Season 3 - Short Reviews and Ratings · 7:03pm May 8th, 2020
Well I have to admit, these haven't turned out as popular as I'd hoped - but I might as well at least post the last set I did.
(NOTE: while the first half of these (up to Sleepless in Ponyville) were written last March, the latter half dates to last October and therefore takes into account Season 9.)
Season 3 - this whole post-Faust, half-length thing was, like Return of Harmony, a possible end that instead became a new beginning. Unfortunately, unlike Return of Harmony, it doesn't quite serve in either role.
The Crystal Empire
Ok, SPB12 and I seem to be on completely opposite trajectories with these two-parters. For me, while Canterlot Wedding was a mixed bag this is a straight fail that worsens some of the things I disliked there. For starters, the Twilight focus has become even worse, with her getting lengthy songs about her "test" which in any case makes Celestia look bad. Her friends are totally sidelined (at least the wedding eps tried to give them stuff to do).
And the new characters are even flatter - Sombra might actually work that way (you learn his nature fron the shadow he casts) but the crystal ponies were unforgivably flat. (And OK, that might have been the point here, but as of Season 8 we haven't seen a single one with any more personality than the nameless librarian here. Really, the only ones who come off decently here are Spike, the royal couple and (on reflection) Sombra.
Rating: Bad. Perhaps the strong points might have bumped a normal episode up to Mediocre, but two-parters face a higher standard. Not a good start to the season.
Too Many Pinkie Pies
What's this? A first regular episode not focused on Twilight? Well, she's certainly had enough lately, and I suppose this season doesn't have any time to waste. In fact, each character only has time for one focus ep this season, and this one is Pinkie Pie's. It's goal is to show how she's more than a living fun machine by having her unleash a horde of clones of herself that are. And of course let's not forget the mandatory dose of Polsky controversy by having Twilight dispose of those indeterminately-sapient clones in a rather ambiguous fashion.
All in all, not quite the dose of quality pony I needed at this point, but perhaps slightly better than it seemed at the time.
Rating: Fine. It seems that more Pinkies does not, in fact, equate to more fun.
One Bad Apple
Not a promising name, and a CMC episode to boot - yet definitely the best episode so far this season and quite possibly the Crusaders' best since Season 1. Of course, that depends on how you look at it - those expecting a catchall "bullying episode" will be disappointed, because there's only time to present one specific case here. And a lot of it comes down to your own feelings on this contentious subject - whether Babs' actions are understandable, whether she should have faced more punishment for them, and whether the CMCs actions in response were justified. Ultimately, the real moral here may not be about bullying directly, but rather that you should try to understand others motivations before resorting to force against them. Of course, the show doesn't seem in a hurry to extend that privilege to Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon... yet.
Rating: Fine. The topic was perhaps a bit too big to take on, but the episode manged adequately - and Babs makes for a decent "Fourth Crusader". It was also nice to see Silver Spoon back (I'm not sure why SPB12 disagrees) - friendship isn't just for the good girls, after all.
Magic Duel
And finally we're cooking here! Fan favourite Trixie is back, and there's a whole cavalcade of fanservice to go with her, as if making a direct sequel centered around a returning character meant they knew that the audience for this one was regular viewers rather than casuals.
The showmare is played up as a full and satisfying villain, albiet with an "out" that maintains her original moral ambiguity. And I loved that a) even with her misdirected grudge aimed at Twilight, she never forgot who was truly responsible for the Ursa, and b) Twilight ultimately beat her at her own game (trickery and misdirection) after she gave up on it in favour of raw power.
Now were there some downsides? Yes - mainly aspects which didn't seem to go anywhere, like Zecora's training (although if it's an ESB refence that's pretty appropriate) and the Saddle Arabians. But nothing bad enough to bring it down, especially given how long it had been since I had good pony.
Rating: Excellent. Sure, this episode brings more flash than substance to the table, but what do you expect from a Trixie ep?
Sleepless in Ponyville
Well first off, the pedant in me would like to offcially note that the title is not very accurate, with very little of the episode - and none of the sleepless parts - taking place in Ponyville at all. That out of the way, we can now proceed to the substance of the episode - and substance it has!
