Finally A Good Official MLP Story

... But its a comic so that means it probably isn't even actual canon. 

For once we have a Celestia-focused story in which our beloved Princess of the Sun isn't some kind of aloof idiot who can't handle things like talking with her sister or other ponies about their problems or not being aware of what a terrible actor she is [you'll see what I mean by that later this season  ...] 

Instead we have the Princess disguising herself via a magic amulet that apparently uses 'Old Changeling Magic' to go out amongst the people to see how the Equestrians honestly feel about the state of things, not interfering to try and sway the commoners, but just listening and considering [why she's not just using a spell, I have no idea]

I'm sure this has been a fanfiction idea the Brony Community has had for a while, but to actually see it and for it to be utilized this way I find to be very refreshing and it portrays her as smart, resourceful, and very considerate. It reminds me of the earlier days when the writers didn't resort to cheap tricks to try and make her seem 'deeper' and 'more relatable'. [Y'know, it also makes me wonder if we've seen Celestia's pegasus form in the show before. It'd be really neat to spot that and realize the implications of her appearance. 

The issue also seems to be titled "Loved by the Sun", which could be playing on the common misconception that Celestia is a deity given how the title could easily be read as 'Loved by the Son', as in, 'Loved by Jesus, the Son of God'. Celestia is often -or WAS often viewed by the community in a very Christ-like manner when comparisons weren't being made between her and God straight-up, and as far as I'm concerned this comic mostly plays to the strengths of that idea very well without ever being obvious about it as Celestia does act in what I believe to be a very Christian Godlike way, for the most part; observing without being seen and occasionally stepping into help the misfortunate and guide others in the right direction. This idea doesn't really affect the story overall [at least not for me] but I do find it to be an interesting one if that's what they were going for

Another big part of the story is Scarlet Petal and her little brother Winter who work as thieves for an old mare named Shadowfall [on the nose, yes, but after 'Pony of Shadows' I'm just looking for a villain that ISN'T a Starlight clone] What I find interesting about this is the franchise touching upon the poor and destitute having to resort to petty theft to survive, as well as younger orphan minds being manipulated and even abused by older criminals.

Its a very mature angle and the comic handles it incredibly well. Having Scarlet and Winter implied to be under the constant threat of Shadowfall beating them makes Scarlet more endearing and sympathetic as it wasn't a life choice she refused to accept responsibility for, but a tight situation from which she could see no alternative, only made worse every time she stole something as it would logically make other ponies less willing to trust her and more willing to turn her in to the authorities, who likely would also mistreat her simply for being a criminal. 

Shadowfall meanwhile isn't the most vile villain the series has ever seen, and even her evil old crone appearance seems more to be due to homelessness rather than just her inherent nastiness [which likely is also a result of being homeless] Still, for once the franchise recognizes that no matter how sympathetic your backstory is, it cannot account for the horrible things you've willingly done; thus Shadowfall is rightly trapped in a sphere of magic and arrested, meanwhile her cohorts are left to live with Celestia and Luna until the Princesses can find a proper home for them.

This is a far better villain dynamic than Tempest Shadow and the Storm King; Tempest had every opportunity to set aside her millennial angst before joining forces with the buffoon that is 'the Storm King', but didn't, and under his command committed terrible acts without any regret, all for promises she had no actual reason to believe he'd keep. By contrast Scarlet Petal is an orphaned homeless teenager under threat from an adult and trying to protect both her and her little brother the only way she knows how.

[They at the very least had an opportunity with Grubber and suggesting a sort of bond between him and Tempest that TSK uses as leverage whenever Tempest is hesitant, but they didn't] 

My only problems with the issue are that :

• #1) Starlight is so worthless to the story she could be scrubbed out entirely [a recurring theme of her character] or at the very least replaced with Spike
  
• #2) It would have been smarter if Celestia had simply gone up to Twilight and said 'Please help me, Princess; someone stole my amulet!' and only then afterwards revealed her true identity, which overall would have reflected better on Twilight as it would show her using her authority as a ruler of a nation while also showing her compassionate side by having her help a 'stranger', 
  
• #3) the idea presented at the end that she shouldn't be hiding her true identity because its dishonest doesn't really work for me as the whole point was for Celestia to get a perspective of Equestria through her citizens without them being worried about her
  
• And #4) Celestia had no reason to feel that guilty about not being there for the fillies, seeing as how they lived literally nearby Princess TWILIGHT. If its anyone's fault, it Twilight's and not Celestia's. Actually, having Twi come to such a revelation would have probably been another good character moment for her.
  

For a long time, the comics have been regressing from mediocre to straight up dull or even bad [Legends of Magic in particular continuing Shadow Play's trend of screwing over lore continuity in a failed attempt to 'add to it', while also having the ongoing story focus on Stygian, which shoves the others into the background... AGAIN] So while this comic has it's problems, its really refreshing to see a story like this actually WORK.

This not only makes a great comic [in spite of it's issues] it would make for a fantastic EPISODE. THIS is the sort of story I would expect from the show, one that is mature and explores ideas most other kids' cartoons would shy away from.








Seriously, though; get rid of Starlight, she's adding even less to the series than she was last season