History Headscratchers / MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicSeason9

* Given that Grogar can revive King Sombra, why did he not revive the Storm King (in universe and not just Liev Schriber is unavailabile) to be part of his Legion of Doom?

* Why does Cozy Glow get such a brutal punishment? She's just a kid, and yet she gets thrown in prison for...life? Seriously, they don't say she'll ever be released, so that's the implication. Why throw the book at her when she's still young enough to be reformed? Adults like Discord and Starlight Glimmer, who committed even more serious crimes than Cozy Glow did, both got second chances, with little or no punishment at all. Why is Cozy Glow singled out as irredeemably evil, worthy only of incarceration?
** Cozy deliberately contacted and conspired with Tirek to create a spell to siphon all the magic out of Equestria. This was a deliberate act that was very carefully thought out and executed, there's no possibility that Cozy didn't understand what she was doing or what the effects would be. Not only would her plan have destroyed the Equestrian way of life it would have outright killed a ton of creatures as magic failed. Any creature performing a dangerous magic task would have had their spells fail randomly, potentially harming or killing them and anyone around them. Any Airborn creature would have fallen to their deaths. Cozy knew all this, did it anyway and didn't care or show any signs of remorse. Discord was all about causing chaos, there's no sign he had a body count and he's not accepted until he proves a genuine desire to reform. Starlight never intended her actions to be as damaging as they were, willingly let Twilight talk her down and then remained under Twilight's care and teaching after to learn the proper way to help ponies, showing remorse for her actions repeatedly. Cozy's destruction was deliberate, cruel and utterly remorseless, she was punished harsher because she deserved harsher punishment.
*** Cozy Glow was also stopped before she caused any tangible harm, just like Starlight and Discord were. It's not that she shouldn't have been punished, it's just odd the ponies decide immediately she has no chance of rehabilitation and needs to be put away for life when she's just a kid, especially considering the second chances they gave to others who committed horribly evil acts. Starlight enslaved an entire town, as well as any unfortunate travelers who happened to wander into it. She also nearly caused the apocalypse numerous times. Yet she never got so much as a single day in prison.
*** The difference is that Starlight stopped of her own vocation once realizing the consequences, while Cozy was only stopped from doing similar because of the heroes and was 100% unrepentant even when given the same chance to repent Starlight was. And Cozy's crimes were the same as what Tirek and Chrysalis were identically punished for, that's the fairness. Yes it's bad writing they did so without determining if she had mitigating backstory like Starlight, but given what the writers did with Cozy it's clear if they did give her backstory, she would still be portrayed as so irredeemably evil to be deriving of such.
*** The difference between Cozy Glow and Tirek or Chrysalis is that Cozy is a child. I cannot stress how significant that is. Even in real life, with our criminal justice system that is far more strict than what we saw the ponies doing, we would never give a child a life sentence for any crime that did not result in injuries or deaths. Starlight Glimmer caused real harm. Many ponies spent years of their lives in terrified oppression under her reign. And let's not forget Tempest Shadow. She led the Storm King's armies in an attempt to take over the world, and though we didn't see it, there were probably some deaths involved in that process. Neither of them got the slightest degree of punishment at all. That's why Cozy Glow's punishment seems so excessive and out of place.

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* How can Tirek's FreudianExcuse for stealing magic be out of never living up to his father, when the Fiendship is Magic comics just showed that King Vorak does not condone such an act to the point of banishing the one that taught him the Magic Drain in the first place?

** I meant revive the Storm King as well as Sombra, not instead of him.

** I think the implication is that he wasn't fully formed during his first appearance. He only even achieved his pony form in the last few seconds before his destruction, and before that he might not even have been ''capable'' of speech.

* Ok so Grogar used Sombra as an example to the other villains about why a villain team-up is necessary, but isn't forcing them to work for him counterproductive. The reason why the Mane Six work together is because they really care for each other and aren't forced to be friends so why couldn't he at least try to be friendly to them. Plus he may be able to make them fall in line but how is he going to make them like each other. [[PragmaticVillainy It's not like any of the villains joined forces out of any moral standards.]] Wouldn't it benefit him more if he just said to them "I know you guys aren't the teamwork type but you all want the same thing, destroy the Mane Six. If you join forces with each other and me, you can go your own separate ways once we win" instead of go "work with me or else"? I get that Grogar is evil, but he is supposed to be wise enough to realise the teamwork of the Mane Six and exploit it by doing the same thing, so he should know better than being unnecessarily cruel.

*** Considering what Tirek did to Discord, I'd say this is likely the case.
** Which raises another question, why does he think teamwork would help. The Flim Flam Brothers (Yes I know he didn't summon them but he did witness the four summoned villains so why not them too?) worked together and they still failed. Plus Chrysalis used to have minions and she still lost too.
*** I don't think having minions = cooperation in Grogar's eyes, and Flim and Flam are probably beneath his notice as all they care about is money and fame. His plan seems to be to not simply work together but to do it better.

*** The second theory is more likely the more I thought of it (even before I saw this reply). His line and nickname seem ambiguous.

* Why doesn't Grogar re-revive Sombra in the end? It's not like he can't as far as we know. Yeah, this time his body was vaporized, but Grogar didn't need a piece of his body to revive him the first time. He just drew a circle in the ground with the letter M (what could that stand for?), and Sombra came out of the ground. He clearly doesn't need his horn or anything. Didn't he himself say that if Sombra was defeated again he would have to serve him? Why doesn't he revive him than? Was he expecting Sombra to lose but still survive? If so, why does that matter? He could still revive him again as far as we know (he didn't say he couldn't so we have no reason to believe so). Did he feel like Sombra betrayed him when he decided to take over all of Equestria instead of just the Crystal Empire like they agreed? Even if that is the case, I think it's more pragmatic to revive him again and just threaten to destroy him himself if he tries to betray him again. After being killed again, Sombra would have probably realized that Grogar was right and they do need to work together. Sombras failure could still serve as a warning to the other villains. Show them how he lost, have Sombra back it up himself, tell Sombra and the others that if they ever try to turn on him again he will destroy them himself and leave them dead. Sombra was clearly the most powerful of the four recruits. Cozy is a kid, Chrysalis at her base power is far below the princesses, and Tirek is only in his second stage, a stage which the princesses stated wouldn't be so bad if he didn't have Discord helping him. Sombra required both Luna and Celestia to be defeated 1000 years ago, so he should be the most powerful of the four in their current forms. Why not keep a powerful ally like that?

** I'm sure the whole point of it is that the decision isn't as well thought of as it seemed. This is why the two sisters realized it and gave Twilight more time to prepare for it. Besides, this is just the beginning of season 9.

*** Cozy Glow was also stopped before she caused any tangible harm, just like Starlight and Discord were. I'm not saying she shouldn't have been punished, it's just odd the ponies decide immediately she has no chance of rehabilitation and needs to be put away for life when she's just a kid, especially considering the second chances they gave to others who committed horribly evil acts. Starlight enslaved an entire town, as well as any unfortunate travelers who happened to wander into it. She also nearly caused the apocalypse numerous times. Yet she never got so much as a single day in prison.

** Is that necessarily a bad thing? The overall theme of the episode, at least from what I could see, is how the loss of something can lead to something greater; and, to a lesser extent, how your love for something dear can keep it alive in your heart long after it's gone. The impact of the Tree of Harmony's destruction might be undermined by it being revived [[CameBackStrong and then some]] the very next episode, but for an episode that's part of the final season of MLP, IMO it's a fair trade-off for the consequent aesops.

** Also, has anyone noticed that, after the Treehouse is formed, the Spirit of the Tree never makes another appearance? This is just a theory on my part, but I think the idea is that the creation of the Treehouse for the Student Six was the last act of the Spirit before it... passed on, entrusting the spirit of Harmony to the Student Six.
* So, is there an in-story explanation why the corresponding colors for the Elements of Harmony switched around for the Student Six? I can’t remember who exactly was what, but I do remember Gallus having the purple glow of the Element of Magic in School Raze, and now in this episode he has blue glow for the Element of Loyalty. And he wasn’t the only student to get switched around between this episode and School Raze. So... what up?

* I might be stupid for not getting it, but what ''was'' Luna's problem with the security adjustments exactly?

* Why is Apple Rose at Silver Shores? Isn't there no family members to look after her? Given she was able to attend the Apple Family Reunion and is part of the Golden Girl ponies, I don't understand why she has to be in a retirement community.
** Retirement homes are not prisons. She can still go out and have fun on her own terms. I wouldn't be surprised if she lived there voluntarily, maybe to meet other ponies her age?
** Plus, comparing the amount of activities there are, and what kinds are available (wind surfing, playing in a band, ''a food fight meets paintball'') with what we saw of her in "Grannies Gone Wild", this place seems like it'd be right up her alley. Heck, I'm in my early-mid 20s as of writing this and I'd love to live there!

* Beyond kids show that limits on screen murder, why is it when the pony guard announces he's okay for being buried in snow by them, they don't go to kill him. They are irredeemably evil (at least for now) villains and I'm sure they wouldn't want any witnesses that could rat their plan out to the heroes.

** Discord was the only one they admired. They likely didn't even know of Starlight or Tempest while they were villains, and they never saw Nightmare Moon at work. Also, I'm sorry, but this question is ''bizarre''. What rule says that when you state an example, you have to list all others? If a group of people are talking about George Washington, who would demand to know why they're not also mentioning Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln?

** I don't think one was outright given, and that was probably the point; it's left ambiguous whether or not the Great Seedling really exists. So it could have been Big Mac but we don't know for sure (Apple Bloom even points out that the odds of all those apples falling to form that pattern by chance was unlikely).

* I don't want to cry "RetCon" but how else can we reconcile Scootaloo's upbringing as revealed here with how it was implied to be in Parental Glideance? Neither her parents nor her aunts seem like ponies that would give an environment where one "never thought I could be the best at anything because no one ever told me." Further, Scootaloo shows zero angst over being separated from her parents so much and is extremely supportive of their work, despite her previously saying she wished she had parents like Rainbow Dash.
** You can love your parents as they are and still wish for a parental aspect that they lack. In this case, it's being present to support her through her rough patches. Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but her aunts don't seem to be around 24/7 either; they mention moving to Ponyville permanently so Scootaloo can live with them after her old house was sold, their presence at the beginning seemed to be a brief visit, and they appear to live out of the way when Scootaloo ran away to live with them. She's probably alone a lot of the time, hence the lament that no-one ever told her she could be the best at anything, because ''no-one was around to do so''.

** I don't think we were ever told that the glassy eyes was visible to ponies or unique to Tirek's energy drain. And since he didn't drain them to the point of losing their Cutie Marks, all any pony saw was ponies for no apparent reason suddenly feeling weak, which would normally equate to some kind of illness.

* The solution Fluttershy proposes to solve the problem of predators trying to eat the prey at the shelter is to have the predators only eat vegetables while at the Sanctuary. [[FridgeHorror Issues of forcing wolves and snakes to go vegan aside]], half of the Mane Six have obligate carnivores as pets--Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie. I doubt those three send their pets to hunt live prey (and Gummy couldn't, being toothless), so odds are commercial pet foods for carnivorous pets exist just like in our world. Couldn't Fluttershy have gotten some of that in bulk to feed the carnivorous Sanctuary inhabitants? It might not be perfect for them, but it'd be better.

* Why doesn't Rarity just go and ask Smolder for help with a few things that Spike's done? Such as tasting gems, since she is, after all, a dragon as well, and I'm sure she would be able to tell ripe gems from not so ripe gems.

*** Back in the episode "Flight to the Finish" I recall Scootaloo expressing concern about what if her wings "never grow in" suggesting that wing size has some effect. That said, we see plenty of pegasi smaller than Scootaloo fly with tiny wings, so it may be more that her having small wings as an adult is a side effect of a nonvisual deformity (like something is off about whatever internal magic allows pegasi to fly) rather than the actual cause of her not being able to fly.

* I didn't have a problem with the Grogar is Discord twist, other than being spoiled too early. What I don't get however is why Discord never checked his crystal ball at least once in a while, or carried an extra one with him so that his plan with them wouldn't have backfired so easily?

** I'm pretty sure the problem is not that he tried to test Twilight, but that the problem was ''how'' he wanted to test her. Especially the ordeal about Grogar's Bell.

** I don't think she cares how she defeats her foes. She is just showing her new powers that she just got from the bell.

*** I doubt Discord would be in any danger from inverting their personalities, it took him completely changing himself and his home and then leaving it that way for it to endanger him before. A single act won't do anything. However using his powers to change them would be wrong, changing who someone is has always been portrayed as a horrible thing plus the change would be artificial and reversible which would make it incredibly dangerous.

** In hindsight, I worded the earlier entry wrongly. I know that Starlight still has her magic. I was just wondering why the other heroes with no magic decide to stay and help her instead of escaping to the Crystal Empire or Castle of Friendship since they would just be dead weight. As quoted, while they don't need to "last very long", it may just not be "long enough for the others to escape." It might distract Starlight in stalling the villain trio, as she now has to keep an eye on her non-magical friends. Imagine a trio boss fight while you only have one fully functional party member out of 10 members and you have to make sure every single party member lasts for a certain period of time. Wouldn't the smarter idea would be only for her to stay while everyone else bails? The Mane 6 got lucky that the villains decided not to use the recaptured heroes as hostages.

* Y'know, considering the blast took out a good chunk of Canterlot Castle, how the heck did the Mane 5, the Princesses, Spike and Discord survive? There's no real indication of a last second portal popup that might've softened the blow, and the next time we see them, they look completely fine. (well, physically speaking, they're still trapped) What happened there?

* What happened to Luna's DreamWalker responsibilities? Rainbow Dash called dibs on it at the start of the season but that plot thread seems to have been forgotten. I'd assume Twilight Sparkle's doing it [[https://www.equestriadaily.com/2019/10/big-jims-q-on-friendship-is-magic.html since Jim Miller stated]] Celestia and Luna transferred "the full measure of their power over the sun/moon" to Twilight, but given how exhausted just their duties left them in "A Royal Problem" how's Twilight able to do both?

** As far as I can tell, besides their family, their pets, their close friends, the pillar they originate from, and the student who inherited their element, the rest is pretty much random. And I don't see any problem with that.

* How is it that Spike is so much more buff when it was obvious that he was much younger than Smolder? Yet, when we see Smolder in the song montage at the end on top of that tree, she seems to have barely grown all that much? I mean, she has grown a bit by the looks of it, but nowhere near as big as Spike.

* How come Silverstream's teaching when in "Uprooted", she wanted to be part of the Wonderbolts? I'm sure since in the future, there's more peace and all that, the Wonderbolts would allow other creatures to join their team than only keeping it to Pegasi.

** Discord was the only one they admired. They likely didn't even know of Starlight or Tempest while they were villains, and they never saw Nightmare Moon at work. Also, I'm sorry, but this question is ''bizarre''. What rule says that when you state an example, you have list all others? If a group of people are talking about George Washington, who would demand to know why they're not also mentioning Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln?