My Little Pony LXXIII: Luna's Sordid Dreams? I'm Not Googling That...

[Thanqol]

S4:

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I think the absolute masterstroke here is that it was all Discord's left-over plan from centuries ago. What that means is that now the Elements are contained and he is legitimately free to do whatever he wants without fear of statuefication (or being summoned). He's vaguely bound by his friendship with Shutterfly but as he made pretty clear he's only doing that because it's amusing to him.

With a single stroke he disabled the Elements of Harmony, his one weakness. Good show, that Draconequis.

The episode was by and large pretty good (except GO HOME TWILIGHT, which albeit a legitimate point should have happened before they went into the forest)

[Lix Lorn]

Now what to post for people who haven't seen the episode yet?
Hmm...
I guess ponies works?

Spoiler: PONIES!!!

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WHO ARE THESE PONIES I WANT THEM

Not a fan much of anthro or a certain upcoming Se4 concept but this pic well...

Spoiler: Oh.... Myyyyyy

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So yeah.

meep <3

Spoiler: How to define authority

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You see, long ago, before the first alicorn, the ancient unicorns developed telekinesis. However, discontent with throwing mud at each other (because it was too similar to how the loathsome earth ponies would fight), the unicorns endeavored to create a more noble, refined form of dueling magic.

After a few failures with ponies turned into 20 foot tall rabbit hyenas, and the odd reverse gravity spell that required a team of 20 pegasi to recover the lost combatant, the unicorns finally came up with the most elegant form of combat: the beam war. The beam, you see, is actually the concentrated hopes and dreams of the casting unicorn, modified by what the caster had for breakfast that morning (as an aside, Celestia had only had a single banana the day she fought Chrysalis, which is why she was unusually weak during that beam war, and also why her beam was especially yellow).

Thus, the beam war, far from just another earth pony contest of strength, pitted the mental fortitude and will to win of the using unicorns directly against one another.

Later, when the first alicorns were created, it was found that the inherent physical strength, speed, and control contained in the pegasus form could be used to refine the power of the unicorn horn, allowing for never before seen dark beams, multi-beams, and the especially rare curly-Q beam. This made alicorns the unmatched champions of the beam wars. The duels that established Celestia's dominance over the famed unicorn duelist Smile Daisy Sunshine, are the stuff of legend, and young unicorns still study the finer points of the combat in their dueling classes to this day.

#
Works for me.

Spoiler: related.

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*With mad look in eye*

Laughter and Loyalty wielded by the same pony.

More proof for my OTP

As the prophet of the shipping goddess, and an expert user of shipping goggles... that's a stretch.

What if this whole episode was just an excuse to have

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Discord literally "sowing the seeds of discord"?

...okay you win.

[Deadly]

I'm not normally a straight-Twi shipper, but this humanized TwiMac has something about it that I just really like, and which makes the ship actually seem ... nice (nothing spoilery about this picture)

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[Rater202]

As the prophet of the shipping goddess, and an expert user of shipping goggles... that's a stretch.

I said more proof.*Made look has returned, Rater removes his tinted glasses to clean them, relieving that his eyes are literally shipping colored*

[Thanqol]

Someone help me out? (S4)

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In the Discord v Celestia scene we see each of them whip out three Elements. Which are Celestia's and which are Luna's?

[Jahkaivah]

Hello ponythreads, long time no see:

Spoiler: Thoughts on the episode

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Oh god it is good to go in with low expectations, a lot of things impressed me. Relinquishing them of the elements was a great move, Discord was illustrated to be just as untrustworthy as he was as a straight villain, and the flashback sequence reveal took me by surprise fairly well.

Also I liked that they didn't try to force another musical episode.

Spoiler: Also dirty joke incoming:

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Zecora: I'm afraid it is a mystery to me as well, but I may have something that, if combined with a spell... I do not dare to use it myself, the results would be tragic. It only responds to alicorn magic. Princess Twilight, you can turn the potion from purple to white. After a sip, you may see why the sky is day and night.

[casts spell]

Twilight: ...does the potion really have to be white? Sort of makes it look like...

Rainbow Dash: Come on Twilight! Drink it already!

[Madcrafter]

Someone help me out? (S4)

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In the Discord v Celestia scene we see each of them whip out three Elements. Which are Celestia's and which are Luna's?

Look back a page and two, it's been posted twice already. But for quick reference:

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Luna:Laughter, Loyalty, Honesty
Celestia: Magic, Generosity, Kindness

[DigoDragon]

Just before I finally actually go...

