My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Issues 17 - 20

HELLOOO and welcome to Cultures Compendium of Reviews! As always I am Culture Shock. Your guide to all things cultural in Equestria and beyond. In todays review we dive into a love story spanning across dimensions. Before we continue let me lay out the ground rules. Firstly, all content in this blog is the express opinion of its author. It does not, nor should it ever, reflect the overall opinion of the fandom. Lastly, if any of you notice any mistakes, be it typos or otherwise, don't hesitate to let me know. With that said, let's move on. Shall we?

Issues 17 - 20, aka the reflections arc, brings together author Katie Cook and artist Andy Price for a dramatic and heartbreaking tail of love and loss. As experienced by Princess Celestia of our world and King Sombra of another. Yes. This is an arc where Celestia actually has character. Shocker!

To start things off. Unlike the mirror in the first EQG film this world didn't lead to Canterlot High. Instead it lead to another Equestria. Now I'm no scientist but I do know facts. Throughout history scientists have always believed in the existence of other realities. Places with alternate timelines playout in different ways.

Imagine, if you will, that you were given different options all throughout your life. Have you ever wondered where you would be if you chose things differently? The decisions we make now can have the biggest impact on our future. Essentially, the same can apply in other worlds.

The moral in this arc is both a powerful and emotional one. Sometimes you have to make decisions you don't want to make for the sake of others. It can be hard, yes. But doing what's right isn't always easy. Sacrifices are made but often for a better purpose. Celestia was fully prepared to seal herself away for the good of both worlds. Even at the cost of her life and love. But in the end good King Sombra payed the ultimate price for everyponies sake.

Now for the hard part. Much like Celestia in this arc these issues weren't without flaws. For starters, there's Star Swirls character. For a pony regarded so highly, he comes off more as that nutty old uncle everyone has. Literally just shatters how the shows lore portrays him. Secondly, while the comic was dramatic and romantic it tended to be more comedic at times. That's not neccessarily bad but definitely not expected for this arc. Lastly, where were the evil mane 6. I mean you would expect an evil Celestia to have her own ace in the whole right? While that's not as important it's still a little disappointing.

Alright! That was my review of the Reflections Arc. All in all  a romantic adventure with a dash of educational physics. A definite reccomendation for romance novel enthusiasts. I give the Reflections arc a 7 / 10. Hope you guys enjoyed the review. Be sure to leave a like if you did. If you have a suggestion for a future review leave it in the comments below. Also don't forget to follow my blog more updates. This is Culture Shock, your guide to all things cultural in Equestria and beyond, saying KEEP CALM AND BRONY ON! PEACE!