Got it: Starlight Glimmer makes friends with MoonDancer. Their mutual getting screwed over by people who got their cutie marks that day causes them to team up. MoonDancer help Starlight break into the castle archives and she discovers the location of Sunset's human counterpart whose been lost and forgotten in the pony world, having come through the portal and wondered into Everfree. The three of them figure out how to tap into the Nightmare magic that corrupted Luna and form a dark triumvirate that work underground to unset Celestia and the others from their thrones.
Twilight and Moondancer got their cutie marks on entering the school, 10 years or so later they graduated and Twilight went to Ponyville. She wasn't mad because of the cutie mark, she was livid because she was jilted.
If Starlight muscles in on Twilight I'm pretty sure Moondancer will pummle her to death with her own hooves.
If Starlight muscles in on Twilight I'm pretty sure Moondancer will pummle her to death with her own hooves.
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Why are we standing here without our pants on, instead of working on this story?! 
I am glad I don't get caught up in the fandom. Don't think I could enjoy the show as much. 
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Well, it depends upon what you're looking for in the fandom. There are different strokes for different folks. Someone like me, for example, generally likes a little bit of everything and gets along with everyone with little issue. There are many who just like the show and have no interest in the fandom, while some only like the fiction, or the art, or music. Still others have serious issues with the primary storyline of the series, and seek outside of it like the comics. Then there are people who are no longer fans of the show at all, but still love the fan works.I am glad I don't get caught up in the fandom. Don't think I could enjoy the show as much.
Most of us, though, like the show, and love the whole concept behind it, and we try to make that work in our every day life. I knew of friendship long before MLP came along, but something about it emboldened me to try harder, to connect more strongly with others.
I think the fandom brings out a lot of good traits in people. Everything else is just what happens when you have a fandom. There's always going to be disagreement and dissent, it's natural. What's important, to me anyway, is that we care about one another.
Jilted by her unrquited love, MoonDancer traps in Starlight and Twilight inside a copy of "Fifty Hays of Neigh"...Now Twilight and Starlight much raise to the end of the book and find the safeword before MoonDancer can release her inner Alicorn.
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Something I've been considering because it was mentioned on another board, but I was itching at the notion that Starlight Glimmer was more powerful than Twilight, what with the spells and the flying without wings and whatnot (which is still iffy for me BTW). Someone pointed out that it's likely that Starlight Glimmer wasn't as powerful as Twilight, she was just more skilled in some areas.
When I think about it, it makes sense. Twilight has a *yay*load of raw power, but she's unfocused in many areas, still gaining a feel for who she is as an Alicorn. Starlight Glimmer, on the other hand, has had many years focusing her special abilities to get the most out of them. Tricky? Yes. Deceptive? Yes. Cunning? Certainly. So it could have been this combination that kept her on almost equal footing with Twilight.
She's not nearly as powerful, but she's more adept at using underhandedness to get ahead, and being underhanded is something Twilight's very bad at, I think we can agree.
So that helps me to some degree. Though I do wish they would have cut the Flim Flam brothers scene and added that extra time to the conversion/reformation scene. A few more minutes would have sat better with me. Like I said, at the end they just skipped right through like the episode was on fast forward.
Then again, maybe I'm just sad because we're not getting any more pony for a whole year. *sigh*
When I think about it, it makes sense. Twilight has a *yay*load of raw power, but she's unfocused in many areas, still gaining a feel for who she is as an Alicorn. Starlight Glimmer, on the other hand, has had many years focusing her special abilities to get the most out of them. Tricky? Yes. Deceptive? Yes. Cunning? Certainly. So it could have been this combination that kept her on almost equal footing with Twilight.
She's not nearly as powerful, but she's more adept at using underhandedness to get ahead, and being underhanded is something Twilight's very bad at, I think we can agree.
So that helps me to some degree. Though I do wish they would have cut the Flim Flam brothers scene and added that extra time to the conversion/reformation scene. A few more minutes would have sat better with me. Like I said, at the end they just skipped right through like the episode was on fast forward.
Then again, maybe I'm just sad because we're not getting any more pony for a whole year. *sigh*
Well, I was on this forum for 5 whole minutes without winding back at the inevitable brony part of the forum. <3
Anywho, actual topic of discussion, the finale. It's about an A/A- for me. The whole first part of the finale, this was a solid A+ and I was thinking it'd end up as my favorite episode of the series. That stayed a pretty solid opinion throughout the episode right up until the montage stuff at the end and it quickly started declining. I don't have a problem with Starlight Glimmer's restoration at all, I'm not opposed to restoration stories like a lot of bronies are. And I actually think this is one of the most solid restoration stories they've done. That being said, the montage just killed it for me. Felt like we missed a giant chunk of story there I didn't want to miss.
I'd have much more appreciated some Discord-esque treatment here where they still acknowledge 20 minutes before she was a crazed cult leader willing to destroy the world to get revenge on them. I would have been happy with leaving it on the note of them accepting her without going straight into a baking cookies montage. Plus the song was just not memorable. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't a bad song, I love Daniel's work, but coming off Lena Hall, it just wasn't one of the more memorable songs of the season. So that ending couple of minutes just brought it down a bit. I'm a believer in finishing strong particularly in a season finale, and here I felt they left us off on a bit of a sloppy note.
Thought he episode is still one of my favorites and probably my favorite 2 part arc. For one, it's just undeniably epic. From the action sequences to their willingness to go into some outright dark and more complex and mature territories in the episode, I just feel they gave us a side of Pony we haven't seen before. (I mean they put a prosthetic wing on Rainbow Dash for crying out loud...) We're on a Trek forum here so I don't have to explain that time travel episodes can be some of the more complex and confusing things to put on a tv show, particularly time travel paradoxes and arcs involving theories like the butterfly effect. I'm just outright impressed they took the notion of time travel as far as they did in a show like MLP.
So while I feel like they could have finished stronger, this is a super solid episode and I think it's a neat launching point for Season 6 and the 2017 movie. Excited to see what DHX does with this.
Anywho, actual topic of discussion, the finale. It's about an A/A- for me. The whole first part of the finale, this was a solid A+ and I was thinking it'd end up as my favorite episode of the series. That stayed a pretty solid opinion throughout the episode right up until the montage stuff at the end and it quickly started declining. I don't have a problem with Starlight Glimmer's restoration at all, I'm not opposed to restoration stories like a lot of bronies are. And I actually think this is one of the most solid restoration stories they've done. That being said, the montage just killed it for me. Felt like we missed a giant chunk of story there I didn't want to miss.
I'd have much more appreciated some Discord-esque treatment here where they still acknowledge 20 minutes before she was a crazed cult leader willing to destroy the world to get revenge on them. I would have been happy with leaving it on the note of them accepting her without going straight into a baking cookies montage. Plus the song was just not memorable. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't a bad song, I love Daniel's work, but coming off Lena Hall, it just wasn't one of the more memorable songs of the season. So that ending couple of minutes just brought it down a bit. I'm a believer in finishing strong particularly in a season finale, and here I felt they left us off on a bit of a sloppy note.
Thought he episode is still one of my favorites and probably my favorite 2 part arc. For one, it's just undeniably epic. From the action sequences to their willingness to go into some outright dark and more complex and mature territories in the episode, I just feel they gave us a side of Pony we haven't seen before. (I mean they put a prosthetic wing on Rainbow Dash for crying out loud...) We're on a Trek forum here so I don't have to explain that time travel episodes can be some of the more complex and confusing things to put on a tv show, particularly time travel paradoxes and arcs involving theories like the butterfly effect. I'm just outright impressed they took the notion of time travel as far as they did in a show like MLP.
So while I feel like they could have finished stronger, this is a super solid episode and I think it's a neat launching point for Season 6 and the 2017 movie. Excited to see what DHX does with this.
^Welcome to the Trekkie contingent, Fluttershy! We're glad to have you here!
@ J.: yeah, Starlight has clearly studied differently. Remember that her protective shields aren't nearly as strong as Twilight's are. I now wonder if protective shields are stronger when you have others to protect.
@ J.: yeah, Starlight has clearly studied differently. Remember that her protective shields aren't nearly as strong as Twilight's are. I now wonder if protective shields are stronger when you have others to protect.
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Welcome, Fluttershy! 
Well, shield magic runs in Twilight's family. Shining Armor has some of the most powerful shield magic there is, so it only makes sense that it might carry over to Twilight, to some degree.
Oh, is it just me again?
Why are we standing here without our pants on, instead of working on this story?!
Dude, this is why we stopped inviting you over for the potluck dinners.
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Okay, so the "l" was a little squiggly and there was a communication issue. I didn't know. Are we still talking about that?! It happened last week! It's in the past!Why are we standing here without our pants on, instead of working on this story?!
Dude, this is why we stopped inviting you over for the potluck dinners.
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Wow, I never saw that!
It is kind of awesome, though. Just think if Pinkie Pie could actually fly.
Wow, I never saw that!
It is kind of awesome, though. Just think if Pinkie Pie could actually fly.
Surprise!
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Wow, I never saw that!
It is kind of awesome, though. Just think if Pinkie Pie could actually fly.
Surprise!
*everyone in Cloudsdale has collective heart attack*
Wow, I never saw that!
It is kind of awesome, though. Just think if Pinkie Pie could actually fly.
Surprise!
*everyone in Cloudsdale has collective heart attack*
No, Surprise.
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Oh, I didn't know she was ever drawn into the show! I always thought she was a concept that was never delivered on. That is cool!