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I figured it was fairly obviously going to be an episode for each Element character, during which they'd have some sort of element-related epiphany or something which would produce a key.

S4 Season

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Yes, it did seem straight-froward when we saw a lock-box with six keys, but you never know for sure. Thought I'd mention what I read in some tweets. But then again, as my wife and her Doctor Who thread friends say:

"Doctor Who Rule #2: Moffat lies."
(Which basically says that the show creators can always say A, but it turns out to be B instead)

I'm quite positive it'll be an arc though. The Pony show creators usually don't throw us curves.

Now the amusing mental thought is where these keys come out from? Scattered across Equestria? Pop out of the leftover charms from the Elements? Forms out of their cutie marks?

...Pinkie sneezes one out?

Spoiler: Almost no longer a spoiler

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Have fun with your shipping charts.

Probably Not A Spoiler?

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FedEx does offer flat rates for shipping.

S4:

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I think the absolute masterstroke here is that it was all Discord's left-over plan from centuries ago. What that means is that now the Elements are contained and he is legitimately free to do whatever he wants without fear of statuefication (or being summoned). He's vaguely bound by his friendship with Shutterfly but as he made pretty clear he's only doing that because it's amusing to him.

S4 Discord

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That was probably more serendipitous luck than anything. And since it appears that his plants were vaporized by the tree, what would prevent the ponies from an attempt to remove the elements temporarily to use against him again? (I would like to think that friendship does mean Something to him as well. He'll be mischievous, but I don't think downright evil).

WHO ARE THESE PONIES I WANT THEM

Well the one of the right is one of the Apples from the reunion episode.
They are awfully cute though.

[erikun]

WHO ARE THESE PONIES I WANT THEM

Fiddlesticks is from Luna Eclipsed and Apple Family Reunion.

Symphony (yellow and purple pony) gets a bit of stage time with Octavia in Sweet and Elite.

Octavia can be found over here, if you're interested.

[SiuiS]

Digo, how come your daughter is so awesome?

Anyway. 40 minutes left until season 4. I fear I may explode from hype soon.

Oh yeah, that's why I haven't been in this thread today.

Welp.

*dives through window*

[Rater202]

Oh yeah, that's why I haven't been in this thread today.

Welp.

*dives through window*

*Catches and Carries back in to thread*

You're not getting away that easily.

[DigoDragon]

Oh yeah, that's why I haven't been in this thread today.

Welp.

*dives through window*

1. When was your child's due date again?!

2. Ouch.

[MCerberus]

Re: Elements

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Well it's either that the sisters randomly picked the elements and Celestia just happened to get the right ones (although you can say laughter, maybe), or there's some correlation.

Also, I don't remember Celestia having a non-public conversation with Pinkie, AJ, or Dash, while there have been with Rarity and Fluttershy (re: Philomena, a room for Rarity to stay in Canterlot).

The Rarishy, Twilestia, and Appledash are strong with this one. Which means that, if you ship according to the theory, Lunapie (Moon Pie?) is a thing

[Humble Master]

Back from the draft.

So... many... cards...

Between me and my brother, who share a collection we opened 16 packs. That's 240 cards in total. Pulled an Elspeth Sun's Champion, Thassa God of the Sea, Hythonia the Cruel + a ton of cards that work perfectly for my Selesnya and Dimir decks. Also, had a great time with friends and some good food. All in all, well worth the 50 bucks I saved up to get me and my brother in.

And I still haven't finished episode 1 and 2 of S4... Well here is my thoughts on the first part and a little bit of part 2:

