fear that, as they learned very good lessons and always had admirable personalities, personalities that even improved by the things they learned. But at the same time, I also don't know much about the development of foals/children and how substantially their minds can change while growing up.
And when I saw the synopsis of this episode, not yet knowing that they transform into adults in merely a physical way, not a mental one, I had fears that they might be so fundamentally different from the fillies I love, that my feelings for them will change. But, at the same time, I also hoped to find an answer on the question that plagued me for years now. Unfortunately, after watching the episode and thinking it over, I had to conclude that it couldn't give me that answer.
Seeing them in this episode, my love for them didn't change one bit. However, they also still acted like fillies, because they didn't mature mentally, only physically. Their personalities and their mannerisms were still the same during their time as adults, everything I know and love about them was still the same. Except for their bodies. And even that I didn't really mind. Hard to get used to, but I think that's something I could manage and to come to love their adult appearances if I were to see them like that for an extended period of time. And Scoots still looked sexy even as a mare..... :3
And with that, it means that their transformation seen in this episode could not get give me an impression of how they will be as adults and how I will feel about them then. It still falls to the future to answer that question of mine (hopefully, it will), in a potential sequel to Friendship is Magic.
And, of course, they were fantastic and wonderful in every second and with everything they did. I already love the start of the episode, the first few seconds. I could see Applebloom talking so enthusiastically and happily about going to the Appleloosa Fair. This is significant for me, as Applebloom is the first of them who I saw, in my very first episode of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic that I watched, "Call of the Cutie". Yes, indeed, the Cutie Mark Crusaders were with me right from the start, from the first day I came into contact with My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, on October 5th, 2011. The founding of the Cutie Mark Crusaders is the first historically significant moment and the very first thing I've seen of Equestria. And this day is almost 8 years ago now.....
At first, I didn't like the episode and after watching it, decided I would not watch "this show" anymore. This was partially because of my bad history with US cartoons and the negative experiences I've made with them. When I saw how Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon picked on Applebloom that day, I was thinking that it's just another of those tasteless US cartoons full of stupid jokes that glorify making fun of people. Back then, I didn't understand yet that the episode actually condemned bullying and had a strong message against it. I was completely biased. A horrible german translation of this episode, I watched MLP: FiM only in german TV at first, that translated "blank flank" as "naked butt" contributed to that impression. Only a few months later, I decided to give My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic another chance after seeing a few screenshots of it and noticing how cool they looked.
Ironically, even the foundation of the Cutie Mark Crusaders could not win me over to keep watching back then, despite that I was so happy for Applebloom that she found some true friends and despite that I already loved her a lot there. Believing that the episode glorified it that she was getting bullied and that it made jokes at her expense, I did not want to support this.
So, basically, it was my already existing love for Applebloom that almost made me not watch My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic further. It's interesting and crazy how it began for me. And now all of this is almost 8 years ago and it feels surreal to think of that fact..... So many things happened in those 8 years.
After Scootaloo talked about food on a stick at the Appleloosa Fair, she let herself fall onto the floor and kept licking her lips there, while rubbing her stomach. She is incredibly cool and badass, but then she suddenly has a cute moment like that sometimes..... 10/10, would snuggle immediately. 
I've got to see Sweetie Belle's nerdy side again when she had planned everything about their trip to Appleloosa and proudly presented it. Which is something that rarely happens, we don't get to see her nerdy side very often, the first time was in the official comics in the 24th Mane Series Issue in October 2014. If I'm not completely forgetting anything right now, I think that was simultaneously also the last time we've seen her nerdy side. It makes me happy that I could see that side of Sweetie one last time. Applebloom's remark if she is sure that she isn't Twilight's sister and the subsequent giggling of Scoots and her as a result made that all the better.
And it's interesting too, as Sweetie Belle has been taught by Twilight as her student for a while..... Maybe Twilight really has painted off on her a little. And I love how she kicked the chart after they realized that they didn't ask anypony to accompany them. Sweetie always had such a straightforward way to express frustration and anger. I'll miss seing that of her.....
