Season 9 Discussion Thread [NO SPOILERS, DF airings only]

RaineV1

@Background Pony #C0D2  
None of the individual character focused episodes of this season have had that feeling. You could have put these episodes in five seasons ago and they would fit in fine. Which is one of my problems with this season.
rdibp
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Kerfuffle lover
@RaineV1  
I don’t really see how that’s a problem. Not really sure what most people expected to get out of this season.
 
I expected to see mostly slice of life episodes with bits of continuity leading up to the finale, and that’s what I’m getting.
Mildgyth
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Humata, Hukhta, Hvarshta
The Beginning Of The End:8.7  
Uprooted:9.1  
Twilight’s Seven:9.2  
The Point of No Return:9.4  
Common Ground:9.2  
She’s All Yak:9.0  
Frenemies: 9.3  
Sweet and Smoky:8.2  
Going to Seed:7.0  
Student Counsel:9.4  
The Last Crusade:9.3  
Between Dark and Dawn:9.0  
The Last Laugh:9.5  
2, 4, 6, Greaaat:8.8  
A Trivial Pursuit: 7.5  
The Summer Sun Setback: ∅  
She Talks To Angel: 9.0  
Dragon Dropped: 9.3  
A Horse Shoe-In:9.4
 
Come on, Mac, you’re really going to leave Apple Bloom doing all the farm work alone?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Background Pony #86C3
(sigh) Of fucking course she made Sunburst the new Vice Headmare (no, he doesn’t get a title change, sorry) without him having to prove anything about why he’s a good fit for it. Yeah, shit like this is why I don’t care for Sunburst. Also, it was way too convenient for Starlight that Octavia and Dr. Whooves at the last minute decided that they didn’t want the job after all.
I honestly don’t see the problem. The time constraints of the episodes have always resulted in some rushed plot points at times, and it’s not like any of the explanations given for why Sunburst would be good for the job, or why Octavia and Dr. Whooves declined to take it, were out of line with the rest of the episode. Besides, Sunburst is an established enough character at this point that, even without additional explanation, we know that he has the exact kind of skills Starlight is looking for. I mean don’t forget, his introduction established him as more well read than Twilight, and he’s been helping take care of a baby alicorn princess. What’s a school of friendship teaching position compared to that?
 
 
@Background Pony #C658  
Is Horse-Shoe In considered one of the best episodes of the season because it’s genuinely great, or is it just one of the best episodes of an underwhelming season?
I’d say it’s a genuinely good episode.
 
I’m also of the opinion that season 9 is a good season.
 
 
@rdibp  
Not really sure what most people expected to get out of this season.
Validation for their personal headcanon maybe?
Applepie2010
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Yakyakistan
  1. She’s All Yak
     
  2. The Last Crusade
     
  3. Uprooted
     
  4. Student Counsel
     
  5. A Horse Shoe In
     
  6. Sparkle’s Seven
     
  7. Between Dark and Dawn
     
  8. Common Ground
     
  9. The Point of No Return
     
  10. A Trivial Problem
     
  11. Sweet and Smoky
     
  12. The Beginning of the End
     
  13. That’s A Laugh
     
  14. Going to Seed
     
  15. Dragon Dropped
     
  16. Frenemies
     
  17. 2,4,6, Greaaat
     
  18. She talks to Angel
     
  19. The Summer Sun Setback
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(posted in the spoilers thread)
 
@cheezedoodle  
Grampa Gruff’s Home for Orphaned Griffons?
 

 
Headcanon time:
 
Grampa Gruff always treats his charges sternly, encourages them to be rambunctious, and feigns indifference to their troubles, but actually has a heart of gold and keeps a close watch on them, because he knows that griffon culture is tough and these kids need to be tough and independent to survive out there. He’s most concerned about Gabby, because someday some griffon is going to take advantage of her earnest, trusting nature.
DerpyFast
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My Little Pony - 1992 Edition
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Friendship, Art, and Magic (2018) - Celebrated Derpibooru's six year anniversary with friends.

So I just saw A Horse Shoe-In, and it was extremely solid.
 
I think my biggest issue with The Mane Six is that they no longer feel like characters. They’re icons; faces of the brand. You can’t experiment with them, or evolve them, or take them in an exciting new direction. They can only ever be what eight years of book-keeping will allow them to be.
 
The vast majority of the characters in this episode are either relatively new or largely unexplored. Thus, writing for them is a genuine test of creativity, rather than a test of one’s ability to rigidly adhere to someone else’s ideas. A test I think the new writer passed with flying colours. It’s actually kind of a shame that this is the final season. I want to see what she would do with literally any character outside of The Mane Six.
 
@Background Pony #C658
 
It’s just an all-around nice, solid, competently-made episode. I think what elevates it is the feeling that it’s someone’s idea, not just an attempt at reheating someone else’s ideas as inoffensively as possible.
Miss Shy
Silly Pony - Celebrated the 13th anniversary of MLP:FIM, and 40 years of MLP!
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You're going to love me.
Nepotism’s inaccurate, I think the term “Trix-Sucking” is more apt.
 
Man that is a dangerous game putting a new writer on episode 20 in the final season.
 
For what it’s worth, it’s not like the Dash episode where
 
I mean I guess nothing “broke canon”. We never really did get to see Trixie’s actual performance working for the school considering Discord kept sabotaging it.
 
Honestly I don’t care all the much about Starlight/Trixie in this ep. Not that they were awful, it’s just kinda predictable how they’re bit was gonna go. Entertaining, but predictable.
 
What I genuinely liked about this episode was Octavia and Gallus.
 
Not like, as a couple, I already have a Gallus pairing story I gotta write.
 
Octavia is usually depicted in fan works as uptight as hell. Cause she’s usually playing the straight man for Vinyl. And like, this appearance along with Slice of Life, we see that she’s prone to enthusiasm and even a little silliness.
 
I dunno, that stuff just makes me happy.
 
For Gallus, it’s just expanding on just how little his world gives a shit about him. We see it a little bit in Hearth’s Warming Club where he tells the story of his holiday, but it’s hammered in a little more during the conference, where Gruff is only there because he’s obligated to. That really hits home a bit for some people.
 
For that stuff alone, I think it deserves points.
 
Honestly it deserves kudos for the new writer not ruining characters/canon and continuing on it.
 
  1. Between Dark and Dawn  
  2. The Last Laugh  
  3. She Talks to Angel  
  4. Sparkle’s Seven  
  5. Student Counsel  
  6. The Beginning of the End  
  7. Frenemies  
    8. A Horse Shoe-In  
  8. Sweet and Smoky  
  9. The Last Crusade  
  10. The Summer Sun Setback  
  11. Common Ground  
  12. She’s All Yak  
  13. Dragon Dropped  
  14. Going to Seed  
  15. Uprooted  
  16. A Trivial Pursuit  
  17. The Point of No Return  
  18. 2, 4, 6, Greaaat
     
    Next time is the last Daring Do episode, which I’m going to assume gives Rainbow Dash a chance to redeem herself despite it probably not being focused on her. Go out on at least a competent note, please.
Angrybrony
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Twinkling Balloon - Took part in the 2021 community collab.
My Little Pony - 1992 Edition
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Wallet After Summer Sale -

🔥Sunset is best girl🔥
i honestly thought for a second they were going to say sunset shimmer when trixie and glimmer were talking about who should be vice mare or whatever.
Magma_ERuptiOn
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I read this shit?
  1. Frenemies  
  2. The Beginning of the End  
  3. Between Dark and Dawn  
  4. The Summer Sun setback  
  5. Sparkle’s Seven  
  6. The Last Laugh  
  7. Common Ground  
  8. A Horse Shoe-In  
  9. Student Counsel  
  10. She Talks To Angel  
  11. The Last Crusade  
  12. 2 4 6 Greaaat  
  13. Sweet & Smoky  
  14. A Trivial Pursuit  
  15. Going To Seed  
  16. The Point of No Return  
  17. Dragon Dropped  
  18. Uprooted  
  19. She’s All Yak
Background Pony #9AD0
Can someone upload GIF (not WEBM) of Trixie teleporting a whole chunk of bog environment into a classroom?..
AC97
Lunar Supporter - Helped forge New Lunar Republic's freedom in the face of the Solar Empire's oppressive tyrannical regime (April Fools 2023).
Non-Fungible Trixie -
My Little Pony - 1992 Edition

So… what if part of the reason Trixie was vehemently sticking up for Gallus was because of… personal experience?
 
(In other words, she could possibly have  
experienced parental neglect, or the headcanon that she’s the product of a one-night stand is true, and that’s partially why she got angry)
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