After last episode, a lot of fans might have wondered if the only path of fanservice in this show was that of fast-paced gratuitous references. But here new writer Corey Powell shows us another way - just focus on a single issue the fans hold close to their hearts. And after Sweetie Belle got her first spotlight episode the previous season, Scootaloo was well overdue. And just in case, throw in fan favourite Luna in a way which logically expands on her abilities and role (if not her backstory). The result - an episode just as fanservicey as the last, but completely different in tone and style.
Rating: Excellent. This season's really picking up!
Wonderbolts Academy
One thing we got from Season 3 potentially being the last is this sign of Rainbow Dash moving towards her dream (albiet in a noncommittal way that let them stretch it out over a few more seasons). And she has good stuff here - from another foil who's even more of her dark side than Gilda, to proving that there are things more important to her than being a Wonderbolt. (But of course this is a show of happy endings, so the story gets to have its' cake and eat it too.)
On the downside, the Pinkie Pie B-plot was a bit of an annoying time-waster.
Rating: Good. (Pinkie might drag it down to Fine on another day, but I'm feeling generous. And as SPB12 points out, she's not exactly OOC here.)
Apple Family Reunion
The "seasonal midpoint" episode of sorts - that role has gone to the 13th so far, but obviously that won't work this season. What that means is an episode without notable flaws or great strengths - warm and homey, with just enough conflict. If this had been the last showing for the Apple Family, it would have been a decent one.
Rating: Good. About the only annoying bit is the confusion over the Apple's barn/house thing.
Spike at Your Service
Ah, the first Spike ep where I agree with the general negative consensus. It was originally planned with him and Rarity*, but switching to Applejack at least gives the ep some saving graces, both in her probably better attitude to it and just the fact that he rarely gets much interaction with the hornless Manes.
And there are other strong points - the scene with AJ, Rainbow and Rarity just chatting, an interesting re-interpretation of timberwolves - but they don't properly make up for Spike losing his competence for little reason. (Especially in such close proximity to another much more enjoyable episode focused on him being incompetent,)
Rating: Mediocre. There's as much good as actively bad, but...
*It turns out this wasn't quite the case - the planned episode was much the same, but with a jealous Rarity added. Well, not sorry they cut that.
Keep Calm and Flutter On
The first ep SPB12 reveiwed in detail, and the first one I'm going to write about at length it seems. If not for my delay, that probably wouldn't be the case, but in the light of the finale I have more than the usual couple of paragraphs to say here.
First, the things I'd have said anyway. This ep was a pretty big shocker - just having a major villain and the Elements in an odinary episode would do that, let alone said episode being focused on somepony other than Twilight. Here Fluttershy picks up her own troubled connection to a higher power, one that will stretch the series.
For some, the idea of reforming DIscord came as a greater shock than others, mainly because his evil had been played up and down in different corners of the fandom. To some, he was a nigh-Satanic figure; to others, a mere trickster whose imprisonment had probably caused stagnation in the world. I was never that attached to either side, but I could see the meta sense - if you want Discord back (and given Delancie was on board, they did) then he can't keep getting turned back to stone (it would make a joke of him) and after what he did nopony could rest easy if he was on the loose and not at least vaguely "on side". So reformation it was, and after resisting his mind control Fluttershy was a decent candidate - a beauty to tame the beast.
As for the episode itself, I'd say it executes it's premise decently enough for 22 minutes, if one believes that such a story can be told in such a short span. The main problem, as cited in a few places, is the somewhat worrying resemblance of the story (and indeed beauty-and-beast formula's in general) to a woman trying to change her abusive boyfriend. Sure, Fluttershy does commit to walking away if Discord doesn't improve his behaviour - but like Dash in Wonderbolts Academy, it isn't followed through on here.
