Twilight's Downgrade · 5:54pm Dec 21st, 2013
Warning: Spoilers from the latest episode, Power Ponies, abound. Proceed with caution.
Okay, so let's go down the list here. In this comic book universe, Applejack is Wonder Woman, Fluttershy is The Incredible Hulk, Rainbow Dash is Storm, Pinkie Pie is Impulse (her costume is closer to his than The Flash, and I'm betting only comic nerds are gonna get that), Rarity is Star Sapphire (again, only comic nerds are probably going to get that), and Twilight is a nerfed version of herself who can't use her magic properly.
I get that they're in an alternate dimension and don't fully understand their powers, but that doesn't change the fact that Twi got the short end of the stick here. I mean, wouldn't it be cooler if she could, I don't know, commune with spirits and have empathic powers? Or am I thinking of another comic book superhero Tara Strong played?
...
No, actually, I'm not taking that back. The Titans were kind enough to reference your show with that Pretty Pretty Pegasus running gag in Teen Titans Go, Hasbro. The least you could've done is return the favor in some fashion. I mean, how awesome would it have been if Twi's superhero persona was a reference to Raven? Heck, everypony else was referencing other heroes (as I just pointed out), so why not Twilight?
Ah well, the episode was still fun. This was pretty much my only major problem with it. Well, that and the fact that the name Mane-iac makes me think of this:
I can't be the only guy who made this connection, can I? This is gonna come up in a future pony video and/or make it to the next Anthology; you just wait.
Yeah, it made no sense for Twilight to just suddenly have no idea how to use powers that were inherently unicorn-based to begin with. I think this was a bad case of the writers trying not to make Twilight an overpowered Deus ex Machina and failing miserably.
Well, I guess that all depends: Are there spells that can fire elemental beams? So far, the most we've seen in that regard is just a beam of concentrated magic. We've seen spells that can influence climate and temperature, But never the twain did meet until now. And let's face it; Twilight may be an exceptionally gifted unicorn (or former unicorn, now alicorn), but even she can't cast new spells on the spot with little to no formal training.
1634170 Alright, you have a bit of a point about Twi not being able to cast a new spell on the fly, but that's just the thing. If she wasn't somehow restricted to her ice-based "super powers," she wouldn't need to learn the new spell. This is the pony who managed to tame an Ursa Minor, travel through time, manipulate gravity, and even make use of dark magic. You can't deny that she was severally nerfed in this episode.
In the end, I still think it would've been better if her superhero identity was an empath. Having her get used to those new powers would've been a lot more believable.