S09E24-25: The End of the End

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Re: S09E24-25: The End of the End

Post by Aramek (?) » Sun Oct 13, 2019 5:44 pm

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

:ponydrugs: :ponydrugs: :ponydrugs: :ponydrugs: :ponydrugs: :ponydrugs: :ponydrugs: :ponydrugs:
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Re: S09E24-25: The End of the End

Post by PonyHag714 (?) » Sun Oct 13, 2019 5:59 pm

I wrote an alternative script for the finale, just for shiggles.

All characters are property of Hasbro.

(The villains cower underneath the giant cupcake)

Celestia (sternly): You are defeated. You must surrender.

Chrysalis: And if we refuse?

Celestia: Then we will do whatever is necessary to stop you.

Discord: Who wants to be a rock star?

Cozy Glow: Um...maybe we should think about this.

Tirek: It's a trick!

Chrysalis: What will happen to us if we give up?

Twilight: You must pay for your crimes.

Discord: And if you thought your phone bill was high...

Celestia: Discord, enough. You will be severely punished...you will live in Tartarus until such time as Princess Twilight feels you are ready to return to Equestrian society.

Twilight: A spell will be placed on all of you restricting your magic.

Celestia: And, of course, you must rebuild Canterlot. By yourselves.

Tirek: You're not fooling around, are you?

Celestia: No. And your time to decide is very short indeed. (horn starts to glow)

Cozy Glow: Um...how much time would that be?

(Luna and Twilght's horns start to glow)

(Thorax, Pharnyx and Ocellus stop forward. They say nothing, but just stare at Chrysalis)

(Chrysalis closes her eyes and extends a hoof. Twilight steps forward and touches it. Twilight than envelopes her with a shot of magic.) Your magic has been restricted. You can no longer take energy from living creatures, but sustenance will be provided to you. Also, the forms you can transform into are now limited.

Chrysalis: (sighs)

Thorax: Maybe one day we will all rule the Changelings together, in peace. (stands next to her along with Pharnyx and Ocellus)

Chrysalis: (tries to smile, but can't yet)

Twilight: (turns to Tirek and Cozy Glow) What about you two?

Cozy Glow: Being petrified would put a real damper on my cuteness.

Tirek: The mighty Tirek, being turned into a common worker? You ask too much!

Celestia: We're not asking. Which is it to be...a common worker or a common garden exhibit?

(Cozy Glow and Tirek grumble)

Celestia: You have thirty seconds!

Chrysalis: Just do it. At least we can still hang out together.

Tirek: Oh...fine. (extends a hand. Cozy Glow extends a hoof)

(Twilight touches both, then envelopes them in a similar spell)

(silence for a moment)

Chrysalis: What now?

Twilight: You have a castle to rebuild. Starting now. And Discord will supervise you.

Discord: You're on the clock...better get started!

(All three ex-villains groan)
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Re: S09E24-25: The End of the End

Post by Wayoshi (?) » Mon Oct 14, 2019 12:14 am

From a Jim Miller Q&A:
Q: Was a full backstory ever planned out for Cozy Glow, or was she always just an evil filly by nature?

A: We never really discussed Cozy’s origins. It would have been fun to get in to, but we didn’t really end up having the time.
alright then.

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Re: S09E24-25: The End of the End

Post by SlateSlabrock (?) » Mon Oct 14, 2019 4:59 am

By the way, one throwaway line I chuckled at:

:yikes: Making peace between the Abyssinians and the Diamond Dogs has not been easy!

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Re: S09E24-25: The End of the End

Post by Perpetual Motion (?) » Mon Oct 14, 2019 5:18 am

Cozy Glow's backstory is such a ripe goldmine for content that I'd be astonished if the comics don't go there eventually. Especially given that being turned to stone doesn't necessarily have to be permanent. She's definitely the most likely of the three to be given any leniency.

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Re: S09E24-25: The End of the End

Post by Headless Horse (?) » Mon Oct 14, 2019 7:49 am

I thought it was oddly fitting that they waited till right at the very end before busting out the seemingly-so-obvious-in-retrospect-it-had-to-have-been-done-by-a million-fanfics-dating-back-to-2011 Pinkie & the Brain gag.

:byopinkie: What are we gonna do, Twilight?
:twismug: The same thing we do every time, Pinkie. Try to save the world!

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Re: S09E24-25: The End of the End

Post by Adiwan (?) » Mon Oct 14, 2019 9:00 am

Headless Horse wrote:
Mon Oct 14, 2019 7:49 am
I thought it was oddly fitting that they waited till right at the very end before busting out the seemingly-so-obvious-in-retrospect-it-had-to-have-been-done-by-a million-fanfics-dating-back-to-2011 Pinkie & the Brain gag.

:byopinkie: What are we gonna do, Twilight?
:twismug: The same thing we do every time, Pinkie. Try to save the world!
This was my "FINALLY! THEY DID IT!" moment.
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Aramek
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Your MRI results have shown total infection to now be approximately one fifth of the full mass of the tissue.

"So you're saying..."

Your brain is about 20% tumor.
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Re: S09E24-25: The End of the End

Post by Aramek (?) » Mon Oct 14, 2019 9:51 am

I hope they don't do her origins imo, it's way more funny that she's just bad.
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Re: S09E24-25: The End of the End

Post by Frith (?) » Mon Oct 14, 2019 2:31 pm

It was OK, I guess. :pinkieshrug: I have never really been a fan of these epic two-parters mainly because I think the big magical battles have always looked rather silly in the series like this.

I was most interested in what they were going to do with the villain trio and I think their fate was disappointing. "Frenemies" and "The Summer Sun Setback" gave the impression that this time they would do something different with these characters but in the end their role was the same as before.

My favorite moments in the episodes were the chaotic Cozy Glow and the season 1 finale throwback scene at the end.

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Re: S09E24-25: The End of the End

Post by Headless Horse (?) » Mon Oct 14, 2019 2:44 pm

I'll deffo agree that they seemed to be setting up for something more complex with the three villains' relationship than just a generic blunt-force rainbow hammer to finish them off. Like, I kept seeing them gradually building up a grudging alliance, with little affordances and compromises like holding hands or working together, which seemed like it was going to eventually lead to them learning the value of friendship on their own and against their will.

Though I did enjoy the recurring trope where something would happen that would let one of them flagrantly betray the others (like Cozy Glow getting chaos power from the bell and growing to giant alicorn size, and immediately going HAHAHA, BOW DOWN BEFORE ME PITIFUL FOOLS and then losing control and shrinking back down and the others just smirk at her would-be treachery and go "Okay, back to what we were doing...")

Would have been nice to somehow have both those threads intertwine somehow into a resolution that didn't involve yet another rainbow laser. But I did like that it served as a curtain call for EVERY CHARACTER EVER to take part.

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Re: S09E24-25: The End of the End

Post by PonyHag714 (?) » Mon Oct 14, 2019 3:58 pm

I was thinking the villains might acknowledge that they were friends with each other, but believe that it was better than pony friendship.

They definitely had me fooled. Not only the scene at the end, but things like Chrissy giving Cozy Glow a lift up with a hole in her leg, and willingly giving Tirek her magic, even though it left her weak and helpless. And of course, he gave it back to her. They were showing real trust. It's unfortunate they never followed through.
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Aramek
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Your MRI results have shown total infection to now be approximately one fifth of the full mass of the tissue.

"So you're saying..."

Your brain is about 20% tumor.
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Re: S09E24-25: The End of the End

Post by Aramek (?) » Mon Oct 14, 2019 4:07 pm

They did have friendship.

But they were still the bad guys.
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Re: S09E24-25: The End of the End

Post by Fizzbuzz (?) » Mon Oct 14, 2019 5:48 pm

Headless Horse wrote:
Mon Oct 14, 2019 2:44 pm
But I did like that it served as a curtain call for EVERY CHARACTER EVER to take part.
In addition to that, I appreciated who we saw at the forefront: the past (Starswirl and his friends), the present (Twilight and her friends), and the future (Sandbar and his friends? Maybe? There was a vague implication that the spirit of the Tree of Harmony thought that of the Student Six, he was most closely associated with the element of magic, at least...).
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Re: S09E24-25: The End of the End

Post by SlateSlabrock (?) » Thu Oct 17, 2019 1:36 pm

Fizzbuzz wrote:
Mon Oct 14, 2019 5:48 pm
In addition to that, I appreciated who we saw at the forefront: the past (Starswirl and his friends), the present (Twilight and her friends), and the future (Sandbar and his friends? Maybe? There was a vague implication that the spirit of the Tree of Harmony thought that of the Student Six, he was most closely associated with the element of magic, at least...).
One thing I forgot to mention earlier: It's a little odd that the Tree of Harmony didn't play any part in this story. Mind you, I don't think it was necessary, but you have this all-powerful, sorta-sentient force of goodness that seems to be playing an increasingly large role in guiding our heroes, and then it just... doesn't matter for the big finale.

It's only mentioned once, when Twilight's ticking off all the damage done by the villains, while the script mentions a montage scene of the others searching for Twilight in various places, including "the remains of the Tree of Harmony." Maybe it's meant to be mostly-dead or regrowing? Or the general lack of Equestrian harmony weakened it?

I feel like the tree was a convenient plot device that took on too much significance the more they used it in lieu of real characters to push stories along, but that does leave it in limbo when crisis episodes don't account for it, just like the princesses or Discord. I wonder if it was a side effect of the main story arc for season 9 having been heavily reworked by the time they got to scripting.

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Re: S09E24-25: The End of the End

Post by Fizzbuzz (?) » Thu Oct 17, 2019 5:05 pm

I assumed it was a case of the finale not being able to cover everything. I thought it was incredibly interesting, in that to me it seemed like it was a god about to be born, that maybe in the end it'd be incarnated thanks to the hopes and dreams of every pony and other creature in Equestria (or something) and would thus save the day. However, as much as I like the world's details like that, it wouldn't be playing to the show's strength of its characters. A climax like that would likely come off as a deus ex machina, whereas what we got feels like damn near everyone we knew throughout the series came together for this.

I've said before that Equestria strikes me as a remarkably secular world for how fantastic it is, with the strange rock-based beliefs of Pinkie Pie's parents being the only hint at any sort of religion we've seen. I do think an actual divine force entering the world would be interesting, but at this point I suppose it's something for fanfics or possibly the comics.
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Re: S09E24-25: The End of the End

Post by SlateSlabrock (?) » Thu Oct 17, 2019 8:27 pm

Image

I guess the tree's just gone. There are notes on "Uprooted" talking about the new tree growing into the treehouse, but oh well. :pinkieshrug:

Anyway, I think birthing a friendship god would drag the show away from the important lessons about people coming together, taking action, drawing on their own friendships to rally to each other's aid, etc. I just think it feels more like a loose end after all the wacky stuff the tree's been up to the past few seasons.

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Re: S09E24-25: The End of the End

Post by SigmasonicX (?) » Fri Oct 18, 2019 2:41 am

I enjoyed this two-parter. I didn't expect the Grogar twist, but in retrospect, the other villains were the ones who got focus in the previous episodes, and Big Jim's tweet that they wanted to focus on the villains people already care about rather than the new one makes sense. Pillars fight aside, all the action scenes were fun; I especially like Alicorn Cozy Glow.

I was expecting the villains to have to team up with the others to stop the Windigos, but I'm fine with them being stoned. The epilogue doesn't show the statue (only in the flashback train ride), so one can easily assume they were released and reformed like Discord.

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Re: S09E24-25: The End of the End

Post by PonyHag714 (?) » Fri Oct 18, 2019 8:08 am

They just needed to take a time out. Image
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Re: S09E24-25: The End of the End

Post by SlateSlabrock (?) » Sat Feb 15, 2020 1:07 am


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Re: S09E24-25: The End of the End

Post by SigmasonicX (?) » Mon Feb 17, 2020 12:03 am

That's the last one, BTW. He won't make one for "The Last Problem".

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Re: S09E24-25: The End of the End

Post by Mechanical Ape (?) » Sat May 16, 2020 4:53 pm

It's all come down to this. After nine seasons, it's the ultimate challenge for our fire-forged band of friends: what to do for Big Mac and Sugar Belle's post-wedding soiree. What should they wear? Which gifts are appropriate? Should they play the Electric Slide or is that too cheesy? Oh, also villains are destroying the world or something.

* Aaaaaand we open with :racis: coming back in a big way.
* Oh, is THAT what the bell is supposed to do. That's pretty cool, I guess. But I've read enough Tolkien to know that you can't share ultimate power!
* It would be great if Grogar has been Celestia in disguise all along, working a long con on the show's remaining villains. Tying up loose ends before retirement. :gotcha:
* Noice, all the baddies get cool upgrades and -- OH SHIT GROGAR WAS DISCORD. Ha ha ha ha that's awesome.
* :flattered:
* So Canterlot is practicing social distancing, seems normal to me. :fluttershrug:
* :v: "Weather for the coronation is sunny skies!" [shoves thundercloud to random target because it's no longer her problem]
* Holy smokes, Pinkie Pie emerges after being absent for like 3 episodes! I choose to believe she's been buried under cupcakes this whole time.
* Sugar war. Sugar war never changes.
* Yeah, Discord's rightly getting called out on his shenanigans. Would've thought he'd had a better motivation for doing it.
* On the other hand, his impressions are pretty good; shucks, I can't stay mad at him. :good:
* I don't know why Chrysalis would go after Starlight, but I -- oh wait Starlight defeated her that one time, fair enough. Honestly Chrysalis has a grudge against the entire cast at this point.
* Digging giant Cozy Glow and I'd like to see her battle the giant apple monster. Or at least Harry the Bear.
* You come at the princess, you best not miss. :wingsright: Oops, Cozy Glow did not miss.
* Pillars of Harmony got totally chumped. Sorry you Pillars of Harmony fans out there, all two of you.

Image

* Tirek demonstrating the rare and elusive Reverse Vomitpony. :vomitpony:
* OK, so if Starlight's absurd power-level was EVER going to be a plot point, now is the time.
* Of course Starlight must lose at this stage because it's only Part 1. But god diggity damn was she not COMPLETELY BADASS while doing so. Starlight Glimmer 4eva
* Nicole Oliver's toughest career challenge: saying the words "Stand down, Cozy Glow" in a menacing fashion.
* Oh god yes, even the geese are getting in on it.
* :twonk: "They've destroyed the castle!" :pcstare: "Superintendent's gonna be pissed."
* Rarity dares to be badass.

That's a hell of a good cliffhanger for Part 2. It's quite a ride so far!

And then of course we go right to the happy credits music. :iamapony: My little ponyyyy ... doot dootily doot doot doot doot doo
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Re: S09E24-25: The End of the End

Post by Mechanical Ape (?) » Sat May 16, 2020 5:57 pm

OK let's see how Batman and Robin get outta this one.

* Discord was Grogar! And Shplindrick was Flipperdoodle! :flutterdear:
* :twasnothin: "We'll hold 'em till you get back!" [is disintegrated in .3 nanoseconds]
* Man, remember the Ponyville library? Twilight's houses keep getting destroyed by villains.
* After a whole season of leaving nothing to chance, Chrysalis decides now is a good time to leave Twilight to chance.
* Oh yeah that's right, Chrysalis' throne is anti-magic doohickey for some reason.
* :evil: "Like my crown? I got it at Evil-Lyn's Evil Boutique."
* Poor Fluttershy, everypony else is mad at Discord but she's just hurt. :saddershy:
* Holy shitsnacks, Starlight gets a SECOND moment of badass?! 11/10.
* Ha ha, Discord is reduced to pitching rocks.
* They boarded the entire school up in like 10 minutes. Well, I guess unicorn magic would make that go fast.
* I want to know how they got to the Crystal Empire so fast, that's some dedicated train service.
* Oh great, now the windigoes are back. Boy, it never rains but it pours.
* You know it's the end of the world when even Lyra and Bon-Bon are separated.
* AJ's always the one to step up and tell Twilight when she's being a butt.

Image

tfw i'm upstaged in my own finale by starlight glimmer

* If we're being honest, Flurry Heart could vaporize the villains all by herself.
* I wonder how long the show's been keeping that Pinky & the Brain reference in its pocket. :-I
* And then they just walk all the way back to Canterlot, ha ha. Too bad we didn't get an "Eight Weeks Later ..." card.
* :twismug: "No time for a ten-seconds-flat reference, we've got work to do!"
:rainbert: "Well, can I at least say the weather is 20% cooler?"
:facehoof: "Fine, we'll loop it in post."
* :gonkity: "Don't rip his wings off! We can't afford another action figure redesign!"
* :twasnothin: "Rarity, since we're gonna die 'n' all, I just want you to know ... I always hated you the most."
:vogue: "And I you, dear Applejack. And I you."
* OK, let's count everyone who showed up. Dragons, hippogriffs, yaks, changelings, buffalo, griffons, FLIM AND FLAM, kirins, Tempest, one (1) zebra. No Diamond Dogs though and don't think I didn't look.
* I want them to cut just for a second to Sunset Shimmer, just totally oblivious at the food court.
* Moondancer, as always, refusing to dress up for the occasion.
* Aw, Discord's sad to be left behind, then glad to see he wasn't.
* YES! Pinkie always had the most in common with Discord, glad they finally acknowledged it.
* Discord bowing to Twilight is a pretty great cap to his arc.
* Wrapping up low-key at Pony Joe's, just like S1. It's better than anything I could've hoped for. :awesomedash:
* And we end with Rainbow Dash dancing on the grave of the "wings are not hands" rule.

Yeah that pretty much ruled from end to end. :ponydrugs:
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Re: S09E24-25: The End of the End

Post by LingEarth (?) » Sat Jan 23, 2021 10:39 am

There was a lot of good stuff in this episode but I have to agree it was disappointing, the way they seemed to be indicating that the three villians were learning something about friendship, but it went nowhere in the end. :pinkieshrug:
SlateSlabrock wrote:
Sun Oct 13, 2019 10:42 am
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O-oh...

Image
I guess even Pinkie can't handle that much chaos.
This was honestly the best part. She loved the chocolate rain thing back when Discord first showed up so of course she brought it back when she had the chance. :-D
"I could transform the cosmos so everything is made of icing!"

Also LOL at Discord paraphrasing Gandalf at the end of the first episode. "Fly, you foal!"

Oh dear, I only have one episode left... :nnngh:

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Re: S09E24-25: The End of the End

Post by PonyHag714 (?) » Sat Jan 23, 2021 11:51 am

Sometimes I wonder if someone else had witnessed the scene on the mountaintop, would they have dealt with the villains differently, maybe used that as leverage to get to them.

But I'm optimistic that things worked out in the long run for Chrissy and her crew. Image Image
Image ("Don't try to reform me, Hag, because I'm made of cold stone.")

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