So I Just Watched Legends Of Everfree · 8:41am Jun 19th, 2017
And then I watched Buckball Season, The Fault In Our Cutie Marks, Viva Los Pegasus, and Every Little Thing She Does.
I don't know what changed. I tried watching them each several months ago, and back then I couldn't get more than a minute in. (three minutes in LoE's case, but proportionally it's the same, so...) Since then, I got so caught up there in analyzing the show and trying to figure out why it isn't as good and enjoyable anymore that I forgot one crucial detail - it is in fact still fun. Maybe I just needed a break or something. Maybe the magic of Netflix over watching online helps. 
Whatever the case, I'm finally ready to properly get back into things. It's still going to be busy and I've gotten some new projects on my hands while I've been gone, so I don't know how quickly I can have new chapters out, but at the very least, it's back on the to-do list, and I've got some show to catch up on.
Do I still stand by most of what I said in that previous post? Yeah. Do I feel Equestria as a setting has somewhat degraded, the show isn't using its full potential, ect? Yeah. Does it matter? Probably not. Even if it's not quite what I want it to be, even if it's not quite great, it's still plenty good enough and worth my time; I just needed to be reminded of that. The magic hasn't faded just yet.
Anyway, on specifics:
Legends Of Everfree:
It took a bit to pick up, but once it got going it was pretty enjoyable. The EQG cast still feel kind of like reduced versions of their pony selves, but once again Sunset was the MVP, and while I'm still not a huge fan of Sci-Twilight, she was pretty sympathetic and likable. Gloriosa was a believable antagonist with realistic and all-too-human motivations; even if relatively mundane, I have to applaud how they handled her. Heck, Flash Sentry was at his most likable yet; I actually felt sorry for the guy. The overall plot was pretty solid, and seems to be setting up an almost superheroish theme for future installments. I'm interested to see where that goes. And clearly the class needs to work on their structural engineering - the new dock seems even more fragile than the old one, somehow. 
All in all, a pretty fun adventure. 4/5 attempts at rebuilding; I'd rate it about even with or slightly above Friendship Games.
Buckball Season:
I was really hesitant about this one when it was first revealed; the sports theme and a premise that seems perfect for some kind of crackfic both really turned me off. But it may have been just the thing to get me back into it, somehow taking that premise and making it work, with a pretty solid moral and a whole lot of fun. 4/5 Meditating Baskets!
The Fault In Our Cutie Marks:
This was an incredibly fun episode, with a pretty interesting problem that tackled one of the setting's base elements from a new angle, and did it gorgeously. The CMC really have come a long way, and it shows here. Plus, Gabby is Celestia-damned adorable. 5/5 Death Hugs.
Viva Las Pegasus:
I knew this would be a fun one from the start, and finally getting to it now, I was not disappointed. Really not much I can say here, except that I loved the setup and execution, and that ending... that was just perfect. It may not have a lot to say past that, but the conflict still rung true, and everything just clicked nicely. 4/5 Pink Ferrets.
Every Little Thing She Does:
Another episode where I wasn't quite sold on the idea of redeemed Starlight, and another episode where it didn't matter because it was still quite the enjoyable experience. The easy acceptance of Starlight once again resorting to brainwashing left me scratching my head, but at least it wasn't completely ignored and took some effort to forgive, so I'm choosing to interpret it as 'she still has a ways to go, but at least she's learning.' And this episode has also taken a step towards making her friendship with everyone else feel more plausible, instead of coming out of nowhere as an already-established fact. I'll take it, along with 4/5 Disastrously Interpreted Instructions.
1. Gauntlet Of Fire
2. Spice Up Your Life
3. Saddle Row Review
4. Flutter Brutter
5. The Fault In Our Cutie Marks
6. The Times They Are A Changeling
7. Viva Las Pegasus
8. Every Little Thing She Does
9. No Second Prances
10. Stranger Than Fan Fiction
11. Buckball Season
12. Newbie Dash
13. A Hearth's Warming Tale
14. On Your Marks
15. 28 Pranks Later
16. The Cart Before The Ponies
17. The Crystalling
18. The Gift Of Maud Pie
19. Applejack's Day Off
I'm looking forward to the last three... err, four (Since I skipped Dungeons And Discords) episodes of Season 6, and whatever Season 7 has to offer. I may still have a long laundry list of gripes and complaints, but I've also finally remembered why I like the show in the first place, and above all I'm looking forward to getting back on top of my fics.
Hope you're ready to watch it take another six months for me to publish a new chapter. 
Sometimes walking away for a while really is the best solution. And as you've noted, fan work can definitely restore any lost luster. Glad to hear of your enjoyment.
The reasons of why the show feels different are two: the change on the target (children can still watch it, but it has more fanservice for the older ones) and the new writer group. This changes seems to be permanent, for better or for worse.
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True. :)
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I think it's the shift in writers that contributes the most, here. It's not everything, but still a big factor.