Which brings us to the problem that the finale brought into full focus - did Discord really change, or at least, did he change enough for it to be worth it? Of course, he has to still cause some degree of trouble to be fun - but to many, he doesn't seem to learn much, with his plans in the last season being either a final straw or confirmation of exiting dislike of him. Personally, I didn't like the twist very much and think Discord has been written clumsily here and there - but I'll leave that discussion to later eps and try and rate this one on its' own merits, because I don't think reforming DIscord was a bad idea.
(Something that isn't a problem on its' own per se but ties into another finale-related issue is that this is about the only time that our ponies make a serious effort to reform an unrepentant bad guy. Most of the show seems to run on the principle of forgiveness for those who seek it and damnation for those who don't - I'm sure Discord would be proud to break the mold, but the disharmony produced when it comes home to roost isn't the fun kind. That's still a way off though.)
Rating: Good. Back then Discord wasn't common enough for me to be tired of him, and seeing Fluttershy take him on more or less solo with kindness was cool, especially once we found out it wasn't so quick and easy.
Just For Sidekicks
In which Cory Powell proves she can do the gratuitous reference kind of fanservice too (or just works with an animation team who likes it). Seriously, this ep is just brimming with little details, which helps to cover for a somewhat sparse main plot. (One example is the photo story of Peewee that opens the episode, even if it only exists to cover a hole in continuity.)
Spike is shown as the source of all his own problems here... and still comes of as more competent and likeable than in his other ep this season. It's also nice to see him interacting with his age-mates the CMC for once, and of course, to see all the Mane pets gathered.
It was also interesting to see the first of a few "simultaneous epsiodes" - a sign of the show's growing comfort with continuity. However, I do think that this episode should have aired second, not just because it was better, but also because the other ep has more teasing setups for it than vice versa.
Rating: Good. In the end, a fun watch that is only kept for Excellence by a certain lack of substance.
Games Ponies Play
One problem with pairing episodes together, as with this and Just For Sidekicks, is that it invites comparison - and this comparison is one in which Games Ponies Play comes up wanting. It doesn't help that this episode lacks strong focus on any character, and also fails to develop the inhabitants of the Crystal Empire to any real degree. Miss Harshwhinny at least stands out, but only as the only pony in the episode with any real character. Well, OK, Rainbow Dash has a bit - it was nice to see her old grudge and a pony who, it turns out, wasn't her dad.
Still, if this didn't set up a whole arc (and how does that work with them not knowing if they'd be renewed?) I'd glasy ditch it in exchange for the Rarity ep we didn't get this season.
Rating: Mediocre. This is what you get when you lack both substance and the style to hide it.
Magical Mystery Cure
And here we go - the big one. It could have been the end of the show, but not one I'd have liked - too Twilight-heavy and wasting time on setting things up instead of resolving them. But as it turns out, it's instead an end for one chapter before another can begin - chapters of Twilight's life, specifically, which makes the focus on her forgivable.
And it's a couple more things - the show's first full-on musical (starting a tradition that wouldn't last forever), a rare single-parter finale and yet also clearly two stories smooshed together. Well OK, perhaps more one story that's finished off two-thirds of the way through the episode to squeeze in an Event that had to happen now by Hasbro mandate.
Looking first at the main, 2/3rds-of-the-ep story, it's a passable crisis - sure, it doesn't get much examination or have time to allow the non-Twilight cast much agency, but that just leaves plenty of room for speculation and fanfic, especially as it's implied that the past is becoming as twisted as the present. And the five do at least throw themselves into their new roles - they may not have much of a part in this story, but they're going to play it!
What's more concerning is the idea that this was a deliberate plan of Celestia's - this season is probably the worst when it comes to her scheming style of "mentoring". I doubt even she could have broken an out-of-control spell channelled through the Elements - so what if Twilight hadn't? Heck, how much did Celestia even know what was going to happen in the first place? (A more decompressed story could have fit some explanation of this, good or otherwise, into the "astral space" scene". But MMC doesn't have time.)
Then there is the conclusion - the part which could be pasted whole on any episode that culminated in Twilight being caught in the center of the Elements' power. The astral space scene is sweet if you don't have time to think about the above much, the debut of the wings and title perfectly serviceable and the coronation spectacular enough for short notice (though the Princesses need to fire their designers). it doesn't say anything about where the show will be going next really, but did the last two finales?