The moment when Sweetie Belle was begging Rarity to take them to Appleloosa reminded me on something..... On two moments, to be precise. The first one is how she bribed Rarity by helping her with her work so she would check her dresses that she made for the school play she has written, as we saw in "For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils". And the second moment it reminded me on is when Sweetie Belle begged Rarity to participate with her at the Sisterhooves Social, which we saw so long ago in Season 2.
This was such a classical, characteristic moment for Sweetie and the relationship to her big sister, I'm glad we could see this again, as well.
I got to see such a moment for Scootaloo, too. How she shouted up to Rainbow Dash on the cloud reminds me on it how we saw her doing the same in "The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well". This was one of the very rare interactions between Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash back then..... When Rainbow Dash still didn't accept her as her little sister, which I still theorize happened because Rainbow Dash was secretly thinking low of her and looking down on her for being flightless back then, before something unknown to us turned her around and made her slowly warm up to her.
How different the times were for them back then..... And thinking of it how this was likely the last time we saw Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash interact and Rainbow Dash talking to Scoots..... I love seeing them together so much and now I will never see this again..... I don't know what to do with this.
And, of course, we got to see the same for Applebloom, too..... How Applejack warned them about "ending up in hot water" if they go to Appleloosa alone, it reminds me on it how she was patronizing Applebloom when she wanted to stay alone at home for a day. I suppose I could have relinquished that reminder..... Applejack really learned nothing from it how her own overprotection brought Applebloom into trouble and almost cost her life.
I love one specific moment from this episode very much, how Applebloom went straight to the enchanted flower, saying how this is probably the most interesting thing they are gonna see today. She went straight to the mysterious object in the room, the object that promises mystery and adventure, so that they can experience something else exciting on that day. I love that adventurous spirit of Applebloom.
Somehow, their transformation into adults also hammered it in one last time that Scoots can't fly, which is a not so pleasant impression from this episode. After the transformation, her wings were still just as small as before. This reminds on it how she asked Rainbow Dash "What if my wings never grow?" after Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon picked on her for being flightless to eliminate her as rival during the Equestria Games flag carrying competition and it gives a second confirmation for it that she is flightless because her wings have stopped growing and are therefore not strong enough to carry her body in the air.
I guess it wouldn't be a Cutie Mark Crusaders episode if there weren't a reminder on that grim fact of Scoots' life. This episode ticks off all the boxes.
Now let me talk about their song, their last song I got to hear..... I was actually scared there couldn't be one. The last few seasons weren't very promising in regards to hearing them sing. Season 6 has two songs that feel like Cutie Mark Crusaders songs at first, but then it was either their big sisters ("Derby Racers") or Gabby ("Find the Purpose in Your Life") who sung the most. And Season 7 had no song by them at all. Only Season 8 had a proper Cutie Mark Crusaders song again, but there, the damage was already done. And when "The Last Crusade" had no song by them in it and then there just wasn't another Cutie Mark Crusaders episode listed for such a long time, I got very anxious that I have to leave them without hearing one last song by them..... I'm so relieved this didn't happen.
And it's needless to say that their new song is wonderful, but I'm saying it anyway. It's a powerful, strong song like I'm used to from them, it radiates all their energy that I love so much about them. And we've seen them doing so many outstanding things while they sung it; riding whales in the ocean, flying around Equus like they own the entire world; these three fillies dream big and you can believe they will achieve actually doing all of these things if they want to!
And Sweetie Belle even sung her own solo part during the song, this is especially awesome to hear, as she is the best singer of them, I needed one last solo number from her. Now I will likely never hear them sing another song again and this one is a worthy one as the last Cutie Mark Crusaders song I'll ever hear. I won't stop listening to it for a very long time.
And right after the song, Scootaloo was brilliant. This sarcastic remark of hers, about the train having taken the wrong route and how it brought them to the wrong place "I thought trains just took you where you wanted to go.", she nailed down the problem that got them into this situation in such a precise and smart way, that this one sentence alone makes me love her even more.
