"The Summer Sun Setback" Review: Fear for the Future

This episode is a bombshell. I didn't expect what happened and I had to watch it seven times so that my brain could process all of it. Tirek, Chrysalis, Cozy Glow, Grogar, the LAST Summer Sun Celebration..... It's all an enormous mix of emotions; sadness, excitement, trepidation and fear. Fear for the Future.

We got a bigger insight in the final masterplan. Grogar doesn't have his bell and so he went to get another, mysterious powerful artifact to use instead of the bell, without telling Chrysalis, Cozy Glow and Tirek what that artifact is. And the latter three continued their betrayal and backstabbing, by retrieving a book from the Archives of Canterlot to learn how to use Grogar's Bell. Which he didn't seem to notice, but, didn't he?
Cozy Glow made sure that he was gone before they continued talking about the bell and Grogar did not appear like he is suspicious. But it is Grogar's own behavior that is suspicious now.
After he had returned from scouting out the other artifact, he scolded Chrysalis, Tirek and Cozy Glow and said that he, once more, found success while all they find is failure. He appeared upset over that, angry even, when he said that second part of his sentence. And yet, he keeps Cozy Glow, Tirek and Chrysalis around. Why?
His behavior indicates that he is unsatisfied with their results and it shows that his plan of working together with them doesn't work out well and that he would probably be better off with trying it alone after all their failures.
But despite all of that, despite that they don't turn out to be very useful for this plan, he doesn't chase them away or kill them and proceeds to try it alone but, instead, keeps working together with them. For what reason would he do that, if not for it that his plan with them is something else entirely and that there is something he doesn't tell them?
Grogar was even smiling when the spoke about that he found success once more, which can mean he found the artifact he was looking for and is pleased with that, but if he is sly, his smile could have also been the result of it that the three of them are just his pawns and that everything develops according to his secret plan; that he found success because they are doing exactly what he expected them to do.
These reactions by him, they have convinced me that he already knows about their betrayal. That he keeps them around even though he said that they are such failures is too suspicious and a major red flag for it that he has looked through their own plan already.
With this new development, it is pretty clear that Grogar wanted them to betray him right from the start. He sent them out to get his bell, knew that they would keep it for themselves if they manage to retrieve it and also knew that the key to use his bell is in the Canterlot Archives and that they would go there to get the book with the information they need.

There are still two possibilities here, though. The first, and the simplest one, is that Grogar could easily re-activate his bell alone, with the book or without it, and that he merely let's the treacherous trio do what they want because he knows that he is more powerful than them and because he wants to knock them down when they feel like they've won and that nothing can take their victory away from them anymore. To completely humiliate them by beating them when they don't expect it anymore and by letting them know they did all the dirty work for him.

The second possibility is that Grogar indeed needs them for something. Not only is it rather obvious that Cozy, Tirek and Chrysalis will draw less attention in Canterlot than he would, especially considering that the fact that his bell is drawn on the book implies that Celestia and Luna know about Grogar and his bell, it could also be that he is, for some reason, not able to use his bell anymore. Not without help.
Grogar already needed their help to get his bell in the first place. Which was already suspicious, as shooting magic at the barrier proved to be enough to open it up and Grogar could have done that by himself, so this supports the notion that he is planning with it that the bell is in their possession.
Maybe his magic, whatever kind of magic that might be, is not only sealed away in the bell, but has been sealed away by Gusty in such a way that he cannot break the seal and that only a pony can do it. Which would mean there's more reason for why he wanted to have Cozy Glow in his team other than as a strategist and the one who should make Chrysalis and Tirek get along with each other.
Maybe Cozy is the only one who can break the seal with the help of the instructions from the book and Grogar is merely waiting for the right moment to strike, once they have his bell and have unlocked it.
The episode doesn't allow for any guesses which of these possibilities is more likely, but one thing is crystal-clear: Grogar knows.

After "Frenemies" aired and it was obvious that Cozy, Tirek and Chrysalis betray Grogar, I nailed down all the possible outcomes in the conflict about the control of his bell and the possible outcomes for Cozy Glow. This episode adds more possibilities and even increases the already established "'Game of Thrones' level of speculation".

It all starts with Chrysalis' plan. While she was in Canterlot, she contributed to their efforts of creating chaos to go unnoticed by manipulating the unicorns of the firework specialists and making them think they are meant for something higher and should ditch the Summer Sun Celebration and abandon their fellow ponies. A sentiment that eventually spread to other unicorns. This revealed something that was only theorized, so far, that unicorns in general take a lot of pride into their ability of active spellcasting, that they have a certain arrogance to them and a tendency to see themselves as being better than the other two pony races. A tendency that will prove itself as fateful for Equestria's future soon.
Chrysalis' actions worked and as Cozy Glow recapped their success, it inspired Chrysalis to a plan even more sinister:

To bring up the three pony races against each other and incite a war between them.

