History YMMV / MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS7E25ShadowPlayPart1

* AuthorsSavingThrow: It had become a RunningGag and a bit of a DiscreditedTrope for the show to feature villains that were defeated/banished/sealed away "1000 years ago", as it seems that for a few years in that general time period, Equestria was plagued by multiple major evils. [[https://derpibooru.org/images/2117885 The comics even lampshaded this]]. Here the characters repeatedly emphasize that the battle between the Pillars and the Pony of Shadows was ''over'' a thousand years ago, and at one point Sunburst's dialogue implies it may have been several thousand years.[[note]]His depictions in the BroadStrokes comics aside, most mentions of Star Swirl's deeds haven't pinned a timeframe on when they happened up until now, so he may very well have lived several thousand years ago.[[/note]]

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: The Mane 6 + the Pillars need to collect artifacts, and they embark on a quest to get them (except Twilight Sparkle, who already has Star Swirl's journal). Sounds like a fun plot, except each quest only takes around one on-screen minute. Many fans say they would have preferred individual episodes dedicated to the characters seeking out each artifact. WordOfGod [[https://twitter.com/TheBiggestJim/status/1106330052151533568 revealed]] on March 2019 that early drafts of Season 7 had it solely foreshadow the Pillars while Season 8 would follow up with a StoryArc dedicated to bringing them back with their artifacts. But Hasbro wanted to wrap up the series in 2019 with 9 seasons, so the entire idea got compressed instead.

* AuthorsSavingThrow: It's become a RunningGag and a bit of a DiscreditedTrope at this point for the show to feature villains that were defeated/banished/sealed away "1000 years ago" to the point it seems that, for a few years in that general time period, Equestria was plagued by multiple major evils. This time, they repeatedly emphasize that the battle between the Pillars and the Pony of Shadows was ''over'' a thousand years ago, and at one point Sunburst's dialogue implies it may have been several thousand years.[[note]]His depictions in the BroadStrokes comics aside, most mentions of Star Swirl's deeds haven't pinned a timeframe on when they happened up until now, so he may very well have lived several thousand years ago.[[/note]]

* {{HSQ}}: The prologue alone reveals that the ancient heroes the season has focused on were all part of a group with Star Swirl the Bearded, they fought against the Pony of Shadows, and they created what would grow into the Tree of Harmony. The first minute of the episode is a rapid-fire series of [[TheReveal Reveals]] that fans have been waiting for for almost the entire show's run.

* {{HSQ}}: Star Swirl finally appears! Not in a flashback, not in a storybook, not in a comic. After six seasons of speculation and the showrunners teasing what may have happened to him, Star Swirl will finally appear and his fate be revealed.

* IdiotPlot: The entire episode revolves around Twilight and friends carelessly opening a gate to Limbo to free the Pillars, not once thinking about the possibility of accidentally freeing the SealedEvilInACan alongside them. In fact, none of them even mentions the Pony of Shadows after the first Ponehenge scene, giving the impression that they've all instantly forgotten about his existence. It's mitigated somewhat by the fact that Twilight, as she admits, doesn't fully understand Star Swirl's spell, and didn't realize that freeing the Pillars would automatically free the Pony of Shadows too. Also, Starlight regularly voices apprehension about doing this.

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: The Mane 6 + the Pillars need to collect artifacts, and they embark on a quest to get them (except Twilight Sparkle, who already has Star Swirl's journal). Sounds like a fun plot, except each quest only takes around one on-screen minute. Many fans say they would have preferred individual episodes dedicated to the characters seeking out each artifact.