History YMMV / MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS5E25TheCutieRemarkPart1

** The war scene in the Sombra timeline would've been a lot grimmer if the actual fighting didn't consist of [[https://derpiboo.ru/1032144/ this.]]

* AuthorsSavingThrow: For those who found King Sombra too underwhelming in his original appearance, this episode depicts him brainwashing ponies with intimidating suits of armor and forcing them to fight against Celestia's forces for his conquest, seriously upping his villain profile. "[[https://derpibooru.org/1032243 For only five minutes, King Sombra was the best villain ever]]."

* HilariousInHindsight: The Season 6 premiere shows that Starlight has quite a hard time finding her way around the castle, raising the question of just how long it took her to find the throne room here. It's funny to imagine Starlight getting lost around the castle, only to find the throne room in time before Twilight arrives to deliver her speech.

* FridgeLogic: When the filly Mane Six are unable to discover her talents with thanks to Starlight's interference, Rarity should have technically discovered her talent since the giant rock contains the gemstones inside which she uses for the costumes in the school play; in other words, she GaveUpTooSoon.

* FunnyAneurysmMoment:
** [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E20ItsAboutTime The last episode]] to prominently feature time travel had Twilight speculate on the possibility of an epic pony war. This episode shows us how such a war could have looked.
** [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E21OverABarrel Last episode]] to have a large scale conflict between Equestrian ponies and an army (then a tribe of buffalo) had what amounted to a war [[PlayedForLaughs waged with pies]]. Here war is played much more seriously. .. As seriously as [[{{Slapstick}} a kid's show can get away with]].
** [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS5E11PartyPooped "Party Pooped"]] was centered around the mane six trying to prevent a war with Yakyakistan. Throughout the episode, their fearful reactions are PlayedForLaughs and for the most part it's a light-hearted comedy that's all about highlighting how ridiculous the whole situation is. Then this episode comes along and shows that even an army made of mistreated slaves using military tactics a thousand years out of date, albeit one lead by King Sombra, can fight '''all''' of Equestria on equal terms and that's '''after''' they reconvert nearly the entire country to fight the war effort. Suddenly, the Mane Six's desperation to prevent a war with a modern military power, one that they (presumably) can't just use the Elements of Harmony on, takes on a more serious tone.
** From the extended theme song, "Once smitten, twice Fluttershy". Flutters' kill-first-ask-questions-later approach setting up the cliffhanger smacks of "Once burned, twice shy".
* HarsherInHindsight: In [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS5E12AmendingFences Amending Fences]], Twilight is trying to fix a broken friendship between her and Moondancer because she turned into a bitter and reclusive mare due to Twilight not attending her party. In this Episode, Starlight changes history for the worst which includes Twilight never being accepted into Celestia's School of Gifted Unicorns. Although the alternate history versions of Twilight are never seen, it's safe to say they turned out for the worst like Moondancer.
* HilariousInHindsight:
** At the time this aired, the [[ComicBook/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicIDW comic book]] was going through a story arc in which Sombra had legitimately returned to reclaim the Crystal Empire.
** Another for the comic, seeing Celestia against Sombra in the War timeline. A subtle TakeThat to the ''[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicIDWIssue17To20 Reflections]]'' arc, maybe?
** The entire plot of the episodes revolves around someone going back in time to stop the Sonic Rainboom, which prevents the mane cast from meeting and becoming friends, and showing the effects it had. [[FanFic/AWorldWithoutRainbows A plot that revolves around showing what the world would be like if the Rainboom never happened? Sounds slightly familiar...]]
** After Twilights' first attempt at stopping Starlight failed, she and Spike are ejected from the past into another timeline: one that as we would find out is a timeline involving Changelings. And what is the first thing that Spike says?
-->'''Spike:''' [[Fanfic/EakinsHardReset "Well, that didn't work."]]
** The Season 6 premiere shows that Starlight has quite a hard time finding her way around the castle, raising the question of just how long it took her to find the throne room here. It's funny to imagine Starlight getting lost around the castle, only to find the throne room in time before Twilight arrives to deliver her speech.

** [[Fanfic/EakinsHardReset "Well, that didn't work."]]

* MagnificentBitch: Starlight has a real shining moment of it when she prevents the Sonic Rainboom by giving the bullies a good talking-to that genuinely reforms them, meaning Twilight would have to talk them ''back'' into being bullies, which she's naturally quite ill-equipped to do.

* HarsherInHindsight: In [[MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS5E12AmendingFences Amending Fences]], Twilight is trying to fix a broken friendship between her and Moondancer because she turned into a bitter and reclusive mare due to Twilight not attending her party. In this Episode, Starlight changes history for the worst which includes Twilight never being accepted into Celestia's School of Gifted Unicorns. Although the alternate history versions of Twilight are never seen, it's safe to say they turned out for the worst like Moondancer.

** The SuspiciouslySimilarSong that sounds like Warner Bros classic "Powerhouse" theme could also be done without, when Twilight gazes into the factory. You almost expect a goofy white glove contraption to come out.

* AuthorsSavingThrow: For those who found King Sombra too underwhelming in his original appearance, this episode goes a long way showing him as a credible threat to Equestria.

* WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids: This was many a fan's reaction to King Sombra's BadFuture, especially with Rainbow Dash's torn ear and ''missing wing''. Not to mention the ShadowDiscretionShot of Queen Chrysalis seeming to outright ''kill'' Zecora.

* WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids: This was many a fan's reaction to King Sombra's BadFuture, especially with Rainbow Dash's torn ear and ''missing wing''.

* PetTheDog: One of the ways Starlight prevents the Rainboom from happening is telling the bullies not to harrass Fluttershy, thus, removing any motivation for Rainbow Dash to perform the Rainboom. However, Starlight's HeelFaceTurn at the end of the episode suggests that she might've also done it because she genuinely wanted to protect Fluttershy, still believing that everypony should be equal.

* '''FateWorseThanDeath''': The multitude of temporal divergences have produced so many unanswered questions regarding several characters.
** Twilight Sparkle's failure to gain admittance into Celestia's School of Gifted Unicorns had sentenced her to a life of obscure mediocrity which is probably one of the reasons why we never see her in any of the altered futures.
** Spike was either never born or had his egg hatched by somepony else in their entrance exam.
** The return of Sombra in the Crystal War Timeline means that Celestia could not risk sending Cadance and Shining Armor... or that they were defeated and enslaved in their futile attempt to stop him from reclaiming the Crystal Empire.
** The fall of Canterlot in the Chrysalis Timeline means that Celestia, Luna, Cadance, and Shining Armor are now slaves that are being drained for their love by the Changelings. The same goes for Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash with the fall of Ponyville.
** With Celestia gone in the Nightmare Moon Timeline, Equestria and even the entire world must be forced to adjust to an existence without sunlight. Nevermind the possibility of civil war and violent resistance against Nightmare Moon, with no sun to grow plants and crops, there will be a massive extinction event across the world.
** Tirek reduces most or all of Equestria into a desolate wasteland. It will never be known if he decides to rebuild the conquered land in his image or go on to conquer the rest of the world beyond Equestria.
** Discord reigns supreme in his Timeline over an Equestria remade in his image and forever defiant of the laws of physics.
** After running the Apple Family out of Sweet Apple Acres, Flim & Flam establish an extensive logging industry that ruins Ponyville's local air quality and natural beauty.
** In the final Timeline that is shown, all of Equestria has been reduced to a barren wasteland completely devoid of life. Either the ponies of Equestria were forced to migrate to news lands... or they were wiped out of existence.

* MagnificentBastard: Starlight has a real shining moment of it when she prevents the Sonic Rainboom by giving the bullies a good talking-to that genuinely reforms them, meaning Twilight would have to talk them ''back'' into being bullies, which she's naturally quite ill-equipped to do.

** The return of Sombra in the Crystal War Timeline means that Celestia could not risk sending Princess Cadance and Shining Armor... or that they were defeated and enslaved in their futile attempt to stop him from reclaiming the Crystal Empire.
** The fall of Canterlot in the Chrysalis Timeline means that Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Cadance, and Shining Armor are now slaves that are being drained for their love by the Changelings. The same goes for Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash with the fall of Ponyville.

** Not to mention how cool it would have been if the villains of the show were all in one alternate universe and [[EvilVersusEvil battled each other for world domination]].

** The Season 6 premiere shows that Starlight has quite a hard time finding her way around the castle, raising the question of just how long it took her to find the throne room here.

** [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E21OverABarrel Last episode]] to have a large scale conflict between Equestrian ponies and an army (then a tribe of buffalo) had what amounted to a war [[PlayedForLaughs waged with pies]]. Here war is played much more seriously. .. As seriously as [[GRatedViolence a kid's show can get away with]].

** [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E21OverABarrel Last episode]] to have a large scale conflict between Equestrian ponies and an army (then a tribe of buffalo) had what amounted to a war [[PlayedForLaughs waged with pies]]. Here war is played much more seriously.

* RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap: While the comics had already rescued him(at least for some), this episode does it for Sombra in the show, showing just how much of a threat to Equestria he really is. Without anypony to oppose his return, he forces the Crystal ponies to become his soldiers (wearing kickass armor to boot) and declares war on Equestria. While he does meet resistance, it's clearly a war of attrition, with it taking all of Celestia's forces, supplies, and morale to keep him at bay.

** Who was it to stop Nightmare Moon (and the other villains) in the alternate timelines?

* FridgeHorror: In Sombra's BadFuture, Rainbow Dash is shown with a metal wing. Unless that's armor, that means that she got her ''wing ripped off.''

* EpilepticTrees: King Sombra eliminated the other villains by ambushing them with his PowerNullifier traps and/or his TakenForGranite spell from the comics. However, Celestia -- much like Spike in the Season 3 premiere -- managed to become a SpannerInTheWorks and keep Sombra at bay before he could fully capitalize on having no competition left.