This will make it easy for their great masterplan to succeed. But, much worse than that, it will bring back a menace from times before Equestria's founding and when the lands that are now known as Equestria were a barely populated wilderness.
We all know what happened when the three pony tribes fought each other in ancient times. Chrysalis might not be aware of that, but if she succeeds with this sinister plan, it is going to bring back the Windigos and they will bring icecold doom over Equestria. I concluded my review of "Frenemies" with saying that Equestria will come out unscathed from whatever happens. Now, I'm not so sure anymore.
An Equestrian Civil War between the three races would not only pave the way for it that Equestria has to surrender to Grogar, Chrysalis, Tirek or Cozy Glow (she would gain tremendous power if she manages to wield Grogar's Bell), whoever will be the winner at the end, but it would destroy Equestria entirely.
This will affect their entire plan. A waging war while they attack Canterlot has the potential for unpredictable developments. And it raises many questions already: What will Cozy Glow's reaction to it that she inspired the destruction of Equestria be? How will Chrysalis react when she sees that her plan works too well? And how will the presence of Windigos affect Grogar's masterplan? Will he, as the Father of Monsters, be able to control the Windigos or will he helplessly face them like the rest?

And then we have Tirek. His role in the events we've just seen was rather small, but there is one moment that stuck out.
When a bird got blown away by the fans Shining Armor installed, Tirek reflexively caught it, then looked after it with a sad expression and care in his eyes as it flew away again. This is an unexpectedly thoughtful reaction for someone who only sees the power in living beings and only cares about those who can deliver him with enough magic to grow more powerful himself. This reminds me a lot on it how he leaned down to Cozy Glow and explained her who Grogar is, with such patience and in a quite fatherly way, while Cozy was listening and smiling up to him like he's her dad.
Seeing this after Grogar summoned all of them into his lair gave me the feeling that Tirek might have started to see Cozy as his daughter, while Cozy sees him as her dad. I think what is happening here is that Cozy Glow with her natural innocence (when she isn't plotting anything evil and she had no reason to in Tartarus) makes Tirek soft. Maybe, she has an effect on him that will eventually become strong enough to cure the pain of the betrayal by his own brother and even to turn Tirek around.
It is unclear whether or not there will be enough time for such a development to happen before their plan goes into effect, but something is happening with Tirek. And if Cozy does have such an effect on him, it brings up the question how he will react when they eventually go and invade Canterlot, if Grogar shouldn't kill him for his betrayal before then. Is Tirek going to make a decision that no one will expect? If yes, how will this affect the course of the entire plan?

The likely presence of Windigos during the upcoming invasion and Tirek's possible reformation bring new unpredictability to the table. And both of these new developments are connected to Cozy Glow. I already was very convinced that Cozy Glow will play a key role in the events after I saw "Frenemies" and wrote about it in my review of this episode. But now, we pretty much have a confirmation for this. As such, I firmly predict two things to happen:

- Tirek will become reformed and Cozy Glow will be the driving force behind that reformation.

- Cozy Glow will surrender and give up her evil deeds, when she sees how the Windigos destroy Equestria after she inspired Chrysalis to her new plan, because that was never a motivation for her.

About the fate of Chrysalis and Grogar, I can't tell. There is still the possibility that Grogar is a fake villain like Sombra and part of Celestia's and Luna's own plan to test Twilight and her friends and see if they are ready. If this is not the case and Grogar isn't a part of that plan, I can't tell what will happen to him, right now, and neither for Chrysalis. But I have a strong feeling that Chrysalis will get killed during the events that are going to transpire. Perhaps, even by the Windigos that she herself will summon with her actions.
Chrysalis is wicked enough to go too far. If anything, it was this episode that has proven it with her insane plan to incite a war between the three pony races. There is hardly any other outcome than death for someone like this.

Now I talked so much about Grogar, Chrysalis, Tirek and Cozy Glow and about their plan and what it will mean for Equestria, that I did not even mention the last Summer Sun Celebration and Celestia's and Luna's very sudden retirement. I did not expect either of these things.
The synopsis spoke about it that it would be the last Summer Sun Celebration before Celestia and Luna step off the throne and leave it to Twilight, but it nowhere spoke about it that it would be the very last Summer Sun Celebration ever.
As one of their last decisions as Equestria's rulers, Celestia and Luna abolished a more than 1,000 years old tradition because the tradition is all about them and they don't want to be worshipped anymore once they have become citizens like everypony else. And even though Twilight was overriding that decision with her own ruling power and announced a new celebration in their honor, this celebration will not be the Summer Sun Celebration anymore. It will be the "Festival of the Two Sisters". A different celebration, one that will likely come with different festivities and its own elements and flair.
The Summer Sun Celebration is the first thing I learned about Equestria's culture, Equestria's first national holiday I heard about. Seeing it go evokes a deep sadness in me, bittersweet, but still hard to endure.
And that Celestia and Luna have retired now, when so much spoke for it that they will rule for a little while longer, until the Finale rolls around, makes me actually just speechless. I do not know what to say or what to feel about it. I just hope that their retirement won't also mean the end of their lives. Luna is somepony I don't want to live without.
I look with anxiety into the future.

~ Fluttercheer

Comments

[Bronycommander]

It's interesting indeed and that reaction by Tirek...even the most coldest persons can have a soft side deep within. Still, I am actually more curious about Coty's background.