The Finale and Epilogue · 11:48pm Oct 13th, 2019
Well...
At around midnight, I finally sat down with my pony watching buddy. We had, each of our own accord and independent of one another, dressed fancy with some pony swag attached. We also each brought our favorite plushies to have and to hold (his, a Build a Bear Rarity, mine was a Critter Corral Sunset Shimmer). We watched it more or less in straight shot, occasionally pausing to laugh or crack jokes as was our habit.
... and it was good.
Real good.
A lot of people are posting wistful retrospectives and talking about crying afterwards and I could do that... but to some extent I already did in my previous blog post and Happy Endings. There's more there to discuss, but not so much about the end as how much getting here means to me... plus, like the song Time Adventure says:
If there was some amazing force outside of time
To take us back to where we were
And hang each moment up like pictures on the wall
Inside a billion tiny frames so that we could see it all, all, all
It will look like, will happen, happening, happened
Will happen, happening, happened
And, there we are again and again
'Cause you and I will always be back then
You and I will always be back then
So instead... let's talk about how goddamn rad the fucking final episodes were... in the form of stream consciousness gushing in spoiler bars!
So, that cold open fucking had me swearing loudly and with great passion. Some people I know claimed to have seen it coming, to which I say congrats on winning speculation lottery or being psychic because that shit CAME OUT OF NOWHERE
It was still a great plot twist and made decent sense in retrospect, it was just not at all what I was expecting. I blame being blinded by all that Grogar hype.
Mega Evolution Chrysalis wasn't my favorite design at first but it grew on me.
Fucking Tirek just giving Cozy Glow infinite cosmic power just to prove a point.
Tirek vs. The Pillars: Oh yeah, Tirek, besides being one of the canniest enemies the ponies faced, was also hands down one of the most brutal and efficient combatants. Almost forgot that.
Starlight vs. Chrysalis: Or, as I like to call it; Starlight Keeps Winning Part 1. Also, that hug she and Trixie shared and Trixie being referred to as "Counselor" nearly brought a tear to my damn eye. Those two are fucking great and I love what the show did with them god bless.
I loved that it looked like Cozy Glow had just won outright only for the Mane 6 to nearly take her out and end the whole crisis on the spot with some hail-mary The Adventure Zone DnD bullshit. That was fucking perfect. Then the cavalry arrived and it was no longer perfect.
THE MOMENT. WITH RARITY. AND THE BOULDER.
THE FUCKING LOOK RARITY GIVES TWILIGHT AFTER HUCKING THE BOULDER
IT WAS ALL SO PERFECT AND I COULD WRITE AN ESSAY ABOUT HOW IT WAS A WONDERFUL MOMENT OF CHARACTER GROWTH, CHARACTER RELATIONSHIPS, AND A CALLBACK ALL THE WAY TO EPISODE TWO.
Episode 24 went fucking hard
Discord, bound in chains, be yanked around on leash and humiliated by the Villain Three is the biggest of fucking oofs. Like, yeah, he fucked up, but seeing him broken and used really hammered home how dire shit was.
On the other hand - HE CAN STILL FUCKING OWN YOU JABRONIES EVEN POWERLESS AND TIED UP. Suck it you bush league villains.
Seriously, his gambit was great. Also, Starlight Winning Everything Forever Part 2, and the last desperate stand of the Princesses, Discord, and Starlight to buy time.
Also, while I don't like the comics on the whole, Tirek's villain origins was easily the best Fiendship is Magic volume so, I am Cool With It Being Canon.
Also, while typing this I suddenly remembered the show had the balls to drop a completely badass and terrifying LotR reference in it's darkest hour.
I love how A) They remember the establishment of the Crystal Empire as a redoubt from the first episode and B) even as she spiraled into despair, Twilight never stopped fighting.
Also, while it's kind of passed over, the fact that the villain three spent months slowly sabotaging Equestria and driving ponies apart all as a lead up to their final Coup De Grace really hammers home that these three are legit dangerous even without their DBZ bullshit.
Also, rollback to part 1, but TIrek, Chrysalis, and Cozy Glow just leveling Canterlot as a masterstroke to their plan to destroy Equestria was one of the most brutal and terrifying displays of power the show has done. They really went hard on this one.
The Pegasi trying to build a floating festung in the sky as the apocalypse starts in force while leaving the rest of ponykind to die reminded me of Fallout: Equestria in a legit good way.
Also the had the fucking balls to make a Pinkie and the Brain reference in their darkest hour. We can't keep letting Studio B get away this.
More fucking Shenanigans for the fate of the world. Also, fucking Pinkie Pie
Chrysalis's "Not annoying... distracting!" line was goddamn perfect.
Also, Chrysalis and Rarity and Spike having a fucking stand off and DBZ beam-struggle was Davie504 EPIC.
Also, I just love right before all this we have the Villain Three infighting and Chrysalis is off her meds again ranting about some creepy fascist shit and only Tirek, who'd consistently been portrayed as the saviest and wisest of the three, is the only one thinking maybe they should take the setting's inbuilt Killswitch a little more seriously.
Also, Chrysalis just straight threatened to rip Spike limb from limb. Given she never never used fatal violence before (unlike Tirek, notably), here she just straight threatens maul a child in-front of his sister. If that ethical decay is intentional, which, I suspect it is, Chrysalis really fell apart after getting humiliated and beaten over again and now she really is just a crazy, vengful sadist rather than simply an ultranationalist leader in a bad situation.
The fucking School of Friendship being the lynchpin that saves the day is so fucking perfect, guys. Arc-wise, thematically, emotionally - everything Twilight and her friends did gets paid back in the end, and in the end, it's the friends they made that save the day. Plus, seeing literally everyone come together - friends, former enemies, and family - in the end to make one last desperate stand against these three monsters while the world literally starts to end around them is so fucking metal and inspiring I can't even. Ah, ✋👌. Fucking perfect, ya'll
THREE GENERATIONS OF PILLARS. UNITED AS ONE.
FUCKING. PINKIE. PIE.
Seriously, her phenomal cosmic power bit was hilarious and her being able to handle Discord's magic for six seconds is also a hilarious send up of the "Pinkie is a cosmic horror/chaos god" meme.
Do you all remember what Discord say, waaaay back in Season 2, in his very first conversation? "I don't turn ponies into stone." His voice was legit dripping with contempt. It's possible he was fucking with Celestia doing a Not So Different bit, but he did legit seem to find that particular act morally reprehensible... so seeing that get called back, all the way here at the end, just to underline how fucking worthless he thinks these three are, all as he, Celestia, and Luna finally team up to make these jabronies bite the fucking curb?
✋👌
Also, I get people find them not at least trying to reform Cozy Glow as fucked up, but she seems to legit be a psychopath and is a constant danger and already showed she had zero remorse and was willing to keep trying no matter who she had to hurt to win. Also, she's a hilarious little ball of pure evil so I just don't think it's that deep fam. Still, someone could write a dope ass fanfic about Discord thawing them out in a thousand years and them having to deal with being traumatized from their imprisonment (remember, Discord was entirely aware while in stone) and powerless in a world that doesn't even fear or remember them. That would be some heavy-ass shit and someone should totally do it.
Back at Pony Joes. The feels, man. Feels... all sorts of things, but Good is one of them.
God... so many good feels...
All those creatures, including kirin, living and loving in Canterlot was so fucking rewarding guys. Everything meant something in the end - not just in the big moments, but all the little moments afterwards.
The Abyssians are, FYI, the cat furries, so Spike was literally on a mission to get the cats and dogs... to stop fighting like cats and dogs. Iseewhatudidthar.
Also, Spike, permanent royal advisor, was so completely legit, dudes. Almost tearing up thinking about it. Little dude made it. Twilight finally loves and respects him like he deserves.
Haha, funnyman comment about Skylight Daytime name.
Oh hey, Twilight having an existential meltdown at the idea of her life changing by inches and losing what she cared about. Wonder if anyone came up with that idea.
((For reference, I don't 100% remember who suggested that being a core sticking point first when we discussed that fic, but I think it was Solo. Go reward him by reading his stories.))
SPIDERS! Dark secret: I know far to much Spider Lore and am at least mildly fascinated by the little buggers. Also, Rarity using Fluttershy's animal speaking perk to revolutionize fashion with spider silk is fucking great. Also, bonus points, if any other jobbers show up to try and assassinate Twilight at this coronation, that sash is bulletproof!
Everyone crying and then panic dominoes. That is some classic ass MLP. God bless.
The Ponies at Dawn Eternal Album kind of spoiled the memory book thing for me, but it's so perfect and echoes, once again, Time Adventure so well. We'll always have the show, here, to watch and have and remember. They go one step further though - it's not just about holding on to the past, but we can move forward and create new memories and new things with this behind us. I've heard people read that moment as a nod to the fandom carrying on the spirit and creative force of the show, and, you know, I think that's a totally legit read. For now, we still have each other, and we may have more in the future to keep us together. This show, man. It's so good. We're so good.
Ah, I've gone and gotten sentimental.
PInkie Pie got to fuck Weird Al Yankovic. She is living her best fucking life and I could not be happier for her.
Fluttershy apparently lives with Discord and he's a regular member of the group. Make of that what you will, but... canon.
Now... I'll be honest. I don't like Appledash. It is both a shallow and problematic ship, and nothing in the show's run really fixed that... but here, at the end, with the two of them together like that? ... Even as a bitter old man, I can be happy with it. Congrats, you guys.
The fucking song, guys...
YONA AND SANDBAR RUN CAROUSEL BOUTIQUE! SQUEE!
Old Trixie and Old Starlight look so fucking classy, guys.
I love how in every little shot and site gag they've kept this Lyra and Bonbon thing running throughout the last four episodes. It's fucking legit, guys. It's 100% fucking legit.
ALL OF THE CHARACTERS! ALL OF THEM! SO MANY MEMORIES! I know they had only one season to wrap on short notice, so they couldn't touch back on everyone, but, you know, Slice of Life had a serious point - it's not just the Mane 6 - it's a whole world full of these characters and their stories. Every one of them mattered, to us and in their own world, and helped make the show what it is, and seeing that given a nod to, again, here at the end... my heart.
"This is where the magic happens // This is where the magic lives // Our friendships weave together stronger // The bonds grow deeper, lasting longer // And the greatest spell you'll know // Is how the Magic of Friendship grows
...
Guys... this was great. I love this. I loved all of this. I love all of you. I'll keep loving all of you. As long as we have each other I'll keep loving you. Even if, if it all ends, remember that I loved you, that we loved this. That this was good. It was worth it, guys. It was worth it and it was beautiful. Thank you, everyone. This show, all of you, it reminds me... that no matter how awful the world is or how it all ends... friendship, really was magic.
... and that's it, I think.
Well, I said I wouldn't get sappy and cry, but here I am, an honest liar, eh?
God bless all of you. I'll see you all around.
Until next time!
-Nyronus.
(( Also, new EQG in two weeks, huh? Well, hey, you know what they say.
The ride never ends. ))
All I know is that Gallus being Twilight's Captain of the Guard (or personal guard) just makes this canon. Also Sparity is NOT a thing in the series OR EqG. 'nuff said.
Oh, and I forgot to mention: The moment between Ocellus and Ember in the final song amused me because that's kind of a popular ship and they gave me a bit of an Old Couple vibe.
... So sue me, I'm a shipper.
Also, fuck, ADULT CMCS WORKING IN THE SCHOOL. FUCK. SO GOOD.
So many good moments. Hard to keep track of them all.
Aaaaand another blog post today I start to tear up, and crying, while reading... going to need to clean my glasses again.
Thank you, for writing, this, in general... yeah. :)
Not at my most eloquent today either. :D
Our fandom is the other place where the Magic of Friendship happens and as long as we are together, it always will.
5138567
Olden Brony, you're a fucking treasure and a credit to this fandom. God bless you, and may grace always light your path.
5138621
Thank you!
You're pretty awesome yourself, you know! Hope to see you at Everfree or TrotCon.