As for the musical aspect, as someone who usually likes the show's songs it played a good part of moving this very rushed story along. And great vocal performances all round, including Celestia's debut. Out of the the shows' four episodes of this type, I'd probably rate it second only to Pinkie Pride - but we'll see when I get there.
Rating: Good. Sure, it's a bit of a rushed mess, but it mostly managed to make me, at least, forget that while watching. It's only a pity that the stuff here couldn't be explored in more detail.
Season 3 Overall
2 Excellent + 5 Good + 2 Fine + 2 Mediocre + 2 Bad = an overall score of Fine.
Not better or worse than the season before it, but just shorter and more controversial, with a weak start, Notably, it was the first season to begin embracing continuity, whether as references to the past, genuine growth and progress for characters, or setups for the future that makes me wonder if they did suspect more seasons would come. It might have been nice to see what form it might have taken with a full run of episodes.
Came here to find that group you mentioned to me and now I am commenting notes on your blogs! Hooray!
I mean it's not like we've got to spend a whole lot of time in the Crystal Empire, certainly not a whole lot of time among its residents. For what we're shown I think they did a pretty decent job.
Always felt kind of shallow to me, especially with how Rainbow usually treats her friends.
It was necessary to set up why Rainbow's friends were there though. And for my money it's one of the funnier moments of the episode, not to mention a pretty cute moment that shows just how high maintenance and yet caring she can be.
It could've been so much better written with Fluttershy. We've seen Spike isn't the best with animals, and between Spike's honor and Fluttershy reluctance to hurt other's feelings, we could've had a very believable conflict, as opposed to the issue ridden episode we got.
Given how much I think reoccurring villains where in demand by the time the latter seasons rolled around, and given the fact that both Crysallis and Starlight escaped without the protagonists giving it a second thought, I don't think it would've been that big of a issue.
Agreed. I will say though that even when the episode aired I hated how they butchered Pinkie's character to get that reaction out of her. Because when you look back at her in "The Return Of Harmony Part 2" Pinkie finds even her "turning gray" funny. Fluttershy? Refers to him as a "big dumb meanie".
For that and some of the dialogue she gives during the episode I never really bought the relationship between Discord and Fluttershy as hapining because Fluttershy genuinely wanting to befriend Discord.
She was always nice to him and I can believe that she eventually warmed up to him, but I never believed that would have happened without Celestia's involvement. And (especially in light of Seasons like 8 and 9) given Celestia's motivations, the implications are downright disturbing.
5279443
Hurrah from me, too! (Which group?)
We spend quite a lot of time in the Empire, and met plenty of ponies who live there. So no, I find the lack of natives far from a decent job .
Can you explain?
It does indicate some notable psychological issues on her part, but didn't she already have enough of those?
An interesting alternative take. One would just have to make sure her discomfort came off as amusing rather than painful.
Neither of them have anywhere near his power level. And quite frankly, Chrysalis on the loose should be a national security crisis - changelings in general should have destroyed trust. But that's another story.
I think Pinkie leaned some harsh lessons about laughter from him. She might also be susceptible vo his temptations than most ponies. Flutters was able to resist his tricks, and while she might have gotten angry at him, she's not the sort to hold grudges.
As for the rest - I guess it depends on how much you think genuine feeling can be willfully manufactured. She wanted to become his friend, so she acted like his friend until it wasn't acting anymore. And she surely expected no more of him - good behaviour first, and then goodness will follow.
5279473
We don't usually get a whole lot in regards to character personality, outside of gags or characters directly related to the plot. We don't know a whole lot about most ponies that aren't in the Main Cast.
We do get a lot of looks at the empire's culture throughout the show, and The Crystalling at least gives us some face time with the ponies who live there even if it's not a whole lot or very detailed in it's scope.
Won't argue they could've been better about showing them, but then they could've shown us more of the empire too.
I mean I am sure part of it is my lack of ability to emphasize with the character.
But put together with episodes like Mare Do Well, where Rainbow Dash showboats with poorly thought out catchphrases rather than saving ponies, and nearly lets a hot air balloon crash because she's singing autographs, and Dragon Shy, where she kicks a Dragon in the face because she's too impatient to formulate a sensible plan, and the idea of Rainbow Dash as a safety conscious pony just strikes me as utterly laughable.
Don't watch if you don't like truly awful characters. (Or if you like Rainbow Dash.)
I mean I found it funny. I suppose if they had cut it out the rest of the of the episode they could've wrote it better. But as it is in retrospect its one of the few things I actually love about the episode.
Its still a complete 180 from where she was when The Return Of Harmony ended though. And it's a complete one eighty again after Keep Calm and Flutter On was over. It's so obviously a ploy to give the role of Discord's friend to Fluttershy it makes me cringe every time I look at it.
True, but she also would have been more likely to better enable Discord to live in harmony with other ponies. Get Discord to make some of the beneficial chaos fan fiction writers are always talking about but we never got to see (outside of Discordant Harmony). It would have given Pinkie Pie some much needed character development and allowed Discord to have been more believably integrated with pony society while still retaining those traits that might've made him at the very least, less annoying and more relatable as a character.
The fact that she does put a end to his chaos in return of harmony makes me sincerely doubt they had reason to fear Pinkie Pie going rouge for him (at least not without some manner of mind control which was a risk for any member of the main six except maybe Twilight) More slice of life stories involving the character could've been just what he needed and they're much more believable with Pinkie Pie involved.
I am not saying it doesn't work, just the execution could've been better.
5279571
King Sombra. Shining Armour. Princess Cadance. Flurry Heart. Flash Sentry. Sunburst. Mistmane.
All of the above live in the Crystal Empire. None of them are crystal ponies. And we've seen a lot more of any of them (well, perhpas besides Flash) than a single native. With most of the show to do it.
Rainbow is certainly not a cautious or careful pony - which is why she's tempted bi Lightning Dust in the first place, and why going too far even for her is so damning.
And i just... didn't, and wished they could get back to the plot.
I don't recall her coming to like him again any sooner then anyone else.
It might have worked, but it could have gone wrong badly too - although I suppose the same is true of Plan Flutter. And I think the Discord/Fluttershy friendship worked better in the long run - Pinkie already brings a lot of the same stuff to scenes as he does, which makes them a bit redundant.
Now would an episode with the two of them later on have been nice? Sure. But I think Flutters works better for his main friend, in part because they're not so alike.
5279592
"Three's A Crowd" she offers to watch him, and she bares no ill will towards him in "Make New Friends But Keep Discord".
Except Lighting Dust is blow out of the tornado and possibly incapacitated.
Rainbow Dash is standing right there and lets a pony plummet to their apparent demise, and that unfortunate was a lot closer to going splat than any of Rainbow's teammates (or her friends for that matter).
And when Mare Do Well saves them, Rainbow Dash has the gall to be mad about it.
And what it took to snap Rainbow out of it, was some seriously tough love, from a group of insanely determined friends, which Lighting Dust didn't have.
Seriously watch the video. It's one of the most horrific things I've seen in show, especially put in context of the punishments they dolled out in the later seasons.
Cozy Glow at least reacts with horrified shock (feigned or not, we don't know) when she learns her fellow students almost died, and never uses language that indicates that she believes that the Main Six, Spike, or Starlight will be killed, at least during Season 8.
(You know, before they sentenced her to life imprisonment with Tirek off all people, and then got her stuck amidst a gang of criminals who bulled her and a boss who sought to use her as a weapon against Equestria, only for said boss to turn out to be the best friend of one of her captors, and then when she goes to defeat said captors nearly gets roasted alive... Yeah great stuff Hasbro.)
Rainbow Dash presumably is smart enough to know what will happen if that pony hits the ground, she just doesn't care. I strongly doubt that "I didn't know she would hit the ground that fast" is a solid defense in a case of criminal negligence, anymore than anything Cozy could've come up with.