Spoiler: S4 Opinions

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Twilight can't fly. Don't know why, but that bothers me. It just seems like an unnecessary plot point, especially considering she was seen flying off at the end of season 3.
Twilight getting split up from her friends because of royal duties. Interesting, could definitely lead to some major character development. My one question is that if the most potent defense in Equestria's arsenal, the Elements of Harmony, relies on the friendship of the Mane 6 could Twilight's separation from the others potentially endanger Equestria?
Spike: "I know a faster way to Ponyville" Twilight: "What flying?" Spike: "No, teleportation." (How that scene should have gone down.)
Ermagerd Luna and Celestia are missing! Sky is all weird, spiky cloud things, gaint out of control vines. There is only one explanation. They somehow pissed of a level 20 Druid. Seriously though, I am intrigued to see who kidnapped the two royal sister. Also, where is Cadance during all this? Is she missing too? Is so why isn't Shining Armor freaking out and asking Twi for help or at least alerting her?
Discord singing in the shower. Golden. Pinkie might have some competition now that the spirit of chaos is reformed and all.
Also, I really don't think Discord did it. He has no incentive to. He knows the Mane 6 can just blast him with the Elements again. Heck when he first tried to spread chaos everywhere he made a point of disabling the Elements by breaking up the Mane 6's friendship. Discord obviously isn't completely a good guy, but that just makes his character more interesting in my opinion.
Wait, so Twilight uses her "Alicorn magic" on the potion Zecora had. And Twilight's horn glows with the King Sombra magic aura thing. WHAT?!? Sombra wasn't an Alicorn, he was just a Unicorn. And Celestia, Luna nor Cadance have that same "corrupted" magical aura when they are doing their Allicorny stuff (raising the sun/moon, spreading love) so what the heck is up? Admittedly, the magic the other Alicorns use has never been called out as strictly Alicorn magic so they may just be using their Unicorn abilities. But if so, is Alicorn magic some kind of dark force? Will Twilight get consumed and become Nightmare Moon 2 forcing the Mane 6 to fight their friend? I sure hope so!
Hey, the potion turns white, you drink it and you get visions. Sounds not much different from several hallucinogenic drugs. Cue the sordid jokes.
Ok, so this is a see the past potion. I'm happy they did not introduce another plot annihilator time travel method.
"Yes, Nightmare Moon! Embrace the darkness and show them the true power of the night!" "Um, Bastara how did you get here?" "I have been observing the pink one. Also, I sensed a great force of the darkness awakening." Bastara proceeds to Shadow Step away. "Ok. Weird."
Man, Nightmare Moon shooting giant laser beams of destruction was awesome. First scene in MLP I can say was truly cool in my book.
Tree of Harmony? I'm expecting something about it being connected to the magic of the world and some such. Might have to work it into my campaign seeing as it is dealing with these three artifacts tuned to the connection of the three pony tribes to the innate magical nature of the world.
That crocodile looked like it was living in a pool of acid and made of rock. I don't care what the cannon is, I'm putting acid breathing Rockodiles into my Equestria campaign!
Is it just me, or is Applejack being kind of unreasonable with Twilight and also slightly stupid? I mean, Twilight is a huge asset! Her magic and knowledge are unrivaled in most areas. She can just not fly, or you know, teleport.

All in all, so good so far. Episode is actually more serious than what I expected. I mean, serious by MLP standards.

[DigoDragon]

Not a spoiler, but funny comic about S4 and new Who~

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Spoiler: S4 Opinions

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Spike: "I know a faster way to Ponyville" Twilight: "What flying?" Spike: "No, teleportation." (How that scene should have gone down.)

S4 Response

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Thank You! I'm glad someone else thought the same way with how that scene should have played out. Twi really forgets things when she's freaking out, huh?

[Dirtytabs]

S4 Discord

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Well, that was certainly a loooooong wait for a payoff.

...okay you win.

Spoiler: Discord again

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Hey, as long as the joke is made, 1000 years is worth it!

Oh, I've got another. I'm sad to say I didn't come up with it: When Discord is advising Twilight to go back to the Everfree Forest, he shrinks and goes in and out her ears. One might say Twilight is getting a Q-tip.

It's a stretch.

[Humble Master]

Not a spoiler, but funny comic about S4 and new Who~

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S4 Response

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Thank You! I'm glad someone else thought the same way with how that scene should have played out. Twi really forgets things when she's freaking out, huh?

Pinkie, I believe the proper term is "nervicited" if you want to speak in your own vernacular.

Spoiler: S4

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Gald I could make you glad. I mean seriously Twilight forgets about her teleportation abilities on a number of occasion when it could have saved her and/or her friends. Remember that big scary hydra coming at her while she was trapped on a cliff? Teleport! Remember when Chrysalis teleported her into the caves beneath Canterlot? Teleport! Remember when Twilight needed to got get the Elements to stop Chrysalis? Teleport! Remember when she wanted to sneak in to the Canterlot library? Teleport! I am kind of a stickler for teleportation, mainly because how careful one has to be about such things in a DnD campaign.

[Soras Teva Gee]

meep <3

I know right.

...okay you win.

Punning that boldly can only be rewarded.

I'm not normally a straight-Twi shipper, but this humanized TwiMac has something about it that I just really like, and which makes the ship actually seem ... nice (nothing spoilery about this picture)

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This is one of those pieces where the characters take a backseat to the awesome of the piece.

Hello ponythreads, long time no see:

Ahhh a ghost from ponythreads past!

[Rater202]

Ahhh a ghost from ponythreads past!

Spoiler: Don't Worry, I know Just Who To Call.

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[otakuryoga]

Pika!
*cracks knuckles*

And fetch Bleakling, Blitzkreig and Jubilance, too!

oh look Digo..you get to host a FULL tea party

S4:

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What that means is that now the Elements are contained and he is legitimately free to do whatever he wants without fear of statuefication (or being summoned). He's vaguely bound by his friendship with Shutterfly but as he made pretty clear he's only doing that because it's amusing to him.

With a single stroke he disabled the Elements of Harmony, his one weakness. Good show, that Draconequis.

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he already had no reason to fear the elements..
does NO ONE remember that Fluttershy promised she would not use her element against him?

[TheAmishPirate]

S4 Opener:

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"Royal doodies"

*snerk*

Okay, okay, in all seriousness, this was a fantastic way to kick off the season. Addressed dang near everything people were curious/worried about at the end of last season, the pacing felt incredible, the lighting animation blew me away, we got to see some spectacular flashbacks, we got to see the origin of the Elements of Harmony, we lost the Elements of Harmony, we got a massive plot hook for the rest of the season, Discord being delightfully vague about everything, Discord with thousand-year-old dormant contingencies, Discord with a sassy maid walk, I could go on but a sentence any longer is illegal everywhere except Texas, so I'll leave it at that. So many good things that I'll be geeking out over all week.


And a thing I just realized; Discord knew about the Tree of Harmony and the Elements. So...y'know. Have fun with that thought.


The first of two major gripes were that the whole "go home Twilight" bit felt wonky. Out of place, rushed, and too quickly resolved. However, moving it back to before they entered the forest probably would've solved all those problems. The other was that it felt like the Tree of Harmony's backup power magic thing was never really explained. What was its magic? Why did it go out now of all times? Did somepony tamper with it? Would have been nice to have a little more detail there.


Lastly, I have a headcanon about Overdramatic Royal Guard. His special talent is making moments more memorable, which he does by interjecting information at the most dramatic time possible. He works in the palace simply because that's where the juiciest moments happen.


Can't wait for the rest of the season now. We should be in for a good one, folks.




"...my first royal duty..." *snicker*

Oof. And now I have six pages of ponythread to catch up on. Wish me luck, folks; I'm goin' in!

*dives headlong into a pile of spoiler boxes*

[MCerberus]

Also this episode has shown us exactly what kind of Pokemon Celestia is

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Celestia is a Fairy/Flying type with the Pixilate ability and a high special-attack

Also Luna got a mega-evolution.

[TheAmishPirate]

And we're back!

Spoiler: Season 4 opener

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Gah!

Spoiler: S4 Opener

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Now I just wish I could find a proper video link to the opener. My version had the theme song cut out, the lousy punks...

Not a Spoiler Art of Luna/Chrysalis (but a bit wide)~

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Rollin' around at the speed of sound...~

Spoiler: Season spoilers

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Haven't been able to watch the episode yet, but according to Meghan McCarthy's twitter there's a season-long story arc planned.

Hype Train status: I have thrown the entire caboose into the boiler, dragon-kicked the throttle into the next zip code, and am currently swinging from the whistle pull.

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2. "Alicorn" (dark) magic. Looking back now at the season three premiere, it looks like powerful foreshadowing for the finale. And considering the scripts for season four were written before that, it could be quite intentional. Maybe that was the test all along (and to show Twi the dangers of misuse of power?).

Spoiler: S4 Speculation

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I hope so, doubly so if it means we get more of Sombra. I've seen so many fan works take him in a lot of interesting directions (*cough cough Tea Party cough*) that it'd be a shame if that's all we see of him. Plus, we've already seen the results of one villain's disused contingency plan; who's to say the calculating, trap-clever Sombra didn't leave behind a few surprises?

Harmony Cider

Spoiler: S4

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Pffffffffft.

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What I found interesting was how Twilight's cutie Mark was so prominently above Celestia and Luna's. Kind of gives you an idea what Celestia must have thought as soon as she saw it appear as Twilight's cutie mark.

Spoiler: S4 Implications

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More to the point, I find it massively impressive that she kept a straight face when she saw a little filly - all but bursting with magical potential - suddenly get a Cutie Mark from the Tree of Harmony.

What I wouldn't give to hear what she was thinking at that moment...

Spoiler: S4

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I find it curious that Twilight can apparently cast entirely improvised spells on the spot, successfully, even though she has no idea what the magic she's casting is supposed to do. Unless it literally was "turn this thing white" and nothing else, in which case ... why the overly dramatic dark alicorn magic? Is changing the color of liquids something only alicorns can do?

Spoiler: S4 Opener

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The formula for food coloring is a closely-guarded royal secret.

Spoiler: season 4 eps 1 and 2 thoughts

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We could do with fewer damsel in distress scenes. Fighting off the brambles and tying them up was a pretty cool scene, but it didn't require it.

Spoiler: S4: A defense

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It's mighty difficult to not have damsels be in distress when they make up nearly 86% of your main characters.

But in all seriousness, I didn't ever get the impression that Twilight was a damsel needing saving. With the facehugger-gas-vines, as soon as she got room to breathe she was blasting them away like they were nothing. As for the cragodile, she certainly could have handled it better, but then again it was an ambush. Twilight is by no means a combat-trained caster, and suddenly finding yourself face-to-face with an enormous rock monster is a harrowing experience at the best of times. She had a moment of panicked hesitation, then jumped in to help her friends tie it up. Seems about right for what we've seen of her.

There's a big difference between "Augh, I need saving!" and, "Augh! I got ambushed and didn't have my spells on a hair-trigger!"

[Geno9999]

Spoiler: S4 Opinions

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Spike: "I know a faster way to Ponyville" Twilight: "What flying?" Spike: "No, teleportation." (How that scene should have gone down.)

My headcanon is thus:

Spoiler: Teleport mechanics?

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Teleportation is limited in range and/or concentration. Twilight has been shown to be able to teleport across town from earlier episodes (though this is of course pre-Princess Twi, so power level varies.) And even then, you have to focus where specifically you want to be, otherwise, you risk telefragging your friends, or worse, yourself.
It's a very loose canon, but it's an okay cop.

[t209]

http://csimadmax.deviantart.com/art/...t-13-415270487
Sweet Celestia.

[zimmerwald1915]

S4 Opener:

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Lastly, I have a headcanon about Overdramatic Royal Guard. His special talent is making moments more memorable, which he does by interjecting information at the most dramatic time possible. He works in the palace simply because that's where the juiciest moments happen.

So he's the long-lost pony twin of this guy, from the last panel?

My headcanon is thus:

Spoiler: Teleport mechanics?

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Teleportation is limited in range and/or concentration. Twilight has been shown to be able to teleport across town from earlier episodes (though this is of course pre-Princess Twi, so power level varies.) And even then, you have to focus where specifically you want to be, otherwise, you risk telefragging your friends, or worse, yourself.
It's a very loose canon, but it's an okay cop.

Spoiler: Teleporation

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The problem, if you're inclined to see it as one, is made especially egregious by the fact that Twilight teleported through the wall so as not to crash into it (though she left Spike behind to crash...what's up with that?). We could have done without the reminder that the method she chose wasn't necessarily the speediest.

Personally though, I didn't mind that Twi didn't teleport. True, she has done long-range teleportation before, in Dragon Quest, but that was more a situation of "I don't care where we are, as long as it's away from here" rather than "I need to get to a specific destination". In that same episode, she was shown teleporting herself, Rainbow, Rarity, and Spike, but it while it didn't scorch her or her passengers the way it did in The Ticket Master, she still ploughed into the ground afterword; with that in mind, she might not have wanted to risk Spike (though again, this goes against leaving him to crash into the library...).

Practical difficulties (which may or may not be a handwave) aside, thematically the episode was served much better by having Twilight fly. Becoming gradually better at flying is a sign she's becoming more comfortable in her new skin and her new role. An easy visual reinforcement of the dialogue which shows the same thing.

[MCerberus]

Well against my better judgement I am contributing to the cane madness

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[TheAmishPirate]

So he's the long-lost pony twin of this guy, from the last panel?

Absolutely.

Well against my better judgement I am contributing to the cane madness

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Forget thrones, everybody seems to want that cane the way they're staring at it.

[Soras Teva Gee]

In the Game of Canes you pony or you die.

....

....

Wait I think I messed that up...

[Dirtytabs]

Spoiler: S4 Opener

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Now I just wish I could find a proper video link to the opener. My version had the theme song cut out, the lousy punks...

This one has the theme song. The HD one linked in the video doesn't.