GeneralKenobi75
Lunar Supporter - Helped forge New Lunar Republic's freedom in the face of the Solar Empire's oppressive tyrannical regime (April Fools 2023).

@Smart Heart  
Then where would that leave Cozy and Tirek? Its not fair to leave them out of the finale considering each has been a major threat on their own. Again, having all three be the main antagonists fit much better. It wasn’t just one villain the heroes had to contend with like its usually been. This time its three of their past enemies come back to haunt them.
 
No, they looked pretty relieved when they realized they avoided succumbing to friendship. Honestly its a nice and hilarious subversion.
Smart Heart

@GeneralKenobi75  
If that were the case, they all should’ve been laughing at the notion. Only Chrysalis was the first to deny it. By the looks on their faces, Cozy and Tirek only agreed with her to calm her down. Chrysalis shouldn’t have to speak their minds for them. In fact, she should’ve been the one to kill them or absorb them in the bell if they even thought of speaking up, leaving only her as the final boss.
GeneralKenobi75
Lunar Supporter - Helped forge New Lunar Republic's freedom in the face of the Solar Empire's oppressive tyrannical regime (April Fools 2023).

@Smart Heart  
That’s Chrysalis for you. But the others agreed with her quite quickly so I doubt they truly believed in friendship.
Smart Heart

@GeneralKenobi75  
In fairness, I could buy Chrysalis being irredeemable, but Tirek and Cozy seemed legitimately willing to give friendship a try in that moment. Really, Chrysalis was the one who sealed their fates.
GeneralKenobi75
Lunar Supporter - Helped forge New Lunar Republic's freedom in the face of the Solar Empire's oppressive tyrannical regime (April Fools 2023).

@Smart Heart  
Because he’s too generic. He’s basically just the dark overlord archetype villain. Which is another reason why I like the Discord reveal. We aren’t just doing the “age old threat to Equestria” trope. While it would have been cool to see Grogar, it would have relegated Tirk, Chrysalis and Cozy Glow to just his lackeys. And they’re far more interesting.
 
A villain can be interesting and fun to watch while still being irredeemable. In fact that’s part of why they’re so fun is because they are so irredeemable. So I am glad they didn’t do some contrived redemption out of nowhere for those three.
Smart Heart

@GeneralKenobi75  
Why not Grogar? And I’m saying if he was the real Grogar.
GeneralKenobi75
Lunar Supporter - Helped forge New Lunar Republic's freedom in the face of the Solar Empire's oppressive tyrannical regime (April Fools 2023).

@Smart Heart  
They weren’t. What they were showing was that not everyone can be redeemed, or wants to be redeemed. What they were setting up is that these three were not going to pull a Starlight Glimmer or Discord and just turn good by the end. And honestly, I’m good with that. Nice to have some actually irredeemable antagonists out there.
Smart Heart

@GeneralKenobi75  
Then why were they even considering it at that point?
GeneralKenobi75
Lunar Supporter - Helped forge New Lunar Republic's freedom in the face of the Solar Empire's oppressive tyrannical regime (April Fools 2023).

@Smart Heart  
Honestly I had no problem with the villains not getting redeemed. After all they’ve done it would have been extremely contrived. Some people can’t be redeemed, and don’t deserve to be.
Smart Heart

@Bunny-CarrotHunter  
Cross your fingers. And I’m glad you saw what I was trying to get across.
Bunny-CarrotHunter

I love how heated some people got in the comments, so I want to give my intake now because this will bug me for weeks.
 
It might have seemed like they tried to do something with this, but ultimately threw it out the window. I think this scene was meant to show that they aren’t entirely evil, that they are capable of considering friendship, or at least their version of it. People say Chrysalis was born evil, but in turn would also mean all Changelings would have been born evil if Chrysalis gave birth to them, but somehow they still had the ability to change into what they are now by going against what they were born doing. It must mean Chrysalis is also capable of undergoing that process should she chose.
 
Watching this scene again always fills me with hope and saddens me again when looking at the finale. The thing I noticed most was how it was Chrysalis who snapped all of them out of the thought of friendship, even when she was the first one to “feel it” (“I.. I wasn’t sure you were going to give it back..”-A moment she experienced what having compassion was like). It was most likely the memory of what Friendship “did to her”, to her kingdom and herself. In her mind, Friendship turned her children against her, changed her entire kingdom and outcasted her. That’s why she refused to let it happen again and snapped herself out of it. Tirek and Cozy, though they agreed with her, looked a little.. conflicted on doing so. Almost disappointed, most notably Cozy, who seemed nervous and even tried on “But.. Grogar says we have to work together…”.
 
This scene could have served to tease their possible redemption at the end in the finale. Maybe not by having them fully reformed but at least stop their evil plans to just exist. It’s clear they felt a sord of ‘spark’ of Friendship before they shifted their attention back to revenge and take over. At the very least it showed they are capable of forming bonds, even with each other. Heck, it would of fit well into the long theorized plot that Grogar would have discovered their betrayal, abandon them and decided to take over on his own, thus convincing the Mean 3 to either team up with the good guys to defeat him or just with themselves and their new found friendship. But nope, instead we got what we did.
 
I did enjoy the finale, and the entire fandom is half and half about the decision to turn the villains to stone. While I understand the decision, moments like this and their team up in “Summer Sun Setback” really hinted at something else and felt disappointing when it didn’t go that route.
 
BUT, maybe S10 of the comics will give us something. Hopefully.
Background Pony #B07D
@Background Pony #FBF9  
Why would you do such a thing? Who wouldn’t want to have my version? Why do you hate it?! That makes me sad!
Background Pony #B07D
@Background Pony #FBF9  
WHY?!? You are sick to trick me like that.
Background Pony #C839
@Background Pony #14C2
 
Yep, I absolutely was being sarcastic.
Background Pony #5DE5
@Background Pony #7558
 
Pretty sure Background Pony #FBF9 was being sarcastic.
Smart Heart

@Background Pony #FBF9  
Fair play, BP. They offered to rebuild Equestria. That should count as punishment for their actions.
Background Pony #E1BE
@Background Pony #FBF9  
Thank you very much! I worked very hard on my story and even though I’m really sad to see the show go, I would have been satisfied with the ending if it ending the way I wrote down.
Background Pony #C839
@Smart Heart
 
>more creativity than the writers  
>alternate story involves over eight cases of “Grogar made them evil,” thus depriving the villains of moral agency, so they don’t have to take responsibility for their actions whatsoever
 
That’s quite the masterpiece of storytelling, that. I’m sure everyone would love it if that was canon. We all deserved to have that be the finale.
Background Pony #E1BE
@Smart Heart  
Such a bummer ending. I wish Dubuc, Vogel, and Haber put more effort in. Seems like they just rushed it in order to get the show over with.
Smart Heart

@Background Pony #7558  
Ahh. Ok. Just a thought.
Background Pony #E1BE
@Smart Heart  
Not a fan of those shows. They’re more suited for preteen boys rather than nostalgic as teenage girls like me.
Smart Heart

@Background Pony #7558  
There’s also Gravity Falls and The Loud House.
Background Pony #E1BE
@Smart Heart  
These things are very hard to let go because this show was my childhood. I’ve been watching it ever since I had just turned nine. I don’t know what my next favourite show is going to be. Maybe one of my childhood shows, just for some nostalgia.
Background Pony #E1BE
@Smart Heart  
Also it is weird that I actually miss the Legion of Doom? I don’t know, I’ve always kinda had a soft spot for the villains.