"School Raze" Review

[@blueteller]

Cozy's motivations as a villian totally make sense in MLP universe. Here, friendship is LITERALLY magic. The most powerful magic of them all, in fact; stone-turning, banishing, exploding... Nothing stands a chance against it! So no wonder Cozy wants it - the first time she appeared she described the Element of Magic as "Power". Something she clearly wants the most.

[@Mirvra]

Wait.... She did? O.o ....... Uh.... No o.o She calls it ''Control'' .... Though that's pretty close too XD Checkhovs gun maybe? XD Though.... The way she reacts when Ms. Cake ends up using the sprinkles together does seem like she was REALLY close to snapping out of her innocent persona XD Her voice seems to be the easiest thing to notice changing...

[@blueteller]

Uh, sorry. I remembered wrong? But to be honest, "power" and "control" are not that different, so... And yeah, as hard as she works on her cutesy and innocent persona... she's probably barfing inside whenever she has to do it! xD

[@buffalobill4892]

Cozy is delusional. Friendship is indeed powerful, but that's not how the magic works. She openly claims that she doesn't need Kindness or Loyalty in Friendship. What kind of friendship is that? A friendship where you don't even care about your friend is a hollow one at best, and therefore has no magic behind it, both literally and metaphorically. Her perspective of friendship is one that simply doesn't work or function.

[@MegaPurplePrince]

I love how Chancellor Neighsay said in the season opener that other creatures would uses friendship against ponies, and finding out it was a pony that uses friendship against ponies.

[@sadlobster1]

Talk about irony, right

[@sorenleonidas3835]

Eeeyup

[@barsni4779]

Kinda proving his point, actually. Friendship is *power* !

[@fusionomni305]

That's just how backwards and contradictory racism is in real life.

[@shadowwriter4538]

Really ironic especially since it was a child and a pony who used it as a weapon first.

[@Ingram-Ironhide]

Derpy is officially the Hermes of Equestria. Both of them can travel in and out of the underworld to deliver messages. Derpy is BEST delivery pone!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@frankbrislin4378]

Phantom of Death , Just because Derpy delivered mail from Tartarus, doesn't mean she's BEEN to Tartarus.

[@cartoonishidealism582]

Mailponies in Equestria are VERY determined. Remember the one who went to Discord’s dimension?

[@miraculouseveraftersforeve91]

@@cartoonishidealism582 Exactly!

[@EpicFableBean]

Whos to say Derpy delivered mail from there at all

[@finnanima2413]

Remember when Derpy also appeared in the first scene of the end of S6?

[@dougloremaster7413]

we have all forgotten that the greatest pony is pinkie pie? Honestly she used partying and comedic magic to literally torment and torture a creature imprisoned in tartarus until he did as she wished. Watching that made my life complete.

[@Gokuvstheworld]

I know, and It was amazing! Only Pinkie Pie could get Triek to help by just having her usual fun and annoy him lol

[@psychowolfunit1858]

pinkie is the best

[@xendordawnburst9969]

Dr. Wolf: The world seems a bit... boring... Me: Discord, what did you do? Discord: Oh, I completely forgot about those!

[@catluvr2]

Yeah, I thought Discord had a... err... claw? hoof? hand? eh, whatever... in the creation of those creatures.

[@kaiogiovanni]

Since Discord was able to summon a Bugbear out of nowhere, he's the main culprit for these creatures to exist.

[@autumbreeze1129]

Exactly what I was thinking

[@Carewolf]

Apropos Discord, where was he? Did he lose the magic as soon as the unicorns and being stuck somewhere or did he lose it with the magic creatures later, but just thought it was more interesting to see what would happen than to interfere?

[@BlueCircuit]

Blue: Hey discord I got one question for ya..... Nigel: *Joins blue* WHAT ARE THOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSE!!!! XD

[@kjfdhgdf666dfghfd]

Cozy is a dyed in the wool sociopath. She has all the classical textbook markers of sociopathy. There was even a Silence of the Lambs reference from Tirek, further reinforcing that theme of socipathy in the episodes. It's just... so dark. Almost *too* dark a topic, but they handled it so well. I never thought I'd see the day where there was a villain in MLP quite as manipulative and sinister as Cozy.

[@_NIKOS9_NIKOS]

Cozy Glow gave me some serious Darla Dimple vibes from "Cat's dont dance" Also was I the only one who was expecting her to be Chrysalis in disguise?

[@justinriley]

That was intentional. Jim Miller and Sunni Westbrook (The VA for Cozy Glow) confirmed that she was inspired by Darla Dimple and Baby Doll from Batman: The Animated Series.

[@_NIKOS9_NIKOS]

Neat!

[@MelonTartVA]

Finally! Someone else sees the Darla Dimple comparison!

[@weldonwin]

I think I should be 'that' guy and point out that Cozy, Darla Dimple and Baby Doll, all are inspired by real life 1940's child star Shirley Temple

[@justinriley]

@@weldonwin Yes, that too.

[@Goblinzes]

Derpy is not the only mail pony to get into impossible places, there is the mail pony that was able to get into Discord's chaos dimension. Is it a mail pony thing- no rain, nor sleet, nor temporal place sort of thing?

[@Mirvra]

Well Duh... You have to take a left by Tartarus and then head straight on past Elysium to reach Discords realm.... Every mail pony knows that! xD

[@miraculouseveraftersforeve91]

@@Mirvra Obviously! Pfft...

[@Draconicus702]

Cozy Glow despite just being a filly, makes Sunset, Starlight, Trixie, and even Chrysalis at their worst moments from the show and or movies, actually look mentally stable if not nice.....at least when compared to Cozy. :edit: And personally I found Tartarus really boring, in both design and the prisoners kept there. I wish they would of actually had some prisoners other then Tirek be other kinds of unique creatures and species. And not just random wild life that's been shown to live around Equestria.

[@GUILLE832]

I agree; I expected Tartarus to look way more interesting. We just got a zoo's warehouse; so incredibly disappointing.

[@titanhades4331]

Kids show. What do you expect?

[@Draconicus702]

titan hades it being a kids show doesn't mean it's prisons can't look intimidating, or have actual prisoners and not just random animals. These choices for Tartarus's design weren't made so it would be child friendly, it was just lazy writing.

[@connorjaneu3021]

titan hades There are more interesting portrayals of underworlds in other kids shows. Samurai Jack, Adventure Time, etc. granted they have more violence but I still don’t think that matters here. Hercules is another good example.

[@thomasholmes6723]

But when cosie glow says "you ponies" makes me feel that she is something...else

[@miraculouseveraftersforeve91]

It makes me feel like she is some OTHER creature.....not a good feeling....

[@brolytriplethreat]

I mean, we say 'you people' sometimes...

[@alexandrah8644]

Maybe she is actually a dark spirit pony, or even a demon or something like that in disguise.

[@Chipster321]

Well she can’t say “you people” after all...

[@Kaibutsu__]

Made me go “ HA, Racism”

[@kmpgos4158]

Well, while this finale introduced a lot of world building and an unique villain, I can't help but have a few questions that comes with it: 1) Who are Cozy Glow's parrents? Are they okay with their child being locked up together with other monsters? And what kind of parental methords they used to creatre a world-conquering manipulator in form of such a young pegasus? 2) I find it odd that from all villains, they went so hard on a child. Chrysalis, she tried to take over a nation twice, and almost succeded both times, yet no one bothered to capture her and lock her away, despite the fact that she was outnumbered and could be easy restrained. Starlight who almost destroyed the world with time-travel was forgiven and even got posion as Twilight's assistant. Nightmare Moon was cured from corruption and Discord was reformed. Yet a young child was locked away in Tartarus. I really question why Cozy Glow received way harsher punishment while Queen Chrysalis was allowed to escape. 3) Will Cozy's parrents will ever be mentioned? More or less accused of terrible parenting which nearly caused magic from Equestira to vanish? Or will the MLP staff act as if they never existed to begin with. So yeah, while this finale was certainly unique for so many reasons, it at the same time make me scrach my head about ponies' morality. Why they are so fine with allowing a manipulator who can discuise herself escape free to plan her revenge, but a kid gets a full prison treatement. The fact that a kid was able to create a scenario where entire Equestira would lose their magic and surrender to Cozy also speak very poorly of this incompetent nation.

[@PirateForHire314]

Firstly, Chrysallis has been locked away before, and escaped twice in the official IDW comics... as far as we know. The reason she and the Changelings had holes and mangled bodies in the first place was because Celestia lost her coold and temporarily reverted to Daybreaker, shredding their bodies with her sun magic. She stopped in time to prevent killing them, or realized what she was doing and stopped, and had them imprisoned in a volcano guarded by a dragon. The second time was when she was defeated by Twilight the second time (the first IDW story) and manipulated Twilight into giving her a chance in order to unlock the door. Secondly, it is great to see non-creature/non-unicorn villains. I still believe there needs to be an Earth Pony Villain: one who feels unicorns get away with too much or has a strong distrust of magic itself, believing the world would be better off without it - the strongest survive? Perhaps a new Mighty Helm can be founded, one that holds all magic accountable and fight for any seen oppression against Earth Ponies and non-magical creatures. What about Earth Pony Magic? The Pegasi didn't loose their flying magic and Earth Ponies didn't lose theirs. They could prove to succeed where normal magic can't as they are so unexplored. Plus, it would be fun to see Twilight try to embrace her inner Earth Pony Magic as an Allicorn. Unicorn and Pegasus training are checked off for her and she could benefit from having AJ train her like Rainbow Dash did; AJ did keep a cool head during this magic-drain and provided support for Twi ... like she does in a lot of episodes. WE NEED A TWI/AJ EPISODE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@adolfodef]

1) Once a pony gets their cutiemark (and/or is developed enough to have foals of their own); they are considered free legal citizens [their parents can not be forced to take any "punishment" for their poor choices]. -> This makes sense given the Post-Medieval "Gaslamp Fantasy" setting of Equestria. 2) Chrysalis was ALLOWED to escape, as the alternative she implied by her own choice was to be killed (taking alongside with her SOME of the ones present). Starlight "did nothing wrong" (in this REALM). If Celestia is not sending "help" to the Equestria Girls World (after she was "properly informed" about the use of very dangerous memory erasing Equestrian Magic); then she would also not care about "other reality problems" [specially since those living there were not even aware of "this Starlight" being the responsable for it]. -> Hence no need to "punish" Starlight since there will be no consequences for allowing her to be free (while there MAY be rumors "about ruthless Celestia" if a normal pony is "put in prison" for "no good reason"). Nightmare Moon was corrupted by some dark, old ancient magic she "pulled from the night" [most likely coming actually from the dreamworld, where "Celestia never had any power" to emulate it and get to her same powerlevel]. -> Then the Elements of Harmony just "restored" the original Luna to normalcy... something that is IMPOSSIBLE for Cozy Glow (who is already in her "True Form"); without reducing her to a mindless newborn [not much different than KILLING her and forcing her soul to be reborn in a clone...]. Also, both Starlight and Discord have reasons to behave (the former to make friends and be happy (like she was with Sunburst) once again, the latter to get a chance in love with Fluttershy ). -> Cozy Glow has no other porpouse in life than to learn how to get CONTROL over others to fullfill her ambition and achieve greatness... [ she is JUST like Tirek ]. 3) They are likelly dead by now (probably indirectly because of the Storm King, who is conveniently also dead). But even in that case they would not be "scrutinized" unless Cozy happens to have an identical cutiemarkless twin sister... -> Once Cozy Glow got her cutiemark, she became her own pony (in all senses that count). About typical background pony morality: -> "Out of Sight, Out of Mind" [ponies just want to live in peace] They can NOT recognize someone who can shapeshift (even thinking about it too much would only lead to paranoia); while they can NOT avoid filling resentment and being cautious every time they see someone who CAN NOT change their appareance that was publicly known as "dangerous & evil" [specially when it is "without using magic or artifacts" but just her mind and voice].

[@WinterGirlRules]

To be fair, aside from enslaving a village, Starlight didn't really do anything. While she prevented the Mane 6 from meeting, multiple times, she ultimately reset the timeline and destroyed the spell, effectively making it as if it had never happened. No one, except the Mane 6 knows what she did, and the only proof that could be presented to anyone of authority is a torn up spell.

[@junco88]

Maybe she's an orphan?

[@GundamNinja9]

It still doesn't change the fact that she tampered with the timeline. Preventing the Main 6 from meeting caused many worlds where ponies were suffering, at war or died. You can clean up the damage from a catastrophic event, but it doesn't change the fact that it happened in the first place even if it involves the timeline. Also Starlight, did more than just enslave ponies, she lied to them and stole their cutie marks pretty and was planning on doing the same thing to every pony with pretty much goes against the laws of nature in equestria.

[@sambeckettcat]

Dangit! I was convinced that Cozy Glow was Chrysalis! Why was she even in this season if she ends up not doing anything at all? Though, thinking about it now, I imagine her story isn't over yet. We still don't know why she came to believe what she believes, and if chrysalis might still remain a non-factor in the final season.

[@Mirvra]

How would you like your RED HERRING cooked sir? Sometimes you HAVE to mix up your Red herrings and Checkhovs guns to keep the viewers confused... If you ALWAYS use Checkhovs gun no one will ever be surprised with your plot twists o.o and likewise if you always use red herrings no one's ever gonna take your plot hints seriously XD Though there's still the chance that good 'ol Chryssie will be in the next season start =P

[@MikeDragon]

Sooo.... a little filly, a _child_ was sent to tartarus, which is technically eternal imprisonment and yes, it was deserved for she _did_ commit serious crimes against Equestria but one question nags me... If she's a little filly... where the heck are her parents or guardians?! By the way, have any of you noticed that this finale has left the huge potential for the student six to be sent into map missions, from now on? The Tree of Harmony has interacted with them directly, it has saved them, Sandbar once mentioned about "finally going on a friendship mission" and at the end, when the tree is saving them, it is even pointed out by a background character that they were glowing the same colors as the elements and the Mane Six when _they_ use the elements. Maybe I am overthinking things, but in my eyes, the Student Six can now yield the elements, like the Mane Six and use its power (for good, obviously) if necessary. The potential that has been created for future stories with them is incredible, if you think of it!

[@williamharmon4039]

Mike Dragon In real life, if a child or teenager committed a serious enough crime then I believe the parents would have much say in what punishment the state deals out.

[@MikeDragon]

Indeed! That's why I questioned about the whereabouts of her parents.

[@williamharmon4039]

Maybe she's an orphan or something. I don't think it really matters because in the end Cozy Glow is a dangerous sociopath who clearly stated her intentions to continue her plans elsewhere. I get the idea that some people think it's overkill to punish a little filly like that, but kids can be just as dangerous and evil as adults and the fact she has an adult level intellect and is fully aware of her actions proves she is not an ordinary child and has to be treated as a special case due to the threat she could still potentially pose.

[@MikeDragon]

Oh, I didn't think it was overkill to send her to tartarus. I'm just wondering why there doesn't seem to be any adult pony responsible for her. Even as an orphan, she _should_ have a guardian since she's still an infant, technically. Then again, perhaps pony society doesn't work like ours when it comes to this sort of stuff. Who knows.

[@williamharmon4039]

Mike Dragon Maybe she just looks really young but is actually an adult, like the villain Baby Doll from Batman.

[@BugsyFoga]

Even though i sort of expected cozy clow to be up to something , i still was pretty shock that she was the villan this whole time , which is something i have to give them credit for.

[@weldonwin]

I think we all knew she was up to something, but I think we all assumed she was Nay Say's mole in the school and that he'd be the big bad for the season

[@sambeckettcat]

I thought she was gonna be Chrysalis. And no, I don't think she's such a terrible changeling as to fail the moment she saw Twilight or Starlight.

[@kayleighross4910]

I had a feeling Cozy was the main villain within the first minute after her introduction.

[@tiny2315]

Nathaniel Foga I knew she was gonna be “bad” in a way, because of the synopsis, but I expected her to be a minor antagonist that served Neighsay (the “big bad”) or something and then turned on him with the help of the Mane 6 and whatnot. I _wasn’t_ expecting HER to be the *big bad* all the time, working independently and seeing Neighsay be the “reformed” guy.

[@TheCommenterDragon]

School Raze certainly demonstrated how the real villain can be the individual you least expect I.e Cozy Glow,but at least the finale ended well Cozy Glow was imprisoned in Tartarus and Neighsay got a whole new perspective on things and finally opened his eyes about how ponies aren't the only ones capable of friendship,and we also learned how much the ponies of Equestria depend of magic to survive (which in my opinion is a little too much),but i gotta say out of everything i saw in the season 8 finale it's Cozy Glow i'm really impressed with because she's proven to be a pretty convincing villain especially since she's the first filly villain in the series.

[@justinriley]

She's certainly one of the most intriguing villains in the show.

[@Secret_Moon]

I don't understand how everyone can praise this finale and say Cozy Glow is the best villain. She is just a stupid kid with a stupid motivation. Her scheme doesn't even make any sense. If she wants to be powerful through friendship, why don't just make her way up slowly within the school? What's the point of taking away other magics in Equestria? Wouldn't that send her world to apocalypse and make her plan pointless? About her being best manipulator, sorry she's not. She only managed to manipulate others because no one expected a filly to be evil in the first place. She's nothing compared to Discord, Flim & Flam and Iron Will, whom even if others knew were bad still couldn't argue with their logic and had to do as they said. And she said she knew the CMC were distracting her, but she didn't even bother to check what they were distracting her from? There was also no point in her helping the CMC in Marks for Effort. The finale just completely turns her personality around. It would have made much more sense if she hadn't been really evil but only followed Neighsay's order to sabotage the school. The finale is also riddled with plot holes. Who is Cozy anyway? How did she contact Tirek in Tartarus? How could Tirek know how to use those artifacts, most of which are not from pony kingdom in the first place, to suck magic away? How did Starswirl find out exactly how magic was gonna disappear, to the point of which one disappeared first. If Twilight, an alicorn, couldn't even levitate objects, how did the Royal sisters change the day? The mane 6 came to a prison with a 1 time use key and they just walked right in. Even if there had been no Cozy Glow, how would they have planned to come out after they interrogated Tirek? What was the manticore doing in there? Wasn't it a pretty nice creature in S1 premier? Wasn't the gate of Tartarus, the supposedly top security prison in Equestria, too easy to open with just some residue magic? The artifacts were sucking the student 6 AND STARLIGHT into the void and the other students just "meh, let's listen to Cozy and leave them to their death". And people called S6 finale stupid.

[@justinriley]

@@Secret_Moon She's scheming, manipulative, and eccentric. Also, to your point about her motivation, she's a psychopath. No tragic elaborate backstory needed, she's just crazy. To quote Alfred in The Dark Knight, "Some men just want to watch the world burn."

[@justinriley]

@@Secret_Moon Or maybe, you need to learn to just respect other people's opinions.

[@Secret_Moon]

Justin Riley Why do you imply I was disrespectful to others' opinions? All of what I said was me pointing out the facts and giving my own opinion. When I said I don't understand how people can praise... I literally meant it as a question that I hope someone can give a satisfactory answer. And my last sentence was not implying to call others stupid. I just wanted to point out the contradiction that this finale has more plot holes than S6 finale yet people like this one while they called S6 finale stupid. And about Cozy, no she's not a psychopath. She clearly stated her motivation was power, not the destruction of the world. She's a perfectly sane schemer, even though her scheme was terrible.

[@crovax1375]

Harmony's punishment of keeping the young six trapped under the school makes sense now that the finale has aired. They would have been there to stop Cozy Glow regardless of what Neighsay attempted to do

[@echorapone3209]

travis f it wasn't a punishment though it was a test perhaps because the tree knew what was going on somehow

[@crovax1375]

Echo Rapone when the episode What Lies Beneath first aired Harmony's action seemed more like a punishment rather then foresight

[@echorapone3209]

travis f true but after seeing the season finale there comes the idea that maybe the tree knew and was testing their friendship to see if they were strong enough to face cozy glow. They never bothered to check on the tree (the mane 6) which I thought was a bit odd but who knows it was still an interesting episode either way.

[@crovax1375]

Echo Rapone yes it was very interesting. And since Cozy's plans were finally revealed it makes me wonder if the Friendship University episode was her first attempt at a coup, and since that failed she went for broke and gambled everything after getting advice from Tirek

[@echorapone3209]

It's funny cause right after I commented that KZbin recommended this kzbin.info/www/bejne/pqHMi3uLlNStbck

[@steveelmy]

I like Cozy as a villain. She has a Child-Like understanding of lots of things, she is the personification of Power: 1. She has a "corrupted" view of Friendship etc. 2. She knows a lot about everyone, and "information is power" 3. She sees Friendship as the ability to gain "influence" 4. Cozy can control a crowd and turn them against others. What I find MOST refreshing regarding Cozy, is that the writers haven't been afraid to write her a pretty much "Psychotic" i.e. she 100% believes that what she is doing is Right, and she was prepared to dispose of literally Anyone who got in Her way. I DO hope we see Cozy again! Maybe as part of a group, with Tirek, Crysalis and Sombra even? The ultimate finale to this Generation!

[@elderscrollsswimmer4833]

Mm... Evil 6: Cozy Glow: Power/Control Gladmane: Liar/cruel Tirek: Greedy/traitor

[@baclamom]

If Hasbro decide to bring back Cozy Glow, it will be next season as season 9 will be the last season.

[@benberlin57]

she does seem the type to not waste all her time venting about being locked up. sad to see that S9 will be the final season, but on the other hand (or hoof, or talon, or paw) it will be exciting to see what G5 has to offer, I'm actively avoiding G5 leaks/spoilers as best as I can and am curious/excited/tad bit nervous about what is coming I guess using Pinkie-brand logic (TM)(C) that I am nervciteous or something like that.

[@smashshane9434]

Ben Berlin I won't give any spoilers for this generation. But, what I have been told is that G5's format's going to be more likely aimed towards teens and adults. So that gives me hope.

[@Juria316]

I'll admit this finale was one of the more interesting ones. On the one hand, they didn't just make Neighsay evil, and actually had a fairly solid reason for why Cozy Glow did what she did, complete with a non-reformation for her as well. On the other hand, I do wish this had been a three-parter just to add in a little bit more world building, and have a scene where Neighsay apologizes to the other leaders directly, but I think that's just because I want to see Prince Rutherford hug him just to see Neighsay's "I immediately regret this decision" face. Overall, a good finale to a fairly good season, and I eagerly await season 9.

[@adolfodef]

That idea for the end sounds like the PERFECT "punishment" for Neighsay (non-consensual, non-equine friendship!)

[@SpeakDemon]

That sounds soooo wrong in different contexts. XD

[@benberlin57]

Yak make best hugs! that would be soo funny, and I agree that if it weren't for the rule of 26 there are several seasons that would have benefitted from a 3-part (or even 4-part finale/opener) like in the "official" comics I enjoyed the 1 and 2 part stories but I really enjoyed the 4-part stories. maybe fans could get together and make a fan-version of this story arc with the extra stuff (I can't do mane 6 voices but I would be happy to help with non-digital planning art or audition for Neighsay).

[@Ardas57]

I don't think Cozy Glow is really a child, I think she's another magical being disguised as a foal. Her plan is just WAAAAAAYYY too well planned out.

[@justinriley]

An overall very good finale for an overall very good season. It was funny, exciting, and very subversive. Every major character is utilized effectively, written competently, and given something to do. Seeing Tirek again was a real treat too. Much like "To Where and Back Again", it's refreshing to see someone besides the Main 6 save the day. However, "School Raze" improves on the Season 6 finale, the Main 6 are NOT completely nerfed and are still able to contribute to the story without being written out. Plus, the students have slightly better chemistry than the group in TWABA. Having Sandbar be the one to save the others allows for him to get some much needed time in the spotlight. Having Chancellor Neighsay be a red herring was a genius idea, not only because it's an effective twist, but it actually provides a layer of complexity for him. He's not a villain, he's someone who's deeply misguided, but not fully wrong. But the real MVP of this finale was Cozy Glow, who is by far the most dynamic, sinister, and entertaining villain in the show so far. I love how she switches from being a sneaking manipulator to an eccentric power hungry despot in an instant. She's like a kid version of Dolores Umbridge. And that ending was icing on the cake. It wasn't perfect though. It was disappointing to have the Crusaders finally contribute to the finale...only to stick them in the closet. Twilight brushing off Starlight losing her powers as her needing practice is kind of stupid, given that she knows how skilled Starlight is. Finally, it feels like Neighsay got off a little too easy considering that he tried to impose his agenda on the School of Friendship and held several students captive in Twilight's absence. In the end, "School Raze" is a very effective and satisfying way to end Season 8 on and lead us into Season 9.

[@justinriley]

@Hannah Papernick-Yudin Actually, no. The students were developed in previous episodes.

[@justinriley]

@Hannah Papernick-Yudin Considering that they're the protagonists, yes. It would be like an episode of Buffy The Vampire Slayer where Buffy never makes an appearance. I respectfully disagree with your take on the students, they weren't super fleshed out, but they were all likable, were developed, and did change by the season's end. Also, I liked Twilight and friends not being the ones to save the say in the Season 6 finale, but my issue was the filmsy and vague way in which they were taken out.

[@justinriley]

@Hannah Papernick-Yudin Of the six, Smolder is my favorite. She's sarcastic and witty, and has some of the funniest lines. Gallus is my second favorite. He's also very sarcastic and cynical, but his backstory about him being an orphan and suffering from loneliness makes him the most sympathetic. Silverstream is a joy to watch for her energy and optimism. Ocellus' shy, meek, demeanor reminds me a lot of Willow from Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Speaking of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Sandbar reminds me a lot of Xander.

[@ambermargheim5726]

About those artifacts, there is no evil item. Just evil people who miss use them. A gun can save lives, and end them, planes carry meds and bombs, and more is on the list but im gonna stop.

[@crovax1375]

For Dr. Wolf's comment about Derpy delivering the mail to Tartarus. Pinky did say that pretending to deliver pizza used to work when the main six was trying to enter the gates. Maybe Cerberus can open the gate?

[@SamuraiEchidna]

There was a moment where Neighsay could have double crossed everyone. Just before he used his portal to go see Celestia, he looked back at the "Student Six". In that moment, he had every chance to try and cease power for himself. He could have lied to Princess Celestia and told her that Cozy Glow and the Student Six were working together. Two birds with one stone. But he didn't. He learned to see past species/race all on his own. Another reason why I like this finale.

[@JDueler11]

Tirek wasn't manipulation. He just found a pony he can see as his equal.

[@barsni4779]

Tirek thinks of every single creature as inferior. He called her something akin to disciple.

[@adolfodef]

On the other cloven hoof... he DID acquired certain level of RESPECT for those 6 ponies (all of them female, 2 of them pegasi), who defeated him "in all senses" in that final showdown of power at the Tree of Harmony´s cave. The way he dismisses Spike [who "was there" when he trapped the mane five], sugest that he did not even "recorded" them but until AFTER they manage to "take him down" [hence why he may be cautiously optimistic when a similar "cute pony pegasus" looks for his knowledge and wisdom to make "something more than mere mischief"...]

[@halomaxus]

Cozy glow forgot about the most important thing about being a villain, the inconspicuous plot device that always turns the tide

[@adolfodef]

Unless... getting imprisoned in Tartarus for a long period of time (something that would otherwise would be IMPOSSIBLE for a little cute pegasus filly) was her REAL PLAN... ^_ ^

[@forwardtsender8573]

It wasn't inconspicuous. If she had been reading up on previous villains and paying attention she would have realized that her biggest foe wasn't the Mane 6 or any pony. It was the Tree of Harmony, which somehow had enough magic to screw up her plans at the very last second.

[@KageRyuu6]

In regards to your past sorcerer fan fic, it was Discord, I mean at one point in time he summons or even just creates a Bugbear out of thin air. And the way you said "the world seems a bit boring, I want some more... creatures to play with" dripped of Discord. Also, foal imprisonment, Equestria gets that much darker and more dystopian. Yay!

[@sadlobster1]

When you think about it, Cozy's plan COULD make sense in other media. Depending on what kind of friends/alliances you make, you COULD gain power. Because the other party might have powerful armies, vast amounts of bountiful resources, powerful knowledge or some form of great power. So, in other shows; I truly think Cozy's plan COULD make sense

[@ambermargheim5726]

tah. They just gave to use this as an evil idea. Bug alot if times thus us sadly how it works...I wish that wasn't true but it is.

[@justinriley]

Can it be? A Season Finale where the Royal Sisters aren't nerfed and the Royal Guards actually contribute to the plot? It's a miracle!

[@MelonTartVA]

Joshscorcher/Firebrand will be so happy

[@Tokensdorf]

I blame Flash Magnus

[@justinriley]

@@Tokensdorf Funny how the Royal Guard actually became more competent and effective when he disappeared.

[@izunia8436]

Blame Faust she was the cause of that

[@weldonwin]

I think we also just saw the first ever female royal guard in this episode too

[@weldonwin]

So, what exactly was Cozy's plan, once all the magic in Equestria is gone forever and basically, their world DIES?

[@SuperHurricane]

To take it to the human world and become all powerful.

[@ryanbarham8464]

Once all the magic in creatures and artifacts is gone, the only magic that remains is that which can be extracted from friendship. As the "Empress" of friendship, Cozy Glow would become the most powerful pony in the world. At least, that was her intention.

[@lukaerd6258]

She becomes god

[@kaspi001]

She's still a child, so she most likely didn't think that one through.

[@adamt2564]

Nope, human world is non-canon to the actual show, she was probably taking it to some void like dimension where it would be consumed for all eternity or perhaps even a demonic one. Whatever that dimension maybe it is not the human world.

[@MelodyDeLune]

The way you said it makes me think discord is responsible for all the fused animals I mean it would make sense given it fits his chaotic personality

[@benberlin57]

I agree that sounds like something he would do but I am not going to discount the good doctor's suggestion that perhaps some ancient magic practitioner decided for some reason or another to fuse these dissimilar creatures together.

[@skilledful]

I think magic creature are a magic occurrence that were created by nature as a result of the normal animals The purpose of this magic species is to maintain the natural balance on magic world

[@Carewolf]

He is responsible for a lot of things.. Pretty sure the world only turned into a cartoon during his reign, and it has been stuck like that since.

[@brookerickettson4950]

Fantastic as always Dr Wolf! Loved to the point of rotflmao the “Release the Pinkie Pie” moment, “I can do this aaall eternity “ Terick’s eye twitches. Reminded me of the episode where AJ is hiding out at the cherry farm !! Chancellor Naysay was a great red herring for big bad, his turn was a little quick, but when faced w the greatest threat to Equestria being a PONY, and not the non ponies he has had it in for, it’s a believable cherry on his humble pie. I hope we see more development w him later, and see FS work to improve the conditions of the beasts in Pony Hell( which is amazing we finally saw it! Anyone else think Ceburus was going to be a battering ram to escape like he did before?). I mean call backs galore, and some beasts were bad like the chimaera, but the manticore wasn’t all that bad, unless this was a different one? Honestly thought that there was going to be some condition that the students had to grab the artifacts of their own race or it would not work, but nothing was mentioned, but I think they did that anyway, After the Jedi fear tree incident, you think CG would have accounted for the Tree of Harmony, but no, and it literally pulled off the save in the end! Finally, where was Discord throughout all this? Why is he never called for help? Were his parts already split? Voice actor unavailable? Too easy a resolution? Finally finally, NOTHING STOPS THE MAIL!

[@calliethewolfcat2183]

If Cozy Glow had succeeded, she would have LITERALLY destroyed the world.

[@FritzRolle732]

I personally thought this episode was great Cozy Glow as the villain was absolutely insane. However, her primary purpose of gaining power was a bit confusing. I'm happy that the CMC had a role in the finale. But the thing that really stands out was the fact that we finally get to see a villain character get punished for his/her crimes. Josh Haber you finally regained yourself. #NoMoreForgivenessinMLP Also, I was really surprised by the fact that there are now female royal guards for the first time! Overall, I give this episode a 9.25/10.

[@dustinfreeman1451]

If the CMC saved the day. They would give the worst punishment for Cozy Glow. Banishment to the Imp realm.

[@FritzRolle732]

Dustin Freeman oh yeah!

[@DrawciaGleam02]

Some fans are talking about how Cozy might be redeemed later....

[@kaneaquino8295]

Just imagining in Season 9, Cozy Glow and Tirek will be like Darla and Max from Cats Don't Dance.

[@russellvawter5604]

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHH!

[@ambermargheim5726]

7:00. That face. Also discord. That's sounds like hjm. Also. You do a great sorcerer impression

[@JDueler11]

Is Derpy the Hermes of Equestria.

[@Songal18]

Best season finale in a long time! A villain that was actually in the making since her debut, Neighsay staying as is but then seeing the error of his ways, Twilight using a huge amount of Magic and for a time giving the creatures locked in Taurtarus give them their own body and minds. Everything about these episodes were so well written and if they could they probably could have made this a TV movie with extended parts. But the BEST was getting the Student Six and seeing what possible elements they represent and the artifacts too ^^ Man, I was hoping that the season finale would make up for the not so stellar season in general, and it does! But Cozy was still a filly so her having multiple friends was a perfect motivation for her wanting to becoming the 'Empress of Friendship'. And yes, Cozy will return if that last scene was any speculation. All in all, I think Season 8 ended on a bang and does a villain right. Time for Season 9 hype!

[@fletchergilmore5020]

I never trusted that little witch cozy glow, the part you said about derpy makes me think she’s like the messenger god Hermes, finally if they create a ninth season of mlp it’ll be as exciting as this season

[@runejoke1801]

What if were in an alternate timeline were cozy glow succeeded

[@weldonwin]

All life in Equestria ends. Basically, the last timeline from The Cutie Remark, where Twilight brings Starlight to an Equestria where everything is just dead and turned to ashes

[@Lecog]

1. No offense but your not Cody from alternate history hub, 2. Cozy glow would be overthrown by the guard, they may be stupid, but they rarely rely on magic as it consists of Pegasus mostly from what I've seen, and they use their hooves to hold their spears, not levitation.

[@frankbrislin4378]

@@weldonwin , D'OH! I literally just thought of that myself.

[@thirdplanet4471]

@@Lecog No one needs to be Cody from alternate history to speculate on what could have been.

[@Lecog]

Yea I know that, but he literally used the same starting sentence that Cody does, just a fun coincidence.

[@ameier5570]

so i'm still waiting for the "Villains of the world unite" story in mlp with all the villains coming back, so far for me Crysalis was the number one candidate to gather all the villains, but now it would be cozy

[@luckyshot2574]

I totally LOVED that manipulation. I have a love for these kind of villains. Not Tirek. He was just dump. And the "monsters" (I put "monsters" in quotes, because of Flutterhsy) that seems to have been created by magic itself was a great idea. I think, since these creatures were coming from the Everfree Forest, it's the magic of the forest itself that's "fusing" them together to create these "monsters". Or your 0815 magical artifact that lies there for a thousand years. I could see in the future Cozy Glow getting all the previous villains (that are still there) together to focus their power in a mutual goal. Defeat Equestria and TAKING OVER THE WORLD! ... until each one decides to betray their comrades for his/her personal goal in becoming the supreme sole ruler which gives the heros enough time to beat them with their friendship beam or something like that.

[@djlamar2]

It was good. However I thought that at the end it'd be revealed that cozy glow was in fact Chrysallis in disguise.

[@micharosa6201]

Nah it's better if Cozy is a pony, than other villain in disguise (even thou i got in my headcanon some idea about Cozy, being actually older than Starswirl the bearded, heck maybe even the ones who stoped Windigos, but is also cursed in filly body, coz she tried do something heinous and her plan failed), coz i got enough that some sort of plot twist where pony isn't pony, but some other creature (cough Sombra is umbrum, cough cough)

[@dustinfreeman1451]

That did fool me.

[@drowyart]

If Pony foods have Magic too, so Tirek just need to eat cupcakes?!😂😂😂 And Pinkie did give him cake, and hello Pinkie, that can be usefull before!😏

[@Lyceaos]

i wont say that naysay was ever really evil, nor really was he powerhungery. take a look doctor, he came of more as a bit xenophobic and in many ways you could even say an aligory for modern hard line concervatives in the US, afraid and hating anything that was to much not looking like or being like them till it hit close to home and they were forced to look at it in a new way then realizing that isnt so scary or dangerous. sometimes one note other times he came off rather well done in that regard. a risky writing choice if you ask me. but evil he isnt really.

[@t-sparks7874]

I hope someone picks up that phone because I F$%^&& called it!

[@tminusblastedrocket]

Cartoon gentleman you win

[@Gokuvstheworld]

I got it SO wrong it's pathetic lol. The only thing about this finale i got right was that Neighsay would be back. Other than that I blew it

[@sadlobster1]

You think Neighsay's "the reign of Princess Twilight is over" comment might make Celestia upset?

[@miraculouseveraftersforeve91]

Celestia DID give Twilight her wings.....

[@sadlobster1]

That's what I'm sayin'; if she could do THAT, think of what she could do to Neighsay for endangering her most faithful friend/pupil. Let's also not forget the differences in authority here. HE'S just a school administrator, whereas Twi and Tia are princesses

[@miraculouseveraftersforeve91]

@@sadlobster1 That's true, but they were walking together during the finale maybe Celestia gave him a piece of her mind off screen?

[@sadlobster1]

Possibly; maybe, at the Season 9 premiere, it'll briefly show him facing some form of punishment

[@_NIKOS9_NIKOS]

So if all those monsters that are trapped in Tartarus have magic in them what is stopping Tirek from absorving it? I mean we know that he can absorve magic from all kinds of creatures (like what he did to Discord)

[@weldonwin]

I presume the cage he's in has something to do with it, since I'm pretty sure it can't be an ordinary cage, seeing as it shouldn't even keep him inside. Seriously, the bars are so wide appart and he's so skeletal thin, he could just squeeze between them

[@RubberyCat]

Also, he is in a weakened state, and even in the S4 finale, he could at first only absorb raw magic, meaning that the creature magic is not something he could absorb anyway.

[@WilliamBeasley]

Proximity is also probably a factor

[@cartoonishidealism582]

It took him like, 2 seasons to even work up the strength to steal unicorn magic so I think they’re safe.

[@nataliaborys1554]

I think that Cozy Glow is a psychopath. The way she tries to grasp friendship is exactly the way a person incapable of feeling empathy would. She thinks that the more friends you have, the more power you have and thinks that is a reason to why people have friends. Even the chess piece cutie mark plays well with this, since there is a tendency for people who know of their high IQ to become apathetic since everything seems predictable to them. We also never saw her truly care about anyone, which is actually standing out from all reformed villains if you think about it. Nightmare Moon wanted eternal night just so that ponies interact with her more. She wanted attention. Discord is capable of friendship, as seen by him missing friendship when he lost it. Crystalis cares about her hive. These are all her children afterall. Starlight Glimmer was just jealous of Twilight's friendships going so well, while her ones fall apart. Cozy Glows is the only villain who isn't a being of pure evil (since she's a pony) and does not care about anyone. Psychopaths often take enjoyment out of playing with others via manipulating. And since we have no evidence that ponies can't be psychologically disabled... Well, that's my theory.

[@mythrilldragon549]

A lot of people think Cozy Glow isn't a pony, but what if she is, but isn't a filly? What is she had a condition like systemic hypoplasia like Mary Dahl did in Batman, the animated series episode "Baby Doll". A better example would be Gary Colman. When he passed away at the age of 42, he still looked like a 12 year old kid. Cozy could be just as old as Twilight but her body never grew up. All her planning and manipulation of others sound to mature for a filly to do. Not even Diamond Tiara was ever that manipulative. Being an adult trapped in a child body could make her become mentally unstable...

[@Lecog]

Cozy glow reminds me of Aeon of Dreams when it comes to manipulation, its kinda shall I say, uncanny. Just look at Joshs review with Aeon.

[@dustinfreeman1451]

I think Cozy Glow might be Illy the Imp from the "Diamond and Dazzle" web comic.

[@Lecog]

I never have read the comics but this would not be the first time they have not referenced them, that is an interesting thought.

[@sly123size]

Let me tell you this... i hate to tell you this... but... i TOLD YOU SO!!! Some kids can be evil... Even from there parents or from an unknown origin because i know everything... You need just go to The Source... or even The real source not judge someone else's because what they are... it can be either way... Just be careful what you wish for or else you might end up like toonkritic2ky and he was the only red and black Pegasus that i gonna challenge him in the unknowable time line and some of the people don't know that i want join Hasbro Studio and i want to be a designer/voice actor for myself... but no my parents won't let me go anywhere or who knows what...

[@someothername2585]

OK! I can finally write this comment Soooo... this was my second favorite two parter In MLP and probably one of the top 10 episodes in the show ever Cozy... oh man this filly... she is the best... I LOVE that kind of villans who are super f up but are very deep and man Cozy's character is definitely super deep and I can say that without even hearing her backstory... I mean unless writers decide to f it up like they did with Starlight but I hope they won't She is so smart, I especially love the part where she sees through the CMC's plan and comes up with such a great plan in meer minutes... I mean her plan there was so good, she knew that they would be next to the artefactsand that she has no chance against them so she decided to take the crowd with her that's so smart And what animators did with her character is just masterpiece, her cutie mark, her faces, the way she moved it all was so good that it was able to split the fandom in half because it was just so saddle and that's something I can appreciate I was really disappointed that pegasus didn't stop flying but I've got a theory for it: Cozy didn't take Pegasus magic(because it's not those wings that are lifting them up for sure, so it has to be magic) because of 2 reasons 1. it's not as dengerous as for example unicorn magic which could stop her immediately so that's why she took it in the first day 2. she is a Pegasus herself so it comes handy for her And we also know she didn't take ALL the magic because than everypony would look like they did back in season 4 finale and that wouldn't be good for her too because she wanted to make friends with them And here's a cute details that you might have missed: Cozy Glows crown is made with duck tape I think it's super cute

[@someothername2585]

Sometimes I wonder if there's at least one person who actually reads these comments of mine

[@PrincessInvaderJai]

That is an awesome comment and theory too!

[@someothername2585]

@@PrincessInvaderJai OMG! someone actually read it XD

[@PrincessInvaderJai]

E'up! XD

[@dann_yrose]

did you notice that when all the magic returned while rarity and twilight's magic flew back . pinkie also received some magic as well. even though only unicorns were effected not Pegasus or earth ponies

[@ghouldash9761]

It felt refreshing to see Tirek again. He was one of my favorite villains during Season 4. Still, felt pretty bad for him when Pinkie pulled a Doctor Strange on the poor centaur.

[@Mirvra]

Only sad part was that his voice wasn't anywhere near as creepy and foreboding as last time.... oh well...

[@MrWarriorace]

Sooo wait the chess piece filly wants to become equestrians first Mob boss.

[@kioku119]

A funny thing. Cozy managed to trick the pony who was the best manipulator up to this point (Glim-Glam ). I guess given the situation she would have been the easiest since things weren't really suspicious yet, but wow ; p

[@jesse1784]

TRUE

[@jsuniversemr.random8815]

CozyGlow is like Starlight when she's still in her evil way.

[@adolfodef]

Nope. She is not. Starlight Glimmer is a fire forged sociopath ("made herself" against her nature). Cozy Glow is a natural psycopath (she was "born into it" and fullfilled her destiny).

[@miraculouseveraftersforeve91]

@@adolfodef No one is born evil! Something happened to her to make her this way!

[@adolfodef]

@ Mira... : No-one is born "evil" ; but lots of people are born everyday DISABLED. -> Natural Psycopathy is the neurological incapacity to feel empathy for others. This is perfectly "natural" (does not FORCE them to be "evil"); but put them in a huge disadvantage (had to "fight against their nature" their whole lives); no cure, no hope.

[@justinriley]

Cozy Glow, the MLP equivalent of Princess Morbucks.

[@dustinfreeman1451]

Diamond Tiara is the equivalent of Princess Morbucks. Cozy Glow is the equivalent of Darla Dimple.

[@PrincessInvaderJai]

I enjoyed season 8's finale ! It was full of unexpected surprises! I thought at first, Cozy Glow would be one of those "held against their will by the antagonist" characters. Wanting to help the heroes to stop Neighsay, however I was proven wrong with the plot-twist of her being the main villain(ess) of the whole thing. Either way, I did see and not see this plot-twist coming with Cozy Glow turning out from friend to foe. On the other hand, I didn't expect Neighsay to turn out from foe to friend! I liked that concept. ^^

[@Arkus]

I have a funny feeling that Cosy Glow isn't a Pony (or at least not a normal Pony), we really need a backstory for her otherwise she's just some filly who is a master manipulator hungry for power come out of nowhere.

[@dustinfreeman1451]

I think Cozy Glow might be Illy the Imp from the "Diamond and Dazzle" web comic.

[@SpeakDemon]

Cozy is like Diamond Tiara was, just not as overt in her personality like Diamond was.

[@nixxgen9574]

How could a child cause so much damage? Plus I think throwing her in Tartarus seems like overkill couldn’t they’ve just thrown her in juvenile hall? And finally how did she come in to contact with Tirek? What are your thoughts Dr Wolf?

[@justinriley]

Gideon Gray from Gravity Falls was also a child who got arrested.

[@Gokuvstheworld]

Don't think Equestria even has any kind of juvenile hall. It is odd that it wouldn't have anything like that though. Guess they're never had real problems caused by somepony's Cozy's age before

[@RandomGuy-nt1no]

the creature fusing thing seems like something discord would do

[@connorthompson8376]

I kept thinking of the Dr. Wolf Canon, given you're recent 'therapy visit episode. Makes me want to see a follow up.

[@stormgirl09]

i actually assumed the moldy food was intentional. that Cozy packed rotten food for them because she is crazy! lol.

[@gacha_eclipse7816]

derpy: (stumbles up to tireks cell) mr. tirek i brought you a letter tirek: is it the small pegasus again? derpy: nods tirek: can you please tell her to stop sending me letters and maybe help me you now ESCAPE derpy: (hands him the letter) ok I'll tell her that for you

[@Stet709]

My big question is with neighsays statement at the end regarding how the school of friendship is the best place to learn about friendship woth twlight as headmare, does that mean yhe school os going to be EEA approved, either off screen or in the first episode of season 9? Or does it go bu twilight's statement in the premiere on how it's a friendship school not an EEA school meaning it doesn't need to be approved, (though neighsay might approve it anyway)?

[@d_denragon]

Cozy + Tirek won't a big problem as a team, because IF the magic in Equestria do vanished, Tirek will be useless. Now, IF MLP target was for older audience, Cozy working with Chrysalis would be the most darkest episode in MLP show, why? Imagine if Cozy managed to manipulate the Main 7 one by one into Chrysalis only to be defeated by her (which was part of Chrysalis' revenge) and replaced the defeated Main 7 with the one from the ponies in The Mean Six episode with more identical characteristics and behavior as the real one. This is probably why the staff went with Tirek instead of Chrysalis for the finale.

[@tianoc-g4811]

Actually there's already a fanfiction hinting of that with that love letter that there be sent to Doctor Whooves that was cursed; so I think the writers took that hint and made another hint hint with Derpy going to Tartarus.

[@someothername2585]

11:05 not just for a child, and not nesesary only in MLP, it's actually pretty common that some villan use someone to help them by protending to be their friend, it's just frazed differently

[@tianoc-g4811]

Also with the creatures going back to their base forms when their magic is drained may have something to do with the windigos ,another draconicus, starswirl the bearded, or the Pony of Shadows.

[@Amlet345]

This was such a strange season... I feel like there are a lot of unresolved topics and that they might be building up to something really, really big in season 9...but at the same time, i'm not sure the writers will go there

[@MartinTheBrain]

It seems you may have another patient in Tartarus

[@CilanSteele]

Not only was this supposed to be a major role for CMC in the finale, but fun fact: This is actually the VERY FIRST finale in which ANY of the CMC even have any lines. I've been waiting years for this.

[@catluvr2]

I still want to see the Diamond Dogs come back. The cockatrice, the bugbear, the manticore, the chimera... SO MANY CREATURES CAME BACK! I think that the Diamond Dogs are the only ones who haven't come back. After all, even KING SOMBRA showed up in the season finale with Starlight.

[@kioku119]

It bugged me. None of them deserved to be in tiny cages in Tartarus. Also why was Fluttershy just fine with that, as long as they were in their true forms.

[@soniquefus]

Technically the student 6 didn't save Equestria, the Tree of Harmony did. The Tree of Harmony doesn't seem to take anyone's BS.

[@marmyeater]

You come with great stuff that I never even think about, like Derpy the Tartarus delivery pony and earth pony magic cupcake hooves. Good review, and you've given me some things to think about.

[@BlackburnBigdragon]

The only thing I'm not okay with in this episode it that in the end.. they tossed a foal into Tartaurus without a trial. Discord almost destroyed Equestria with his seeds that he planted a thousand years ago and he's still a loveable little scamp. But this foal gets tossed into Tartaurus. And don't give me the argument that "She's not a foal.". At no time in the story did the writers say that she's not a foal. Just that she's an "associate" of Tirek. For all we know, Tirek corrupted a foal or a foal just fell in.. somehow with Tirek and got messed up. So they tossed her into Tartaurus.. WITH THE PERSON WHO MESSED HER UP!!!! This is the WORST THING TO DO!!! A FOAL!!! Who most likely needs HELP. Now this all could have been avoided had the writers come out and said.. "She's a demon.", or, "She's an adult pretending to be a foal.", or "She's a magical creation pretending to be a foal.", but they didn't do that. So we're left with the image of Celestia and Luna tossing a foal, into Tartaurus. Do you realize how awful that image is?

[@olddogmaster6643]

Makes you wonder but to be truthful Discord just wanted to cause chaos and everything she's really the first villain that wanted to drain all the magic from Equestria. We really need a backstory on her I hope they don't make it too ridiculous though cuz in my opinion they ruined Starlight with her poor backstory.

[@williamharmon4039]

Tirek could not have messed up Cozy Glow to that extent. Cozy is a genuine sociopath who is incapable of feeling guilt and views things like honesty and kindness as worthless. She was a monster who nearly doomed all of Equestria and possibly beyond for the sake of power and outright stated she intended to do so again. She got what she deserved.

[@BlackburnBigdragon]

How do we know this? She's a foal? We know as a fact that she was recieving instruction or HAD recieved instruction from Tirek.. somehow at one point. So YES. She WAS corrupted at some point. The issue is "can the corruption be undone"? Children don't understand the consequences of their actions beyond next week. They can't think ahead like an adult can. They're spontanious and very easy to be "brought to the wrong side of the tracks" given the right circumstances and that damage can be reversed. And it's a difficult road to reverse that damage but it can be done. Despite what she's done, just calling her a "psychopath", tossing her in a cage, and throwing away the key, is not the thing to do here given her age.

[@williamharmon4039]

BlackburnBigdragon No. She clearly understood the consequences of her actions entirely. Child psychopaths are a real thing, you know. And committing crimes against a nation and attempting to possibly murder six other students warrants severe punishment no matter the age.

[@BlackburnBigdragon]

True. I'm not saying that this doesn't deserve punishment. HOWEVER, what I am saying is that tossing her into Tartarus with the very person who most likely corrupted her is the wrong thing to do. The right thing to do would be to get her as far away from him as possible. Punish her. Keep her away from society. Find out what happened to her. And try to reverse the damage. Try to find out if there's anything in there that can be saved. She's a foal. If anyone is more than capable of being saved, it's a child. Adults are set in their ways. Children aren't. They change. She will not be a lost cause. As people age, they change. You are not the same person you were when you were 6 years old. An old man is not the same person he was when he was 6. It all depends on their environment and who they are as they grow up. A child is not someone to give up on, ever. You can say psychopath all you want, but you never, ever, should give up on a child. They won't be the same person they are, even in a few years. Especially one that young.

[@aguynamelex3146]

6:33 no no we are not going into Full metal Alchemist territory

[@justinriley]

To repudiate the argument that Cozy Glow's punishment was too harsh compared to Starlight Glimmer's punishment in Season 5: The former was a manipulative power hungry sociopath who willfully conspired with a tyrant to steal all of the magic in Equestria and regrets nothing. The latter is a case of someone who regrets her actions and tries to repent for them.

[@garveyneal1672]

Morals: Don't believe yourself to be a failure because of one bad apple in the bunch. Anyone is capable of learning friendship

[@Springtime562]

1:58 cozy glows my favorite mlp villain. And my favorite kind of villain. "The villain hiding in plain sight" the ones that you would never expect! Those are awesome! They tend to be smarter. Like you don't realize somethings wrong till its way to late!!!

[@gracekim1998]

I really want to know what those artefacts Cosy used. Yes everyone CHILDREN can be villains. Don’t be oblivious

[@KutieDragon]

I really enjoyed the finally and I also suspected from the beginning that Cozy was up to no good. I wasn't the least bit surprised but, I still had lots of fun. That being said, the very end of the finally left me with a lot of questions. Like, I know Cozy caused a lot of trouble and she clearly doesn't want to reform but, Tartarus?! Are there really *only* three options if you commit a serious crime in Equestria? Reform, be turned into stone, or be sent to Tartarus? What about her parents or her family; do they not get a say in this? Does she not have a family? Are there really no other provisions; like, some sort of institute or some kind of house she could go to for counseling and therapy? I mean, she's still a child after all. I'm just a tad concerned. Guess I'll make sure to never commit any crimes in Equestria. :/ - She stole some of my food. ~ I was desperately hungry; I promise I'll pay you back. - Not good enough. To Tatarus you go. ~ Noooooooo......

[@LeafRazorStorm]

I'm just gonna take the notion of "ponies can't live without magic" and assume it's a depressing metaphor about how humanity can't survive without technology. And earth ponies are the Amish.

[@Dtianann745]

Hey Doctor Wolf remember the EQG Forgotten Friendship movie? There was a sorcerer who battled Clover the Clever. Could they be the one behind the Fusion of the magical beasts? Or do you think the magic is naturally occurring?

[@IHD316Rules]

Hey Doc since you say about the mythical creatures are using their powers and split them from 2 or more animals. I just wonder is Silver Quill is half hippo and half Griffin?

[@maliceflare]

why do i get the feeling that Cozy Glow was who Diamond Tiara was originally mean't to be...

[@StarscreamSigma]

5:48 Wait until the series finale. I already have an origin story set up in my fanfiction. To think we only have one season to go to before jumping to G5. Hope I can get any readers once my story goes live, I am barely getting any readers with my OC Profiles in my deviantart.

[@Leostar-Regalius]

6:09 what did bonbon see in her secret agent life? she either saw how they were made or helped make them

[@devonm042690]

Your mention of the chimeric beasts possibly having been created through the use of magic to bond together separate animals, using one as a base and only keeping the most advantageous parts as additional appendages brings to mind one possibility as to the reason why Preliminary, non-pony study of an experimental spell that would come to be used to make artificial Alicorns. Celestia knowledge of how to do it had to come from somewhere, and it seems like a pretty logical leap to suggest that perhaps at some point in the study of a spell like that, refinements lead to a discovery that pure magic could be tweaked to imitate the effect of merging one creature with another. It would be easy to say that the flight spell from season 1 is a weaker, more manageable version of such a spell; and it's worth noting that when the beasts separated into their component animals, the bat that should have contributed the Manticore's wings is nowhere to be seen.

[@jademuseplays]

Dr. Wolf, this episode was both amazing and soul crushing for my theory work. In refering that a semester of time had passed, the show denied canon was canon and therefore destroyed my timeline. However, with Nicole Dubac's encouragement, I have continued on. The amazing part of this was what you stated, magic being infused into all things, confirms the theory of magic I have been working on for years. Twilight losing her magic but never losing her cutiemark as with Tirek proves my theory on core magic. Anyway, I look forward to sending that your way though I can confirm that my Timeline is now active to the public.

[@abbieplate1785]

One of my favorite litte side parts of this episode is the fact that cozy had marionettes of the mane 6. It’s another little silent nod that say, yes she’s pulling the strings, she’s in control of the show. That made me laugh when I saw that.

[@danithrabbit3516]

This is 3 ANTAGONISTS, 3 Villains not redeemed whatsoever. She inspried from Batman villain baby doll i read. It just "everyone redeemed...lol no. Crystalis, Tirek & Cozy glow the new.

[@WinterGirlRules]

All three who care more about power than friendship. Same with the late King Sombra and Storm King.

[@pixelskyfirstalbum4113]

The cutie mark of little miss evil is a villain tower

[@Superplay64]

I feel like with the food, the magic used to keep it cool was more of an "activate once and forget" sort of thing for the saddlebags, that turns their saddlebags into coolers. Hence why they would even need refrigerators (which may or may not be electric due to the existence of this spell).

[@sambeckettcat]

there was one part I really didn't get. When the Mane 7 went to talk to Celestia and Luna, she says "we're on it" and Rarity steps forward expecting Twilight to run off on her own like "wait, what? You said WE!?" and I'm just like, how long ago was the last time Twilight ever acted like she didn't need her friends? Where she ran off thinking she had to go alone? It just felt like it came out of nowhere, this lack of trust Rarity had in Twilight.

[@heathersky333]

jomb234 didn’t you remember that in the movie and some of the previous finales twilight has been hiding things/gone off on her own either by plot demands or her insistence for them to stay behind? I mean, it’s been somewhat apparent since season 4: Season 4 - hid the fact that she harnessing all alicorn power from the mane 5 and going on one on one with tirek while the others are imprisoned after they’re told to stay behind Season 5 - goes one on one with starlight while the other 5 were sidelined with alternate personalities in different alternate realities Season 6 - all of them are sidelined, no comment on that Season 7 - they work together once again but still have to separate for their respective pillars, and the highlighted bond I s still on twilight and starlight in the end, not much on the actual mane 6 (still a great finale though) Movie - the infamous twilight snapping at pinkie scene and throughout the movie she hid her concerns from the mane 5 until the moment she messed up and the mane 5 left her behind Considering the recent epic adventure (the movie) twilight ended up doing something on her own; STEALING THE PEARL OUT OF DESPERATION, I can definitely see why rarity pointed this out to twilight. You’d think that mlp finales would have more overall equal involvement between the mane 6 rather than spotlighting twilight more than the others, but I can see why this happens Point is i believe rarity usually being the one most attentive to other’s tendencies and emotions made sense for her to be the one to speak out this way; not necessarily on twilight ‘not needing her friends’ per se but more on the fact that twilight does usually end up shouldering the burden and kept secrets on her own to protect her friends because she believe its best in those scenarios.

[@sleepingpiranha8879]

Well, I learned that no matter if it is Fo:E or FiM pinkie is still terrifying

[@midcoregamer7625]

There's one thing about the finale that still rubs me the wrong way: flight. Day Two, all creatures lose their magic. Except for Pegasi, who can still fly. Wasn't it established by the last magic drainer that, after absorbing enough unicorn/spell magic, flight could also be drained? Yet, even on the eve of the third day, a few hours away from losing all magic, pegasi and Silverstream were flying. Silverstream I can forgive because she transforms by artefact magic, which explicitly takes the longest to drain, so she could just transform herself into a version of her that flies with muscle power rather than magic power. But what's everyone else's excuse?

[@elderscrollsswimmer4833]

Cozy is a pegasus. Of course she wouldn't drain herself.

[@newbiegamelover4767]

Please, Hasbro, stop teasing and give the CMC their chance to actually help save Equestria! I have been waiting the entire show for that! Also, I think some Unicorn magician/scientist may have been a little too ambitious with his/her magical experiments, which could explain the animals' fusion.

[@kioku119]

So am I the only one really confused and bothered that all those mystical creatures are locked in tiny cages in tartarus just for being the creatures they are? Unless it was a different one the Manticore certainly wasn't evil (I'd argue none were but that one was even relatively friendly and Fluttersy being kind to it was sort of a point). While in Tartarus Fluttershy even calls them wonderful, but seems fine with them being left there as long as they are brought back to how there were. Am I missing something? Also Cozy getting locked there also makes me a bit uneasy... People getting second chances seems pretty important to ponies.. though I suppose what can they really do to her. I suppose they may intend to try to reform her if the opportunity comes up later. It is just a prison really...

[@siraran2077]

I’ve seen clips of the season 8 finale before watching the entire finale. Like I said, Tirek is Hannibal Lecter. Also, I hated the fact that Cozy Glow was a villain. Bronies were saying, “Oh, there is something wrong with her.” “Oh, there’s something off about her character.” That’s just stupid. Another thing. I think she should’ve been expelled from the school instead of suspended the moment the failed that friendship test on purpose. One last thing. I’ve been saying that friendship isn’t a competition, and not who gets more friends. It’s about who you make friends with.

[@nicolemusic02]

Sir Aran although to be fair, she doesn’t see it that way. She just sees that friendship is a power/force to be reckoned with and wants to harness it for herself