Except for all their similar abilities they are actually a lot different in terms of personality. Pinkie is bombastic, open, optimistic, a bit spastic and generally both cheerful and concerned with the well being of her neighbors, Discord... is not.
And there are times when that would have actually allowed him to enable Pinkie, to teach her a thing or two. To help her grow as a person, rather than always having to relay on Fluttershy to learn anything new, and coming across as that friend who is helpless unless some else is consistently holding his hand.
5279635
I suppose - but Pinkie is the sort usually tries to be nice even to those she dislikes. Especially if they're a friend of a friend.
Mare Do Well is considered the show's first real flop for several reasons - including severe OOC.
And there are interesting possibilities with Discord and Pinkie - but the show could have done something with them anyway if they felt like it, in Season 5 perhaps.
5279650
Perhaps. I do think they could've done better with character interactions across the board. But I do think there were ways of writing stories for Discord to make him less obnoxious that would've been a whole lot more easier to set up if he was with Pinkie Pie than Fluttershy.
I also think that as far as friends go Rarity was already the perfect foil for Fluttershy's tendencies. Likewise Rarity's character could've learned a lot from Fluttershy too. I kind of consider it wasted potential both ways (especially given how Discord turned out).
And the idea of saddling a passive aggressive introvert like Fluttershy with a chronic jerk like Discord, always struck me as cruel from the beginning. I have a lot more faith in Pinkie Pie's ability to stand up to him than I do in Fluttershy. Not to mention Pinkie proberbly could've used the additional depth anyway.
That's the problem... She already strikes me as a oblivious jerk, so this portrayal doesn't come off as OOC to me.
5279660
She is rather oblivious, and a bit of a jerk - but also brave and loyal. Unlike Lightning Dust, she cares if others get hurt.
Abd I think Fluttershy managed to stand up to Discord quite well. Furthermore, she grew in the process. (He did too, but that part could have been better written.)
5279681
It's more of a condemnation of Celestia's character than Fluttershy's.
Definitely could've been better written.
After several season of character growth, or once it was thrown in her face by her friends, than yes. We're given no reason to believe she achieved it by herself though. (At least as far as safety is concerned.)
5279684
Perhaps Celestia understands Fluttershy's chracter - and Pinkie's - more than you think? Or perhaps she just took a long bet that worked. One advantage of being mysterious is that you don't have to show your working.
And I honestly don't think Dash was as bad as Dust even in Season 1.
5279708
Given her inability to comprehend Discord's character, and the fact she didn't foresee giving magical artifacts (that they didn't understand) to Twilight (assuming she didn't know Twilight's intentions before hoof, which would have been worse) would turn out to be a bad idea, I have severe doubts about her abilities to steer events. Or predict anyone's personality for that matter.
As for Rainbow Dash she regularly performed hig velocity landings in residential areas (namely the library where she knows a child lives), blew up Cloudsdale's weather factory, had Scootaloo interfere with a live air show potentially exposing her to severe injury, and orchestrated a prank to scare one of her most skittish friends into running through what appears to be the Everfree the most dangerous place in equestria.
I am not saying I trust Lightning Dust but at least so far she's managed to keep her poor decisions strictly within the boundaries of what relates to her performances. Dash is all over the place.
5279880
Which intentions of Twilight's?
And I suspect your perception is shaped by Lightning Dust having appeared only in two episodes as opposed to Rainbow Dash being in well over a hundred.
5279884
True, but even Rainbow's impression of Lighting during the episode, indicates that she's not a pony who leaves the track often, unlike Rainbow Dash. Doesn't matter why she keeps her antics confined to a athletic setting, only that she does, because as we see in "Wonderbolts Academy", a athletics setting is better trained to handle it.
To allow random ponies to go on a scavenger hunt for mystical artifacts. Because having ponies interact with magic that they don't understand has always worked so far.
(Too Many Pinkie Pies, Magic Duel, Hearts and Hoofs Day, Bats!, and not even mentioning those times Twilight or Starlight cast a spell where they thought they knew what it did, and weren't even close to being right or else overlooked potential side-effects.)
