Making up for lost time (S7 finale reaction) · 3:18am Oct 9th, 2017
I was so busy this weekend that I barely made time to watch the newest episodes, much less work on my fimfics.
That's right, I said episodes. Some of them were leaked, including the Season Finale. So I watched "Once Upon a Zeppelin" and "Shadow Play." I'm going to try to watch the other leaked episode(s) tomorrow if they haven't been taken down, but I prioritized the season finale. I haven't been this hyped about an episode since the S5 finale (which was a bit of a letdown in hindsight, but I digress). As I watched it, I excitedly typed out my blind reaction, which I'm sharing here.
Warning: Major spoilers after the break (hope I did this right)
I'll bet a thousand headcanons were shattered in the opening alone, but that's okay. Sometimes the canon backstory is as good as the best headcanon, as "The Perfect Pear" has already proved. It seems that Star Swirl had five friends just like Twilight, and yet he didn't understand friendship enough to complete his spell to become an alicorn . . . Or did he? Maybe he did ascend and no one knew it! What an amazing twist that would be!
Huh. The Pony of Shadows that Applejack talked about in “Castle-Mania” finally came up again? The show was actually going somewhere with that? It's clever of the writers to tie up that little bow.
At first I thought the Pony of Shadows was King Sombra, but the laugh is completely different.
Please tell me Twilight is going to think of a way to keep the Pony of Shadows from escaping, and isn't blinded by the idea of meeting her hero.
It's odd that everyone knows that Star Swirl and Meadowbrook existed, yet an archaeologist thought that Rockhoof was just a legend. And yet they were not only contemporaries, but best friends, or at least comrades in battle. What's the deal with that?
I knew AJ was strong, but dang, that's impressive!
Rarity prunes super-fast. I think she may have missed her calling as a landscaper or florist.
Rainbow may not be as good at planning ahead as Twilight (when Twilight isn't handed the Idiot Ball, that is), but she can think quickly when she puts her mind to it.
Heh. I thought for sure that Fluttershy would have to help Cattail get rid of the flashbees before he let her borrow his treasured family heirloom, like in one of those videogame fetch quests. But Cattail says, “You know, I would've let you borrow the mask anyway even if you hadn't helped me.” “I know, but I wanted to help anyway.” I like that.
Also, Meadowbrook is best Pillar.
Huh. Pinkie's artifact retrieval went off without a hitch. Not much to else to say about it.
How bad is it that Starlight is the voice of reason and Twilight is flying into this willy-nilly? Twilight really is blinded by her hero worship, and so is Sunburst. They're not even going to devise a way to specifically keep the Pony of Shadows from escaping? To quote Linkara, “Surely, this can only end in good.” 
How can characters so smart be so dumb?
Yep, called it.
Although, it looks like my theory about Star Swirl secretly becoming an alicorn was incorrect. Still, I have to admire his heroism. He and the other Pillars were willing to sacrifice their freedom and livelihoods to protect Equestria from the Pony of Shadows.
Wait, why doesn't Star Swirl just send them all back to Limbo? He did it before.
I love Somnambula's and Rockhoof's accents.
While I appreciate the other five Bearers sticking up for Twilight, they failed to pick up on the reason Star Swirl is giving her a hard time. He doesn't trust her because she undid his sacrifice to save Equestria. The thing is, all of the other Bearers helped her, so if he blames Twilight, he should blame all of them, too.
I know I've been hard on Starlight in the past, and I still think she isn't the most well-developed character. Having said that, I like her role in this episode. Starlight of all ponies would want to at least talk to the Pony of Shadows to find out what he wants, and whether they can come to a peaceful agreement. After all, he is a pony. It's worth a shot, and if it doesn't work, then they can banish him.
Huh. Why do I have a feeling they're setting it up to make Starlight the seventh Element, like, say, Redemption? Meh, even though Starlight is still my least favorite main character, I'm okay with this. I've seen far worse “Seventh Element” stories here on FiMfiction. And it's not like it came entirely out of nowhere.
Whoa, they actually acknowledged something from Equestria Girls! And thank Celestia it isn't as silly as that comic.
Does it strike anyone that Stygian's story is very similar to Nightmare Moon's? It's also a better villain origin story than Starlight's. No, I'm never going to let that go.
“I thought meeting my idol would tell me everything I ever wanted, but instead I forgot what I already knew.” An interesting and important lesson. A person you admire is still just a person, and they're not right a hundred percent of the time. Sometimes you have to trust your own experience and personal morals.
I admit, I'm genuinely surprised they didn't create a Seventh Element in this episode, but I remain convinced that it will happen next season. This was quite an exciting episode that crammed a ton of story, world-building, and character development in its 44-minute run time. And it changes the status quo by keeping the ancient Pillars in modern-day Equestria. Any future villain doesn't stand a chance against six Pillars, six Elements, and two quasi-Elements.
Also, this episode bucked the worrying trend of the two-part episodes shoving the Mane Six to the side to let Starlight shine. I mean, it was vicariously Starlight's story in the end, but at least the Mane Six finally contributed to the plot in a significant way.
Honestly, my only gripe with this episode is that Twilight held the Idiot Ball. Granted, it fit with the lesson of not letting yourself be blinded by hero worship, but it was still frustrating to watch at times.
Still, all in all this is my second favorite two-part episode, with “Twilight's Kingdom” remaining my favorite.
What's up with Twlight holding the idiot ball?
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Are you asking why I think she was holding the Idiot Ball, or why the writers made her hold the Idiot Ball?
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The second. Why the writers make her holding the idiot ball?
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I'm not sure why. I think it was partly because it was more convenient to keep the plot moving forward.
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If the writers keep doing that with Twilight, I'm afraid nothing's good will come out with her character and the finales. I hope they learn the mistakes for the next season.