@SeraphimDawn  
If I had to guess, time restraints were probably murder on this movie. There was just too much going on and not enough room for everything they were trying to do. I think they’d have needed a miniseries or something in order to do all they’d hoped to with this storyline.

@Background is Best Pony
 
You need a Bluray (which is also a DVD player, so if you want to buy one, do not worry about your normal DVD movies getting lost). And a TV with HDMI connection (thus, an HDTV) to get the best results (although at least on my Bluray you can also use the normal AV cables)
 
Also, if I’m not mistaken, the Bluray version also has the movie (and probably the extras) as a DVD….  
…or you can buy the DVD version separatedly. I cannot remember.
 
You can also take the easy way out and download the extras off whatever site has them available.

@Ultra64  
Do you need a certain type of TV to run the Bluray? I want to buy it but I’m not sure if it will work. :P

@Ultra64  
^This. We ought to grade the film after sorting through the deleted scenes.

@Background Pony #970F
 
The movie was written by Josh Haber.
 
Also, that would be sign of a rather rushed, problematic production, where many factors could be to blame.
 
I think they probably dun goofed with the running time and had to remove various scenes so that it would fit in the 70 minute mark.
 
But that’s for the Bluray to reveal.

@Ultra64  
I really hope there will be something with the Shadowbolts!

Honestly, I think that hasbro asked for a sports movie, but McCarthy had planned on doing a movie focusing on human twilight. So she pitched a movie about the mane six engaging against the shadowbolts as the focus, with the idea that they’d all turn into evil pony humans at the end, and then ditched the idea and did what she was going to do anyways, so by the end it was too late for hasbro to do anything or demand changes since it was pretty much all done.  
So that’s why they built up the others as being anti-mane six and being important, only to have them be meaningless.

@atalarikt
 
And I cracked myself up writing it.
 
“hehehe im so funny”
 
Going back to the topic, I kinda hope the deleted scenes are things to do with the Shadowbolts. Better to have your lack of screentime explained by getting practically removed from the movie than because, for whatever reason, not even getting written.
 
(Does that make sense?)

@Ultra64  
I know. The sentence just cracks me up whenever I read that.

@atalarikt
 
Well, it’s the truth!

@Ultra64  
>I mean, almost no important screentime to the new toys! The horror!!  
Topkek.

@atalarikt
 
I can’t feel but have that feeling too.  
I mean, almost no important screentime to the new toys! The horror!!
 
The Bluray release might shed some light in this — the DVD commentary and the deleted scenes (yes, plural apparently).
 
I wonder what kind of things got the axe.

@Ultra64  
Only a matter of time until we get an answer regarding this. Honestly (and naively), I think Hasbro actually didn’t like the way Friendship Games played.

@Background Pony #970F
 
Unfortunately.  
I did find them entertaining the few moments they had to, you know, do anything.
 
There’s also the rather… Odd fact that the promotional materials made them seem like a big deal when their potential ended unused.
 
Where there issues during production or something? It honestly kinda feels like Hasbro was also expecting something else.

@Background Pony #970F  
This.

going to chime in, the shadowbolts in general come off as pointless.
 
Like… why? What was their point in the movie? they really didn’t do anything, they were superfluous to the plot (even more than trixie in RR), and weren’t even entertaining.
 
And what’s the point of coming up with nega-mane six’s if you’re going to ignore that as a plot idea completely?
 

 
 
It almost feels like they started with one plot (An anti-mane six) and then trashed that like 15 minutes into the script.

@Bullet Surge  
I wish they had had more to do!

@Ultra64
 
I still find it to be a load of BS. Not helped by how they got so little screentime and characterization in the movie…

@Background is Best Pony
 
Esshactly

@Ultra64  
Same as the Trixie dolls. :)

@SeraphimDawn
 
@Bullet Surge
 
Because this is a commercial for the dolls, which always have the pony ears.  
It’s not really a commercial for the movie — it’s for the toyline.

@Bullet Surge  
That is what I’m wondering.  
It’s one of the things that bugged me about the movie. I’m guess these Shadowbolt forms were what they intended to put in, but perhaps budget or time restraints might have dashed that plan.

@Background Pony #970F  
Butterflies’ wings look nothing like that. :P

@Background Pony #970F
 
It isn’t, and wouldn’t have taken long to check out the source link — it’s a promotional music video.
 
Also, butterfly wings…?