@Ferrotter  
And they abandoned the ‘Twilight only’ format in Lesson Zero, and it was to the show’s benefit.

Twilight has always been the centerpiece of the show since S01E01. It wasn’t until S02E03 that they even started having the others write to Princess Celestia. Up to that point every single episode (except “Owl’s Well that Ends Well”) was about Twilight Sparkle, and only Twilight Sparkle, learning a friendship lesson.

@TexasUberAlles
 
Yeah, sorry, but I just don’t see it. FiM was never “precariously balanced.” Hell, I don’t even think that the show is “genius.”
 
At the end of the day, FiM was never anything more than a well-made cartoon, and there are plenty of those. The only reason it stood out is because it was based off of a brand that, up until recently, had cartoons that were far below average quality.
 
I like the show, sure, but it’s not the best thing since sliced bread as many bronies make it out to be. It’s a fun little slice-of-life show that happens to have talking ponies and occasional save-the-world adventures, there’s really not much more to it. The main reason I involve myself in the fandom isn’t for the show, but because bronies have such prolific fan art and fan work, with a lot of it being very high quality, and because we’re such a strong community.

@ClownDicks  
How much of her entire life was her choice? Celestia has clearly been manufacturing this particular special model at least since she was born, and probably before that. Twilight’s whole existence has been a tempering process closely monitored by the Boss Lady.
 
 
@Zennistrad  
It’s a bad thing– at least for an S4 coming after a neutered S3– because Friendship Is Magic is one of the most sterling examples of bottled lightning in the modern media landscape; the combination of factors that led to this toy-selling reboot of a tired toy-selling franchise becoming something awesome and wonderful and generation-spanning is so amazingly unlikely that it’s really only happened this once, and Princess Twilight is the biggest and most jarring change that this franchise is ever going to get. I have absolutely no doubt that S4 is gonna be friggin’ spectacular, but they’ve radically changed the infrastructure of something that was a very precariously balanced work of genius in the first place. It’s still going to be great, but it’s going to be great hanging over a precipice.
 
“All the screentime” is a relative term. Even if The Other Five And Also Spike each get two focus episodes apiece– not at all a guarantee– it’s still going to be the Twilight Sparkle And Her Amazing Friends show if she’s the focus of the other fourteen episodes, or if everyone else’s episode only gets wrapped up because A Flying Sparklehorse Appeared.

@TexasUberAlles
 
I’m pretty sure that each character getting their own episodes means by very definition that Twilight won’t be getting all the screentime.

@TexasUberAlles
 
Remind me again why this is a bad thing, because I honestly still don’t get it.
 
Like, does being in a position of authority mean that nobody you knew before you had that position can ever be a part of your life? Because I’m pretty sure it doesn’t work like that.
 
Really, why is it so important that it goes back to the way it was? Twilight being a Princess makes for some very interesting character dilemmas that couldn’t have been possible before.

@TexasUberAlles  
I prefer the idea of Twilight rejecting being an alicorn princess entirely because it’s not something she chose.

@ClownDicks  
I wonder if any of them have seriously pitched a season finale where Twilight decides that she’s really not prepared for this and wants to go back to just being a librarian/student for a few more years.

@TexasUberAlles  
Well, it can, but it can’t do that and keep Purplesmart as a Pretty Pony Princess.

@Zennistrad  
I don’t think you know what “moot” means.
 
The Other Five getting a few episodes of their own is a separate issue from Princess Purplehorse eating all the rest of the screentime. Overshadowing everypony else is kindasorta a foregone conclusion now; even if she is “still the same adorkable Twilight”– and I have no doubt that she will be– she’s still going to be an adorkable princess. It can’t go back to the way it was.

@PonyPon
 
Well, you should. Claims that Twilight will end up overshadowing the other characters are pretty much moot at this point.
 
Remember in Digimon Adventure, how only Tai and Matt had their partners reach the Mega level? Despite this, the other characters still had plenty of screen time throughout the Dark Masters arc.
 
Not only that, the sneak peek at Season 4 pretty much confirms that other characters will be getting their own dedicated episodes, such as Scootaloo and Applejack/ Pinkie Pie.

@Zennistrad  
I have a very hard time believing that.

@ClownDicks
 
Well, it doesn’t help that there really isn’t any argument against Twilicorn that doesn’t fall apart under closer scrutiny.

@HyperNerd  
Oh no, we’re allowed. We just tend to face hostility for doubting the writers.

Ugh, why aren’t people allowed to express their opinions anymore? This person isn’t belittling Twilicorn supporters, they’re just explaining why they don’t approve of it.

I think this is a good lesson for kids to learn. Some people are born geniuses and some people are born retarded because life is fair like that.

@Background Pony  
Except Pinkie’s never used toonforce in a serious situation; it’s purely for laughs. Where was her power when she and the others went against… ANY antagonist, really? Discord? The hydra? Sombra? Trixie?

Pinkie Pie has shown multiple times that she vastly out classes the others in power.
 
Reality warping > Unicorn magic.

HEIL THE ALICORN MASTER RACE!

…I’ll allow it.
 
This certainly applies to the movie; let’s just hope Season 4 can avoid it. Somehow.
 
[whimpers]

@PonyPon
 
Indeed. We never did get closure.

@MLP-Silver-Quill  
More like the simmer building back into a boil.

Here’s the thing about the Twilicorn drama: it’s coming back.
 
We saw Equestria Girls. There are arguments, but the movie is out and we have something to deal with.
 
Twilight’s role in season 4 is still undetermined, so people are going to remember how they felt about the season 3 finale as we get closer to the new season and stir up a fresh frenzy.

@NotBenStiller  
 
I prefered the movie.