LAST EDITED ON 02-19-13 AT 08:25 PM (EST)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xb0pY_sjN2Y

The trope we want here is Base Breaker.

For what it's worth:

* I think this would have worked -- as a ninety-minute movie. Twilight is not emotionally ready for this and one act of magic can't make it so. Given more time to explore the plot dynamics of the first act (and there was a lot to work with there), it might have been possible to convince me she was on the brink. But after that airing -- well, as the saying goes, power is generally the ability to screw up on an ever-increasing scale. The OCD organization shall last -- forever? Stay tuned.

* The Hub insists this was not due to an order from Hasbro so they could sell more toys. Believe it or not.

* I refuse to consider mortality angles right now.

* The animation in the first two-thirds of the episodes was some of the best the series has ever shown off: note everything going on during Pinkie's farm stint and Rarity's unwinged weather control. Similarly, the songs were fine -- but they were exerts at best. And incidentally, Twilight, when you live at Equestria's Hellmouth, you do not sing about how everything's going to be fine. Yeesh. Talk about begging for it.

* Yes, technically, Applejack should have been kicking the ground to try and get gems out while Rarity entered a thousand races and came in last every time. (And as far as AJ goes, I'm almost convinced she's color-blind. Who's sorting those apples? For that matter, where were Applebloom and Big Macintosh during the first act?)

* You can lower your wings now.

*sigh* So. Up next... the comic continues (although gawds knows it'll feel the impact of this), and Much Merchandise is coming in the next few months, including original junior novels. A movie -- DVD release -- is going to be formally announced at ComicCon, along with some hints as to the direction of Season #4. The later may be a partial reboot, as TVTropes has it quoted as a new intellectual property. (Fear.) Supposedly we're looking at twenty-six episodes. No idea where they're going with this -- some kind of Equestria Tales focusing on background characters and exploring the world is too much to hope for. But it may be hard to stick with the Mane Six Plus Spike after this level of shakeup.

ETA: Always finish checking around before committing to a post. According to one of the showrunners (Meghan McCarthy), this is considered as the first of three parts. So we'll at least be in Ponyville some of the time. (Fear not fading.)

We're supposedly looking at eight months before anything turns to fact. In the meanwhile, let the rumors fly...

...you know, she was flying entirely too well for someone who just got those.

There is no book.