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I’d be a lot more inclined to like Celestia if she didn’t treat her subjects like pawns. But she does. Every single one of her “plans” has involved using her own subjects as pawns. The only ones she doesn’t treat like this are Luna, her sister, and Twilight, her surrogate daughter. And even then, she treats Twilight like those parents who decide what their kids will participate in without actually checking with the kids. Twilight’s friends, including Spike, have never been anything else to her then devices that can further Twilight on her journey, or help her retrieve Luna.  
What makes it even worse is that its not limited to her own subjects. The Crystal Empire was separate from Equestria. But when it returns after she failed to protect it the first time, instead of doing everything in her power to ensure it is not lost again, she treats a whole empire like a test to see if Twilight is ready for a position she never asked for. This disreagards the safety of every single Crystal Pony. I don’t care if she didn’t think Sombra was a threat (Which he was by the way, because he was able to prevent Celestia and Luna from completing their mission the first time). He was a threat to the Crystal Ponies, who were terrified out of their minds every time his name was mentioned. These are not even her pawns to use this time. This is like a chess player going to a separate board and being like “These are my pawns now.”  
Another problem I have is her implied closeness to certain characters, that isn’t actually real. Cadance was supposed to be her niece. They have never interacted, and have certainly never interacted like a Aunt and niece would. She can’t even recognize when her own niece is acting completely different. The mane six didn’t know Cadance well, Twilight hadn’t seen her in years, and Shining Armor was brainwashed. That’s their excuse. But Celestia? And then she just randomly has Spike’s egg. Where did she get that? Did she use dragons like pawns to find her heir, taking their eggs? And what happens when it hatches? She dumps the hatching on Twilight, or presumably Twilight’s family. She doesn’t bother to take responsibility for the egg that was in her possession. She doesn’t even really know who Spike is (See the new Friends Forever comic). So much for Momlestia.  
No, the only character she seems to care about is Twilight, and to a lesser extent Luna. Twilight is like her surrogate daughter. And the worst part is from what we can tell, Twilight is closer to Celestia than her own parents. I mean, that’s not hard to imagine though, considering Celestia has literally been watching every move Twilight makes her whole life, and treating every little hardship she faces like a test. Everything is a test for Twilight to see if she’s ready. Ready for what? A royal ascension Twilight never asked for? It seems like Celestia’s desperately looking for an heir to replace her. These seem like the actions of a dying ruler looking for a worthy heir. But why the rush? Celestia’s not dying. She’s immortal. She can slow down and be like “Hey Twilight, would you be willing to assume a high role of authority?” Twilight would say yes, because no one says no to Celestia. Reform Discord? Yes. Twilight was even like, “This is a bad idea” but did it anyway because Celestia said to do so.
 
…Whew.  
However, Celestia does make for an interesting character study. I can respect that. I can respect the writers for that. And that’s sometimes better than liking something. But they have to actually do something with it, instead of pretending everything Celestia does is hunky dory. They have to recognize that Celestia’s actions leave some unfortunate implications in their wake.

Everyone makes mistake, and a lot of times someone must point out the flaws. So far, everyone just agrees with Celestia, probably out of both fear and respect, so she never learns to do better.
 
@Background Pony  
There’s a limit to how questionable it can get before the leader becomes untrustworthy. Treating an entire kingdom as a test is going a bit too far.

@Twilatron217  
She isn’t evil, but it seems she doesn’t mind using more morally questionable means to achieve her goals.
 
@Red Yellow Moon  
She sent Twilight a spell that messed up her friends’ destinies, and again, it was a test. People also don’t like that she just turned Twilight into a princess without considering Twilight’s opinion. But knowing that Twilight is unusually obedient to Celestia, I doubt it would have mattered whether Celestia asked her or not, she would still go with it. Which is another problem: Twilight has been raised to be too loyal to Celestia.

@Trickquestion  
Most people don’t analyze that far to realize that though. Surprisingly, I don’t see the ones who look that deep hate her, they just question her behavior like you do. Those who genuinely hate Celestia are usually because she banished their poor Woona.
 
@Twilatron217  
She treated the safety of a kingdom like a test. If she really wants to test Twilight that much, she should at least hide somewhere nearby to supervise, so that she can interfere when necessary.

@MLPPrinceEclipse  
a i collapse to the ground my vision is hazy, I see twilight and she picks my up and we teleport, we’re in the labs of Canterlot  
Scientist: are you sure he’s ready? We don’t know if he will be affected by Prime!?  
TwilightSparkle: the test shown that his blood was immune to the affects of Prime, I know you guys want to use Emerl, but he’s too powerful! Dark  
Strike here is perfect, he has a limit, not saying Emerl doesn’t, it’s remarkable that an organic can survive the affects!  
Scientist: okay Twilight…we’ll give you your monster of a weapon, remember you know the consequences for doing this…  
TwilightSparkle: i understand…let’s begin… the voices fade and I black out

@MLPPrinceEclipse  
as you touch that spot you are sent to my memory, you see me and the royal captain of Canterlot Prince Shining Armor  
Shining Armor: DarkStrike I’ve called both you and LightWing, because the both of you have passed all the test, now the final is who will be stronger… he uses his magic and armor appears on the both of us, spears and weapons ready you two will fight for who will be the Commander of Cloudsdales Forces, now show me what you two hold…  
DarkStrike/LightWing: I’ll make you proud Captain… we both take a readied stance

@Archangel  
“Music”:www.youtube.com/watch?v=CepVHF2iJ9E
 
Anya: She smiles and ruffles his red hair, gently with her right hand. She pulls him into another hug and begins to have flashbacks. When Girghe was five, that’s when she first met him. Eko was assigning her to care for this child and had put her off of doing the secret wars during the battle. She wondered why Eko gave a child to a woman who was obviously not from this planet and who had just escaped from a different war that was on her homeworld.
 
The boy was obviously scared and shy when they met and he would not say a word to her when days had passed. He wouldn’t complain about training lessons and would not talk during breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Every night when she tucked him in, and he feel asleep. She would check on him to see if he was doing okay. She would usually find him moving around, twisting and turning in his sleep.
 
The only time he talked was when he was asleep because of the nightmares he was having each night. She would go to him and hold him in her arms, rocking him back and forth gently. She even sung to him a few times and that would usually calm him down quickly. One day, he spoke to her while they were having breakfast and she felt very nervous when he spoke to her for the first time. It was as if he were speaking a foreign language and she couldn’t understand what he was saying.
 
Surprised and in awe, she responded to him and that’s when they began to form a bond. During training, she would put him through the hardest tests so that he could learn to become strong, mentally and physically. When he got tired, she would always tell him to,
 
“Pick yourself up. There’s no need for air if your opponent is still craving for a fight. Remember to figure out the best choice and make that choice interactive.”
 
Or when he began to fall asleep during the lessons she would always use her telekinetic powers to pick him up and shake him, until he woke up not knowing what was going on. She would always say,
 
“Sleeping will be hard to overcome but your enemies will be harder. You have to be strong and must be willing to sacrafice the things you need most just to survive another day and live to learn what that lesson has taught you.”
 
She began to cry a little and hugged Girghe a little tighter. Her little soldier boy was grown and had come a long way but he still had much to learn about the things that will arise during his young life.
 
Mom will always love you. No matter what.

^^
 
Killed em.
 
< I killing it on the dance floor!  

After the second watching, something that I rarely do, I noticed the hint in the beginning that Rainbow Dash is extremely attentive when she flies (saw Twilight coming from the ground, hearing her wing flaps). The whole part about the mane 6 trying to teach Rainbow Dash using their ways contained more fun than most episodes offer (AJ always have the best response to Rarity). And “no apples”, best line of the episode.
 
The most impressive part is probably how real it feels. The bickering at the beginning, Rainbow Dash belittling herself and getting depressed, those are very common problems. “Everyone learns differently” is one of a few lessons even adults sometimes aren’t aware of. Ponyville joined in helping Dash passing her test was beautiful. And they managed to put so many things in the episode without it feeling rushed. Probably one of the most well-paced episode I can remember.
 
And of course Dash continues to prove herself to be the most adorable pony.
 
Definitely my favorite episode in S4.

@twistedmetalero  
I think you ought to learn the difference between judge and speculate, before you throw a fit at someone who is just harmlessly speculating away.
 
How many times do I have to say that I am in no way knowing what will happen?
 
@toxicitzi  

@CronoM  
my problem is that this sort of story doesn’t fit. That’s why I said that from the synopsis, this story seems to indicate an shonen logic type conflict, where the idea for defeating this villain is to overpower him.
 
this just doesn’t seem like FIM.. You have Discord checking his powers against this villain, then probably the princesses, then maybe the elements and finally, the main character powered up by the princesses. If This is how it will possibly play out, you cannot deny the obvious power level comparisons that the show establishes and the emphasis on overpowering an opponent.
 
The whole idea of each backstory playing into a bigger picture of the show from the very beginning, was that They Couldn’t overpower their way through a villain! This is why this kind of idea is irksome, at best.. Each conflict centered around a thematic battle of morality, not a battle of the most powerful.  
But hey, maybe this is a new villain, which doesn’t make any of the previously established past battles, less important, or filled with plot holes, or anything, since you know, the Dominant Strategy concept is something a little kid can and very often applies purely by instinct.
 
As you can see, I have some low expectations for this. I kind of expect this to play out in a sense of each character’s morality being put to the test against this villain, with Discord obviously failing by default, but we’ll see. I hope it doesn’t turn too stupid into trying to make a more genuine throwback approach towards shonen logic, because MLP:FIM may be a jack of all trades, but all these trades worked because they were only used in just the right amount that doesn’t stray too far from the tone of the show.
 
@DoomPony  
I see.. I edited all that, thanks again for note.

That was pretty goddamn clever. Then again, I was always the weird person who got all of the given “learning methods” when I took those tests on how you study. So I guess any one of those things would have worked for me?
 
And I could say something about how the “everyone is unique” moral is “Only a Sith deals in absolutes” in its irony, but I get what they were trying to say so it can slide.
 
@Red Yellow Moon  
Sorry, but a successor that isn’t an alicorn or a princess doesn’t really make sense.

I’ve just finished watching TT123, but not read anyone else’s comments, therefore, it’s time for
 
The Twelfth Doctor’s Quick & Dirty Review of This Week’s Episode™:
 
So… yeah. Rainbow Dash episode. Dashie is normally my second least favourite of the manes, and Amy - much as I enjoy her writing - had never penned a Rainbow Dash episode before (I checked). When I saw that Twilight - my least favourite of the mains - was super-prominent, I was worried. I was wrong.
 
This episode had a message that kids (and especially teachers, administrators, & politicians) need to understand: Everyone’s brain is wired differently; not everyone can learn using traditional methods; however, that doesn’t necessarily make that person a priori stupid. Given Amy Keating Rogers’s history (she has a developmentally-disabled kid), it’s no shock she’d write an episode like this, and she’s the perfect one to do it.
 
Anyone who’s watched the show for awhile and paid attention to who writes what will come to the conclusion that Amy seems to really like Pinkie Pie. In that vein, we get more insane Pinkie Pie antics, this time in the form of friggin’ Rap. It’s cheesy and hokey, and I love it. You see, I remember the late-80’s/early 90’s and pre-Gangsta hip-hop music videos; it really was like that.
 
I also love how much the animators are willing to push the limits of what Flash can do. Not just with Pinkie Pie, but also in the use of light & shadow.
 
Back to the story. I found Twilight to be enjoyable in this episode; she didn’t irritate me all that much. Still, I loved how Rainbow Dash hit her where it hurt: “You’re just perfect at everything, aren’t you?” Note that Twilight did not dispute this assertion, despite obviously being offended by Dashie’s tone. Also note that this is one of the rare episodes this season where Twilight’s newfound ability to fly is explicitly acknowledged. So, +1 there I guess.
 
Okay, I can understand everypony’s teaching method… except Rarity’s. How the hell can anyone learn that way? Yeah, I know best pony is very detail-oriented, but it’s still a bit ridiculous to try and teach through fashion. Eh, the episode needed some more subtle absurdity.
 
Part of me was kinda hoping that Dashie would fail her test anyway, but that would undermine the (surprisingly good) moral of the episode. Besides, this isn’t Spingeboob or a different cynical cartoon, nor should we wish it to be.
 
Yeah, this review is rambling. That’s what happens when I watch an episode once and don’t look at anyone else’s thoughts.
 
The Verdict:  

Testing, Testing, 1, 2, 3:
 
Youtube link.  
Dailymotion link.
 
Go watch it. It’s one of the best episode this season.

Testing, Testing, 1, 2, 3: 9/10
 
I really liked this. So much funny and cute Dashie moments, plus lots of TwiDash moments. It was also weird because almost everyone except Dash seemed to know everything about the Wonderbolts.
 
I can also somewhat relate to Dashie. All those hours in my life wasted while listening to the teacher talking about something while I’m getting bored.

Ah, so the reserves are new.
 
And oh, Twilight. You and your test addiction.

I wanted to test out my Red Gyrados and the result is tested very good and CLUTCH.  
UBNW-WWWW-WWW6-JQSH

@Dono & M.Storm  
i hover behind you, opting against testing the breakability of the ground.

@Grieffon  
I don’t hate her character. I just think they’ve really kinda fumbled the writing with her out of fear. Fear of backlash.  
The opening two parter was really good when it came to Twilight. It addressed how big of a deal becoming a princess was. It addressed that the change in title was going to have an impact on her life. There was a reason her ascension had all this pomp and circumstance. It changed the status quo for once. Twilight was unsure about the whole thing. She relied on her friends for support. When I saw the season opener, I was relieved to know that they would be handling the Twilight Princess issue well.  
But then they stopped handling it at all. Twilight has had no episodes up to this point. None. Twilight Time was a CMC episode, and three’s a Crowd was a Discord episode. She was used as a plot device in these episodes. When a spell needs to be pulled out of someone’s ass to wrap up the episode in 5 minutes she would provide it. And the rest of the season? Well she’s been there to offer fortune cookie advice to her friends just like her mentor. She seems to be both withing the mane six and outside of it now. Trapped in some kind of limbo.  
I’m hoping Testing can make Twilight seem like a character again. I have hope. But it can only work if Twilight is part of the conflict. The clip makes it seem so, but this could just be Twilight getting on her soap box again to offer advice. I hope not. I miss the haughty Twilight from season 1. That was one of her character flaws. But recently, her condescending hypocrisy hasn’t really been treated like a flaw by the series.

@Background Pony  

 
Maybe she just looked it up to help Dash. Or she just wants to learn. A lot of people seeks knowledge just for the sake of knowing.

Also, why the heck does Twilight suddenly know so much about Wonderbolt’s history? I mean, I know she’s supposed to be smart, but she has shown no interest in the Wonderbolts or their history up to this point. But now she can pass a test on their entire organization history?
 
Also, her little line about Celestia’s favorite flight move. Why does she know this? Why would she need to know this? How is this relevant at all, to any kind of test? That kind of info Would usually only be known by Celestia herself, or a stalker with too much time on their hands.

testing 123 (episode) -> Rap

@Haymaker
 
I’ll just post the link in the new page.