FiM's End · 4:09pm Feb 17th, 2019
A number of folks saw this coming, especially after the leak. Read a post by one of the actors confirming, yush, this is it -- Big Mac has enjoyed being part of the FiM series, ee-yup. The biggest question I've got on my mind is... why?
FiM is an interesting series. It's kind of morphed over the years, with the focus shifting in increments (sometimes less subtly than others times) while still remaining true to a lot of the original themes set up:
1. We've sheltered Twilight Sparkle moving into a new world, discovering the main cast and the Cutie Mark Crusaders, with Ponyville being the focus and everything outside being largely unknown. It seems to be about Twilight's growth and the observations she makes her first time being a part of pony society. The Everfree forest looms overhead largely as a menacing place of untamed, unknown doom. We have an ending that shows us even when your deepest hopes aren't met, you'll still survive, grow and learn something from your experiences.
2. We get Discord going from bad to good over the span of two seasons, a third Alicorn, Twilight's brother, and the Crystal Empire, with a previously extinct race of Ponies in stasis coming back into being. Outside of Ponyville and the pony's control becomes less unknown and frightening, the Everfree forest becomes less menacing.
3. We've Twilight becoming an alicorn Princess and being forced out of her old Library to a Castle... during which she saves Owlowiscious, but not the beehive just outside... NOT THE BEES! Fluttershy would be so disappointed. We also get Maud Pie, who seems ancillary but fun, and questions about whether or not the Pies are related to the Apples... also ancillary, but fun.
4. We have Starlight Glimmer, at first as a villain in charge of a isolated cult then as part of the main cast, while the Cutie Mark Crusaders get their Cutie Marks and take on a slightly different role in the series.
5. We have the progress of socializing Starlight, as she sorts out her past, and demonstrations that she's able to make friends on her own as a result of being herself and putting her interests out there, with episodes that focus on the main cast and their protoge's getting older, taking on their new roles. There seems to be an even larger focus on the outside of Ponyville, showing new races and an older, sadistic race morphing into candy-colored goodness before our eyes.
6. We have Big Mac getting a girlfriend and Hasbro writing out the slightly creepy "since we're not related (question mark) it'll be okay" theme, then cruelly referencing it during the Christmas special showing Marble Pie getting UTTERLY CRUSHED watching Big Mac and his sweetheart enjoy a quiet moment together.
7. Season eight the focus is shifted once more, while still following the mane cast, to a student body they all teach about friendship in an unregistered experimental school. The conflict of keeping it open demonstrates why being afraid of outside forces destroying your society is short-sighted when it can always come from within, from the places you least expect. Evil is evil, whether it comes in the form of us or them.
Whew! That's a lot, and looking back it it, it all looks really, really cool. There's also still next season, which I'd say most of us, myself included, are eagerly awaiting (albeit, perhaps bittersweetly).
My point is that they can shift to literally anything they want that Hasbro would think is interesting and make money, while the writers, director and producers would find very thoughtful ways of making it work. They also just shifted focus to the Student 6, new characters to explore and create adventures with alongside the old ones... so, after 7 years of focusing on just a handful, they make six new beloved ones that they could explore just as deeply for a few seasons, then say "Nope! We're closing the doors on this!" It seems strange ^^
Sometimes it's felt as though they've been winging it when it comes to the story and the direction has shifted based on who's in charge or at least has the most input. As FiM's gained popularity more, more people on Hasbro's team would love to say they've touched the series in some way... that sounds possibly a little creepy (and in a way it is), but it's also part of larger business. If this theory's correct the fact that it's so largely cohesive speaks volumes of the talent and care put into the series by the ones who're responsible for putting it all together. I also believe MLP's had some false ends -- Seasons 2 and 3 seemed like okay places to stop, though they left questions unanswered and fundamentally broke some of the themes previously set up by the narrative. Examples being Celestia and Luna being the only two Alicorns, Twilght having grown up in a bubble without any external influences and her growth over Seasons 1 & 2 happening just as a result of her the magic of hard work, friendship, and being open to new experiences... having a close relationship with brother and foalsitter prior seems to dilute what makes that growth so special somewhat, but, eh... that's seven years ago XD
With so much potential for new directions, though, why end here? FiM's still strong, with a huge base of people who appreciate it and get inspired by it, that are all ages. It's also possible they might not be able to replicate what makes it so awesome with a new series, but there's always the potential for FiM to shift its focus over to shorts and specials. Dunno ^^
So yeah... strange decisions, but it's gotta end somewheres. The characters will live on in our fanworks ^^
Peace 
-Wayward Pony
Very well put. Everything has an Alpha and Omega. However the Omega is basically the start of another Alpha. It's all up to us to decide how things will continue, if they'll continue, and what we can do to homage what we loved in a way that it lives on forever.
I had a talk with a colleague today on MLP: FiM and why it is very important to so many. It opened the door for a lot of people to discover themselves through seeing themselves through the creatures in and out of Equestria. Every character possessed something 'human' that allowed us to know we weren't alone. Then we had the benefit of it becoming a cultural phenom for a time which gave a lot of people, formally tucked away in the shadows out of fear of judgment, a chance to come out and show what they could do.
Much of the tragedy in my life was buffered by Pony. I also learned a lot, became a stronger person, and made loads of friends thanks to Pony. So FiM will forever be a part of me as much, if not more than, all those shows and stories that previously made their way into my heart.
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Yuppers :)
That's a lot of positivity to pull from the series. I can understand how it can help shield people from tragedy, especially since a number of fans I know found it when they were feeling... well, blue or during some transitional times in their lives. It's also been cited that FiM came out during an economic depression, when people, especially young adults just coming into being, were shouldered with a lot of uncertainty... I guess the assumption made is that they had something to retreat to, which was safe and mirrored experiences of just coming out into the world in a less frightening light. Dunno, but if that's the case, the magic is then partially due to circumstance and adult projection. I can say that those were problems and ideas I didn't' really have to face, given my life situation at the time, which isn't to say I couldn't see people relating to it that way, or even relate to it myself in some way.
I can attest to it having a positive impact for myself, helping me through difficult times -- moving across country and a break-up, divorce in the family, diagnosis of disabilities and illnesses, physical withdrawal as different medicines were tried, losing a job and part of the community at large when the establishment I worked for closed down, death of loved ones and learning a few people I once cared greatly about were really just awful and had horrific effects on my loved ones closest to them. Also, coming into reality about the future... my own limitations VS my expectations. It's been a constant during probably one of the longest, most turbliant points in my life, which is often most turbulent for most people -- the transition to adulthood.
Even without all this above stuff going on FiM's still pretty awesome by itself. There are a lot of things going on, even as the series ages, that make it stand out from others. The series is thoughtfully made and I'm glad I've gotten into it for that reason and just being surrounded by all this creativity and art. I probably wouldn't be as into it if it wasn't for that, as well ^^