I'm happy about seeing them in such a good form for their last episode.
Speaking of good form, Sweetie Belle has learned to teleport! I have no idea when that happened, we didn't get to see it, but she can use teleportation spells now! Back in Season 4, when I saw how she learned to use her magic in the first place, and in Season 5, when I could witness how she got better and better at magic, I loved to watch her progress. I'm so glad I could see her progressing with her magic now again for one last time.
I feel like there are a thousand more things I should say about this episode. Yet, it looks like there aren't any. I've covered everything. So, all I can really do now is finishing this review and sending it off. Which..... is really hard to do. The finality of the action of finishing the review for the last Cutie Mark Crusaders episode. This is the last time I can write a review for a Cutie Mark Crusaders episode and it's difficult to think of that.
After watching this episode, I feel lost. I'm not sure if I will handle it that I will never see them again. I have one thing planned for them that I will present soon, a tribute for them. Something that is supposed to keep the Cutie Mark Crusaders in our minds forever.
Stay easy as a filly!
~ Fluttercheer
I absolutely adore those three, and I felt the episode was similarly muddled.
5130183
Muddled?
5130191
Sorry, muddled was the wrong choice of words. Teaches me to reply to two comments at once.
I meant I found it hard too. I adore them, and I'm sad we'll probably never see them again, on either side of the Portal.
And Scoots' remark about trains taking you where you want to go? She's clearly never tried Southern rail...
They seemed fully aware that there would be responsibilities and consequences with their decision. Just not what kinds.
Lookout Forward to see what you have in mind. And Take your Time replying.
I can only agree about the big Sisters being overprotective. The Cmc proved their bravery but it's understandable if the Adventures took their toll.
Its pity about scoots and Flying but we can always make her Fly in our Stories.
Also, frankly, i could swear their Adult Version is simliar to a Fan Animation i saw Once
5130194
Yeah, about that, I feel I should answer to you about that, too. Just to be safe, because it seems that there are many who insult them now by assuming they are idiots who don't understand how train schedules and train rides work..... If you too are one of those who assume they don't understand that, go and read this:
https://www.fimfiction.net/group/50/_/thread/416328/#comment/7008589
5130437
That was a joke.
5130275
That's what makes what happened to them so awful. Their big sisters and their friends, all belittling them and suggesting them that they are not smart enough to ride a train to a different town all alone, without adult supervision, that they would end up getting hurt if they did that, it conditioned them into believing this nonsense themselves..... That belief is so strong that they still had it even after they didn't get hurt and managed to arrive in Appleloosa safe and sound and that they falsely blamed themselves for the incidence with Floofy.
What the Mane Six, minus Pinkie, did and do to them, what they incept into their brains with that behavior, it has basically brainwashed them into underestimating themselves. That's why I'm left so worried after this episode. They have that problem and I can never find out if they will solve it, because there aren't any more episodes with them left. So I will be worried about them forever now, unless Generation 5 doesn't turn out to be a reboot, but a sequel instead.
Obviously, their last episode would leave me with an open end somehow, but I did not imagine it could be an open end like that and I did not anticipate it to be like that. That is the worst open end ever.
5130357
Understandable? That the adventures took their toll on them, yes. But not understandable that they affect Applebloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle with that, by projecting all they had to see on them. I have plenty of experience with a parent or caretaker affecting you with their own mental ailments, so I know how awful this is for them.
They make them anxious and unconfident by treating them that way and this will be very bad for them in the long run.
5130441
I meant Applejack, rarity and Rainbow. It is understandable that they fear for the Cmc, given what they went through themselves.
5130438
The Southern Rail remark? Yeah, I know that. But I've just run into two people who readily assumed them to be such idiots just because of that one sentence Scoots said and had to go and correct them. I'm just playing it safe. I don't want anyone to think of them like that, to remember them as idiots who don't grasp how trainrides work, because they falsely interpreted the events in their last episode like that.
They don't deserve to be remembered in a false way.
