Fillies and gentlecolts… it’s good to be back.

Sorry I disappeared for a while, but between holiday stuff, figuring out a new computer, looking for jobs, raising a puppy… I had trouble finding time and energy for drawing pony stuff. But there was no way I could let THIS pass me by without doing something.

The ninth season is upon us… apparently the last new season for all of Friendship is Magic. (you lied to me, Starlight) It’s bittersweet; we’ve had a good run, and I DO want the show to end before it starts selling out and running on fumes and leaves a bitter taste in your mouth like so many long-running shows before it… but it’s hard to say good-bye, you know? The idea that my favorite show of all time, one that’s truly changed my life for the better and has been with me for so long in times of uncertainty, is now coming to an end…

Well, might as well go out on a high-note, right? One more series of comics reflecting on these new episodes and tributing everything the show staff has put so much work and heart into. I still plan on making comics beyond the show’s end, but this is my last chance to respond to new episodes of the show before the fans take over full time. This show is retiring, much like how Celestia and Luna are getting ready for retirement themselves. As such, I’m calling this new set of comics my Season 9 Retirement Party. Let’s make it a good one, FiM!

This week’s comic is based on The Beginning of the End, aka: “King Sombra is Finally an Actual Character, the Episode”. Sombra, it is SO good to see you again. You always got the sense in the past that Sombra could potentially do some bad, villainy things, but we’ve never really gotten a good chance to see the ramifications of his actions truly sink in, or for him to really stand out as a character. But when he smashes one of the cornerstones of the show up to this point and we see all these side characters and background ponies we’ve grown to love over the years become brainwashed zombies serving the dark king and the Mane 6 have to fight against their friends and loved ones in order to solve the problem… that sticks with you, y’know? I won’t be forgetting Sombra for a long time, I think.

Speaking of the Tree of Harmony… it’s weird. I already knew this was gonna happen via the Season 9 trailer, and I was pretty mournful that this season was planning on killing off one of my favorite characters. But now that it’s actually happened… I dunno. I get the feeling we haven’t seen the last of the Tree’s influence or character. We’ve seen what it’s capable of; we’ve seen it survive some pretty tough scrapes before; we’ve seen it expanding its roots far and wide, covering a far greater range than the lone tree on the surface would imply. I’m not giving up on Best Tree just yet! And even if the show won’t let it continue existing as a character, then I will!

Hope you all don’t forget the true power you have inside of you all along! Looking forward to the next episode!