5279893
We may not see her in her everday life, but I have no reason to belive she suddenly aquires a sense of responsibility or caution then. She's that side of Rainbow taken to an extreme for contrast.
And to be fair, I don't think anything went wrong with the actaul scavenget hunt which can't be blamed on Discord - but yeah, she could have taken better care of those.
5279899
Definitely should've taken better care of them especially given what happens in School Raze.
As for Lighting Dust we do know that she starts out in both episodes she appears in, as tame and congenial and steadily gets worse the longer she is praised and or given a audience. Again doesn't mean I trust her, but at least there's a pattern to watch out for.
5280006
Really, the school wasn't the most sensible place to store them in the first place - although I wouldn't put it past Cozy to steal them right out of Twilight's basement.
And Lightning Dust starts out affable - at least to ponies who find her suitably impressive - as long as things are going smoothly. Her disregard for the consequnces of her actions only becomes apparent once she faces some - hence why she was a tempting friend for Rainbow, who's quite similar to her at such times.
5280020
I mean she probably did steal them out of the school's basement. Which in all fairness was probably as secure as any room in Twilight's Castle.
I just don't think given Ponyvile and Twilight's history they should have been anywhere near ponyvile at all (or Twilight for that matter).
The ease with which most ponies trusted anyone is usually laughable, but episodes like A Matter Of Principals and School Raze makes it doubly so.
5280040
They're exactly the kind of things Twilight would love to study. But she doesn't get that leaviñg them around kids was not that smart even if one of them wasn't a dibolical mastermind. That was something they couldn't be expected to expect - but would you trust the CMC around such things?
5280093
No I would not. How did you manage to type out a Spanish N by the way?
5280142
I have absolutly no idea - sorry.
But yeah - Twilight doesn't seem to get that kids are distrous enough without acess to powerful magic. See also Hearts and Hooves Day.
5280149
I mean "adult" ponies are pretty dangerous with the stuff, if what we see in show is any indication.
5280155
But she seems to have something of a blind spot - after all, she would never mishandle such important items, so who short of Tirek would?
5280193
Trixie.
5280291
Well yes. Might make an intresting fic, actually... especially if after whatver disaster kicks off she claims she assumed it was a replica, because surely nopony would be dumb enough to keep the real thing in a school?
5280303
I can actually see her saying words more or less to that very same effect.
5280308
Even if it's a transparent face-saving lie, yes.
5280422
Between the reality of her claims and the sometimes self-deluding nature of Trixie's personality she might genuinely believe it.
5280463
Perhaps - although it would beg the question of why she would "borrow" a mere replica.
5280464
Probably messing around with it.
So I was reading one of my past quotes.
And one of yours.
And I realized that my main problem with the Fluttershy relationship was that she's not really outgoing and couldn't challenge Discord's lack of a social life the way that Pinkie Pie could've.
It took us several season to get the character of Discord to make new friends and once he did we see him with a grand total of two besides Flutters. Pinkie definitely would've made him step up his game which would've led to some interesting stories.
Also the more I studied the relationship between Fluttershy and Discord the more I realized how much of their relationship was based on traits that Pinkie Pie had already demonstrated before hand. That boundless energy and optimism and love of weird things that their relationship is based on comes from Pinkie Pie.
They turned Fluttershy from being genuinely shy to a introverted Pinkie Pie, and while you would never notice it if you weren't looking for it (the actress who plays them both is just that good), it still represents a change in character development that takes away from Flutter's ability to potentially grow through adversity, as well as reduces slice of life stories involving her out of necessity.
Not to mention that with the exception of a few stand alone episodes, it leaves Pinkie Pie without any defined character arc, which they could've had, if they had used her to reform Discord.
5304858
Some good points. I don't know if she'd have been better or worse. I do think she'd be the most expected, which could be a good or bad thing. And I would have liked to see an episode with them anyway, perhaps establishing why she wasn't the one. Ah well, put it on the endless pile of unused potential...