I know everypony already heard the big news from Entertainment Weekly that Twilight Sparkle will become an Alicorn princess in the season finale. But I overslept when the announcement came and I figured now that I'm up I'd put in my two cents.

First, the big spoilerific pictures:

HT: The HUB FB page
Interesting that Twilight alicorn doesn't seem to have a supermodel figure like the other three princesses.

“I love when you comb my hair!”

Now to the nitty, gritty details:

First, the head writer Meghan McCarthy had this to say in the EW article:

“[Twilight] was set up from the very beginning to be on an important journey,” explains MLP head writer Meghan McCarthy. “It’s really about her earning this new status by combining all the things that we’ve seen her learn over the course of the series.”

But don’t worry, Pony fans — though Twilight will undergo a physical transformation, her personality will remain the same. “What we didn’t want to do was change who she is as a character, because she’s certainly someone that everyone’s proud to know and love,” McCarthy says. “I don’t think becoming a princess really changes her; I think it’s going to introduce some new challenges for her.”

Those challenges will include living up to that lofty new title. In MLP‘s Equestria, “princess” is a designation that’s earned, not freely given — and though princesses have specific leadership roles in pony society, being one really means “being a good pony who shares the gifts that they have been given with others,” according to McCarthy. “We’re building a very unique mythology around being a princess,” she continues. “Every little girl wants to be a princess, and not everybody can get to be a princess — but you can live up to the ideals that should come along with being a princess.”

So,

1. The writers were dropping hints in the first two seasons that Celestia was grooming Twilight for something big, a doozy.

2. Twilight will end up becoming an Alicorn Princess in the season finale, as some of us suspected.

3. Although Twilight will sprout wings and presumably receive a massive magical power boost, her personality will remained unchanged. She'll still be the same eggheaded, OCD Twilight we all know and love.

4. With great power comes great responsibility. Becoming an alicorn princess is no minor promotion; Twilight is now in the same class as Celestia, Luna, and Cadence. How Twilight's relationship to the Mane Six stands is now an interesting question. On that topic, Tara Strong, Twilight's VA, posted this tweet:

Assuming Tara's right, wherever Twilight goes, her friends will follow. Also, Morgan Freeman voicing Twilight?!? Sounds like we have some awesome exposition ahead!

Lauren Faust had this to say on her Twitter, though the second line mysteriously disappeared a little while later:

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As for what I think of this news, well, I'm going to play it safe and wait until February 16, when the season finale airs. If the writers can't handle this big change, then I think it's safe to freak out and consider my future as a Brony: