Unpopular opinion time

@AC97  
Moondancer? Oh yeah, I kinda forgot that character existed…
 
TBH, I do not like Moondancer. At all. She’s bland, uninteresting, a stereotype, and her episode was pretty mediocre.

@GenericArchangel  
For me, it’s one of those I like but everyone else loves, like Perfect Pear.

@GenericArchangel
 
shrug
 
In any case, it’s not like the show was “ruined” because she wasn’t a more prominent character; a unicorn who’s not a visually appealing palette swap of Twilight (partially due to my color preferences) with a kinda lackluster outfit, and exaggerates her S1 traits, without much development, isn’t the most memorable character; not even the baggage of “was evil/mentally unstable” to go with.

@AC97  

 
Pinkie cannot act out of character.  
Her personality is just a mess.

@[Ω]  
I’d say she surely can. For instance, if she ever acts to deliberate hurt another, or if she expressed a disinterest in parties.

@GenericArchangel  
I liked the episode but I’m not big on Moondancer myself.

@[Ω]
 

 
So wait, was Cupcakes perfectly in-character, or…

Fuck  
People hate Moondancer now?

@Broken Adam  
really? why? something happen recently or just a discussion of that episode centered on her & Twilight’s relationship?

@Broken Adam  
What happened?

I like Moondancer for the simple reason of enjoying Unicorn!Twilight over Alicorn!Twilight, simply because she grew in more than just height over the years.
 
@AC97  
Her tendencies weren’t exaggerated, they’re just the logical conclusion of wanting to learn over making friends.
 
If they were exaggerated, she’d be acting like Neurotic Twilight from Lesson Zero.

@AC97  
Heh, I got a chuckle from that, but I’d say yes.

@Galestorm
 
@Wiimeiser  
This thread shows that people are turning against her

Season 5 would have been vastly improved if Moondancer had been the antagonist.
 
Twilights opponent could have been an old friend she had callously abandoned.  
Someone who had studied with her at the same school and new how to fight her in a way that made sense.
 
Someone who watched Twilight move on without her and decided to change time not out of spite but so she could be the one who helped Twilight save the world rather than the strangers Twilight Replaced her with.
 
Their childhood connection would have added a whole new layer of personal stakes to their confrontation.
 
And when Moondancer was defeated, she would have filled the same role as Starlight did but with a unique colour scheme and name that contrasted Twilight rather than echoed her like Starlight does.

@Terminal Red  
I disagree, since Starlight is a more enjoyable character than Moondancer. Also, the point of Moondancer’s problems is that it’s self-destructive, and that she’s only harming herself by sheltering herself. If she was harming other, than it would no longer be about helping someone Twi abandoned, and become Twi stopping a problem. Starlight was meant to be a villain while Moondancer isn’t.

It would have been awesome, Moondancer was mentioned in the very first episode.  
If she had become the new member of the group we would have called it one of the best pieces of foreshadowing and buildup ever.

@Broken Adam
 
It’s just two people…

@Meanlucario
 
Moondancer was essentially a contrast to Starlight. …Which is why it’s really, REALLY lame that the two of them never once interacted with each other after Starlight’s reformation (especially given Starlight’s background cameo in Amending Fences).

Starlights story could have been resolved in the season opener two parter, and learning of Starlights past would have made Twilight want to reconnect with old friends, and help others do the same, setting up the theme of the season.
 
Moondancer would still be a hermit who rebuffs Twilight until the season finale because she thinks she could never relate to Twilight and her new friends after all the adventures they’ve been through together without her. Her bitterness and self imposed Exile has left her without the social skills or confidence to try, leading her to try and change history and Usurp her “replacements” at Twilights side.

@Terminal Red  
And she works better as an internally-destructive character than a externally-destructive character. Kind of loses the impact when instead of Twilight having to confront and comfort Moon and help her see that even now, she has friends, it just become a battle like the other two-parters, and against a bookworn no less. It’s like Twi fighting Sunburst, where they’re just a nerd that loves learning spells but isn’t that strong casting them.

@Jarkes  
I can see what you mean, and yeah, that’s lame.
 
@Terminal Red  
Dude, her resolution was rushed as is, I rather not make it worst so that your favorite character can be the star like a bad fanfic.

I still think we need less “Twilight contrasting characters”

@Meanlucario  
Remove the battle than. The battle was stupid anyway. Just have Twilight and Moondancer try to survive all the different realities the time spell created.
 
Or have Twiligt track Moondancer through each devastated Timeline until she finds Moondancer in the Ashland broken and devastated because she couldn’t save a single one and saw Twilight destroyed because of her each time.
 
Either way, the lesson would have been that living in the past, agonising over what could have been was the cause of her pain and was blinding her to the future and it’s possibilities.

@Meanlucario  
You think Moondancers my favourite? Lol.  
My faves pretty obvious if you look at my faves pics.
 
And rushing Starlight in the opener wouldn’t have been an issue because she’d only be an ancillary character after. Just have her explain herself when she’s confronted by her villagers and lead on from there.
 
Moondancer would have fit the main group better both thematically, dramatically, visually and logically than starlight ever did.

@Terminal Red  
I thought the battle was cool on how each time Starlight relied on different methods to alter the course of time. But how is that still not externally destructive as those timelines are still affecting the world around her?