omg this is destiny ponys/dragons/ and giffons why are we talking about the show and stuff :/ enjoy the piece of funny and yet true edit/art

@matt0044  
I agree that KCAFO was good too. I think if anything, just liquidate one of the Spike episodes and use it for the second part… If it’s Just for Sidekicks, then liquidate Games Ponies Play as well to a standard episode about the Crystal Empire.

@Background Pony  
Personally, Discord going good was handled fine at it was. I have my case explained here: http://matt0044.deviantart.com/journal/On-Keep-Calm-and-Flutter-On-396027104
 
Only thing that could’ve been used was a little scene at the end to show him put a “kick me” sign on Celestia. That’d show how he may not be an antagonist but old habits die hard.

@Background Pony  
SAYS had enough good character moments and acting, as well as a fun chase/fight scene in the first act, that I’d rather take it as is than get rid of it altogether. Would’ve been better if they’d kept Spike more competent, though.
 
Personally, I think the ideal way to give MMC a two-parter would be to have moved KCaFO to S4, so it could have been expanded to a two-parter, with more chaos and more Discord backstory to build a better foundation for his Heel Face Turn. Plus, there’d be time for an alicornification/coronation ceremony for Fluttershy to reward her for her accomplishments.
 
(I’m kidding about that last part. Mostly)

@Background Pony  
SAYS mainly. GPP was… okay.

Who else wishes they had not wasted time animating or writing Game’s Pony’s play or Spike at your serivce and actually given the finale a second part so that the story could make sense?

@Psyga315  
How would we know the passage of time in this episode? And who’s to say AJ didn’t see if her family was okay (a scene like that would’ve helped)?
 
Though I think a better complaint would be why we don’t see Ponyville’s proper reactions to the mark swap (outside of musical numbers that I take with a grain of salt). Were their minds altered or not? Did Granny Smith let Pinkie help on the farm while AJ just up and left? No one can be sure.

@matt0044  
That said, I think the counterargument is that, memory alteration/what she thinks Rarity does for a living or not, Applejack wouldn’t just leave her family to rot like this.
 
That said, there’d be no way in hell this farm would be able to rot that fast unless the Apples picked up the idiot ball they kept as a souvenir when Flim and Flam went over to their place.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsPWXL8aoQ0 I think this video made a good case against this argument.

@Dylanius  
Except with the cutiepox, AB got the skill to do what the compulsion drove her to, not just the compulsion to do it.  
Like the hula hoops.

@Background Human  
Oh, and one last tidbit:  
It can be said that the incomplete version of the Destiny Swapping spell Has a hint of Cutie Pox in it, since the incomplete version forces Target A to live Target B’s life, and vice versa.

@Background Human  
What time is it? LESSON TIME!  
Cutie Marks are supposed to tell everyone what a particular pony’s good at.  
The Cutie Pox forces it’s victim to compulsively carry out many talents at the same time, msotly ones they aren’t good at.

You saw “The Cutie Pox.” Cutie marks come with a compulsion to carry out their corresponding talent–even, apparently, if you totally suck at it.

“My ass has diamonds on it! That means it’s my destiny to leave my family to starve so I can have a failing career in fashion!”
 
When you say it like that, it sounds incredibly stupid. (It should be noted that Twilight’s cutie mark is about magic, but she’s a librarian. So, yeah you can do things outside your cutie mark.)
 
{I was also disappointed in the lack of Pinkie/Big Mac moments. Hopefully, season 4 will change that.}

@Background Pony
 
Yup.

That sums up my feelings on the concept of destiny pretty accurately.

 
“It is my destiny to be an alicorn, and my name is Twilight Sparkle, but you my friend already know that”