5130442
Yes, but this doesn't make it okay to treat them like they're dumb little idiots who can't wipe their flanks. They hurt their minds that way.
5130444
Indeed. The Cmc proved their bravery, look at applebloom when aj become overprotective back then.
5130443
Eh, fair enough. Where I live (the Midlands) the trains are quite good. So, when people start moaning about them being late, it is common to hear people say 'well, you've clearly never tried Southern rail'.
I knew Scootaloo was being sarcastic when she made that remark, as previous episodes have shown they are quite proficient at travelling by train. Even so, even the most experienced make mistakes, such as I did when I accidently got on a train to Sheffield when I meant to go to Leicester.
5130445
They most importantly proved their competence. They stumbled into some trouble along the way, but they figured out solutions for it and managed to reach Appleloosa as they intended, without getting hurt. I hate it that Twilight can't see that.
5130448
Exactly. If i may say, they are Very brave foals for their Age.
5130446
I had to ponder for a moment when I saw that you spoke in plural. "Episodes". Then I thought on "The Last Crusade". My brain is one giant leak these days.....
They were taking the train to wherever Scootaloo's aunts lived prior to their move to Ponyville, alone, and they did just fine. They took the right train and reached the right place. The assumptions by their big sisters and their friends make me boil.
5130450
They also took a train to Canterlot with no difficulty in 'For Whom the Sweetie Belle toils', although that's a nonstop working at least.
5130449
Yes. They are. Brave and smart. It crushes me to think of it that their big sisters don't understand them. It makes sense for Fluttershy. And for Twilight too, even though she was their teacher for a while. But Applejack? Rarity? Rainbow Dash? They should really know better.
5130451
Yes. I forgot that too. At least that was a long time ago and I haven't managed to rewatch Season 4 in ages..... There are plenty of examples. Their big sisters should know better.
5130453
You tell me. They should have realized by Now.
5130455
Indeed.
5130457
Yep.
5130454
Indeed they should.
My mum should do so, too. But she insisted on telling me how a ticket machine worked. I had bought train tickets many times.
All good things...
5130591
..... should last forever. Cutie Mark Crusaders episodes should last forever.
"The train rode to the wrong station, but they found their way through the swamp. They managed to find their way to Appleloosa too. And they had good, safe fun in Appleloosa without getting into trouble. Even the advice they've given to Biscuit and Spur was good. Floofy is the pet of both Biscuit and Spur, so they indeed have to share him and also accept some things the other one wants to do with Floofy, instead of selfishly insisting on having it their way all the time. This was a very grown-up advice they've given them there."
Were I a parent I would not like the moral here. "Disobey you're elders and you'll get exactly where you wanted to go and have a lot of fun."
5130960
Then I'll have to be blunt and say that I am glad you are not a parent then. Because the actual moral here is that adults aren't always right and that children who get belittled by their parents/caretakers should prove that they are capable and that they don't need their overprotection.
This episode sends a strong message against authoritative parenting. It empowers children to raise above their parents if they belittle them and restrict them and that's a good thing.
5130971
I'm saying that the moral the episode thinks its giving (the CMC should listen to their elders) is not the moral its actually giving (the CMC's elders were wrong.) It's a very weird episode.
5130989
What makes you think this is the intended message it wants to get across? The moral it contains is what I said and it does pass on this moral by showing that children are capable, by the example of Applebloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. The end of the episode paints us a realistic picture of it how it goes if parents/caretakers don't listen to children despite that they have proven their competence, by Twilight who still scolds them for not listening and travelling alone.
It conveys the moral that belittling and restricting children is wrong by making you think about Twilight's reaction:
They did everything right and managed to reach their goal all alone, without getting into trouble and without getting hurt. So, why is Twilight still treating them like that and makes them think they did something wrong? That's not okay.
5131048
I honestly don't know. Your interpretation does make quite a bit of sense.
5130630
But Corlett, Creber, and Peters can't.
5131209
Turn them into alicorns then! No dying, voicing the Cutie Mark Crusaders forever!