They're her students in that Twilight has set an example for others to follow. Through the strength of her friendships, she has achieved feats that even Celestia was incapable of.

'kay, thanks for the comments on my analysis. I was going to reply to some of them, but then realized that I now had enough material to incorporate it into a part two of the analysis, so give me a few days for that because I really shouldn't have the time to write that now.

It's also counting bunnies. And fixing mice legs.

My theory is that since Star Swirl is an expert mage, his spells are designed for ease of use. Or at the very least, Twilight is on the same wavelength he is and is able to figure out his spells easily.

Also, I agree that the time travel stuff is quite limited in the setting. That's honestly part of the reason I'm not big on Dr. Whooves. The stuff concerning him that isn't Doctor Who shoutouts is usually time travel, and I just don't feel like easy time travel fits into the setting.

ha, someone agrees with me for once! TMPP and AFRU are my picks too.

IMHO, time magic should be (very) limited in any setting.

I do like Doctor Who, watch it regularly, but time travel is UGH... I always end up hating myself every time I am compelled to apply any bit of logic to time travel.

Like with Harry Potter, I was (facepalm) when time magic showed up in this 'verse so I am very much glad that we only saw it used once (so far), just like in HP.

I don't think they actually lost their memory. They just didn't beleive it.

Well it also explains why Celestia usually restricts the library wing with Star Swirl's works in it, she doesn't want just any pony to potentially cast magic that could undo thousands of years of harmony retroactively.

Of course, Twi must have already been of really high standing for the guards to give her clearance to open the door on-sight. That and they know the guard captain's little sister.

@JT: most fictional time travel has restrictions for ease of author. Even the White Chronicle can only work on the timeline of its bearer from the moment they receive it, and Homura's Wish restricts her to the timeframe around the period she met Madoka.

edited 18th Feb '13 10:06:12 AM by AceOfScarabs

@ story

TMPP's was funnier than most 'adult' cartoons these days imo.

Well, I tried to make my version of Dr. W Hooves fit with the Time Travel we'd seen in the show, rather than the stupidly broken stuff that The Doctor can do. Plus I've only seen a few episodes of Doctor Who anyway (I liked them, but I'm being rather conservative in getting episodes of stuff at the moment. Pony is pretty much the only show I'm following.)

Yeah, sheesh - like imagine if Discord could do time magic or one of the other two big bads.

Time magic is like white elephant in room. Once a 'verse says it's possible, I always end up wondering why Voldemort and especially any of Doctor Who's (many many many) enemies not use time travel for their foul ends.

edited 18th Feb '13 10:08:51 AM by probablyinsane

My favorites are Magical Mystery Cure, Sleepless in Ponyville, Too Many Pinkie Pies, and One Bad Apple.

Very good, but not great, Keep Calm and Flutter On, and The Crystal Empire Parts 1 and 2.

In order of good but not outstanding, Games Ponies Play, Apple Family Reunion, and Magic Duel.

Wonderbolts Academy", Just for Sidekicks, and Spike at Your Service were decent, but subpar.

With Discord being sort-of-reformed and Twi getting a Class Promotion, I wonder if the Season 4 megavillain is going to be composed of pure, stifling Order.

Um. Discord could use time magic. He demonstrated it to Twilight in Return of Harmony part 2. And it explains how he knew somuch about the girls. He was using time magic to his advantage. But time magic can't do everything.

EDIT:A villian of pur order. Now who would come up with an idea like that?

edited 18th Feb '13 10:23:20 AM by Sereg

Magical Mystery Cure is a fantastic episode...I can't call it a favorite episode for some reason...but it is great.

I really don't like having the Doctor in the verse. He really just doesn't fit very well and seems to only be there out of Rule Of Cool. However, I will make an exception of the audio dramas as I think their done well enough that I can take it face value.

As for Who, I really think time travel has been mostly underused for the most art. It's treated more like Applied Phlebotinum rather than genuine time travel and it's related tropes. You could replace half the instances of using the word with magic and nothing would be at all different.

At least Fi M grounds time travel in a bit of realism so it doesn't feel cheap.

I honestly forgot about that. Will need to review (someday).

Guess this means that Discord really isn't such a bad guy. Of all the types of magic, time magic is the one that can do the most fuckups of reality.

Discord doesn't tamper with history because it is boring to him :V there's more fun in shaping the unpredictable future.

Also I read some of the neat stuff in The Science of Discworld and they do talk about time machines at one point and how theoretically physics does not prevent closed-time loops, but most proposed time machines have the shared weakness of being unable to take you to before the machine was made.

edited 18th Feb '13 10:33:52 AM by AceOfScarabs

It would be interesting if the next Big Bad is more mundane. Like, he or she is just some jerk with powerful connections.

Like some jerk noble who tries to exploit an archaic law to claim Twi's unwilling hoof in arranged marriage to increase his personal social standing and power?

@ Ace

I had a thought like that. Mines's was, three Princes come a knocking. One of each tribe...and Blueblood is the Unicorn.

Yeah, something like that.

And maybe he also tries to add Spike to his dragon pelt collection.

@Apple: and then Rarity sees him, and glares so ferociously he sheepishly backs out.

I would seriously laugh if the next time a big villain shows up Celestia wheels out Discord and tells him to stop it... and Discord just promptly joins in with the villain.

@Blue: ...for all of ten seconds before he fails to keep a straight face and bursts out laughing before literally trolling them out of Equestria, and he keeps on going because it's much too fun.