Talk:Crusaders of the Lost Mark/@comment-4531340-20151010232537

Holy crap, what an episode. First off, before I get into the real meat of my thoughts on this episode, I just want to post this: Anyway, wow, what an episode. I remember going into this thinking "what if the CMC get their marks in this episode?" but before starting this, calming down and saying to myself "Nah, that's not gonna happen - don't get your expectations up for something that's not gonna happen". Anyway, first thing I noticed was that there were a lot of songs in this episode - I wasn't expecting it to be so musical, but I liked it, especially the difference in styles between the Diamond Tiara and CMC portions of I think the second song ("The Vote"?), as well as the Diamond Tiara songs ("The Pony I Want to Be", if I'm not mistaken) that gave us a glimpse into her. I also liked how Sweetie Belle was able to use her magic to lift Pipsqueak up for that high hoof - either he's really light or she's been working out, haha.

Onto the issues of character development, however - I definitely saw similarities between Diamond Tiara in this episode and Pacifica Northwest from the Gravity Falls episode Northwest Mansion Noir. I think that in this case it was done infinitely better, though, as it felt more natural and believable - in NWN, it kind of felt cartoonish and forced to me, honestly (I think my biggest complaint I have is that I feel like it basically came out of almost nowhere, while I didn't get that feeling with DT) - and having Diamond Tiara's cutie mark being related to leadership (or getting other ponies to do what she wants them to, haha) actually makes a good deal of sense.

And on to the part of the episode that is probably going to get the most attention for a long, long time. I kind of had a feeling that I knew where it was going when, in the last five or so minutes of the episode, it went back to the CMC, with Apple Bloom talking about how fun it was to help others discover their true talents, and Scootaloo saying she didn't care if she ever earned her cutie mark. I've gotta say, while the designs for the marks themselves aren't the best I've seen, that's the one and only complaint (and it's certainly a minor one) I can levy against them, as they were so satisfying to finally see, knowing that the CMC's arc of personal discovery may have ended (emphasis on may), while also knowing that the possibilities for them now are practically endless - just like with Magical Mystery Cure and Princess Twilight, I feel that, while it feels like something has ended, it also feels like just the beginning, new possibilities just waiting to be explored. I'm also reminded of the ending to the second episode (specifically, the music) - that feeling of "now the journey is over, but something new, and even better, is just beginning!" What an ending, and what a way to celebrate the five year anniversary of the show! I probably would have been bawling like a baby at the end, had I not been sitting there in almost shock, chuckling to myself like a madman.

Also, on another note, I kind of felt like, with Applejack, Big McIntosh, and Granny Smith crying at the end after AJ mentioned how her mom and dad would be so proud of Apple Bloom, it was a subtle nod towards the fact that they're dead (and probably as close as we're ever going to get to them coming straight out and saying that they're dead), while also giving the showrunners an excuse as to why they're crying - they're supremely proud of Apple Bloom, after all. Though this tweet from Jim Miller made me believe perhaps it was more the former than the latter: