>>90850You said it. You said it so well, I don't think there's anything I can add on top of that. It's kinda telling that the "You all just had your expectations too high!" people in this thread are saying that unironically but I don't want to bring that up.
I guess I could add some stuff about Glimmer.
While she was designed to be a total Poochie from the start, one-shotting Twilight one day and then fighting Twilight Sparkle to a standstill multiple times a day next time they see each other, I find her later treatment even more insulting.
The writers realized there was nothing they could do with this flat, boring, shitty character or her bullshit power level. So they gave her a friend to bounce off. They brought back Trixie "Because she needed redemption too!", and gave her a fellow asshole to reminisce about her asshole days with. That's what Trixie's been flanderized into. The potential she had is gone, because now she's just the main character's "Foil", the best friend who exists to make the hero look cooler and better and more heroic. They could have introduced an OC, but they brought back Trixie and forced her into this role, in an era where writers were phoning in lazy stock plots and forcing characters into the roles, even if they didn't fit in those roles without acting OOC.
Then, the Changelings. Fans liked the Changelings, right? So they "Redeem the changelings" by giving GMPC Thorax a deus ex machina heart-beam the entire race could have used at any time, shooting their original concept in the foot again and again just so the nu-Changelings could be used as a "Metaphor" for how you should "Just accept change" even if it's a stupid change "because there's no such thing amirite lads?". Thorax is now a stag beetle gradient-coloured eyesore, as are so many other Changelings.
What made the original Changeling OCs popular? Their looks. Their looks, and the fact that they come with personalities and backstories built-in. Stop me if you've heard this one before: Buggy the Changeling was a Changeling until he decided to turn good and go to Ponyville, hoping to be accepted for revealing what he is. Yes, that symbolism was a big part of it, too.
This? This retroactively invalidates every Changeling OC possible while replacing their "Cool evil" factor with a dumb "Another good race in a sugar bowl with no stakes and nothing to do" problem.
And who handles the new Changeling problems? Not Thorax, he's a plot device. Glimmer handles the Changeling problems, because she needs to have plots dropped in her lap.
And then, Maud is brought back. Because EEEEVERYONE FUCKING LOVES MAUD. A dumb OC that was only funny once, and only funny because ponies were trying and failing to relate to and befriend this stereotype? Lol, let's give her new episodes and more screentime because pandering to the newfags with low-effort trash (They don't expect or want any better, probably because either self-esteem problems or they weren't around when the show was unironically good) is so much easier than trying hard and writing good stories!
And then Maud is brought back, JUST to be made into Glimmer's friend. They try to shift some of Glimmer's blame onto Maud, then Pinkie suddenly not knowing her own sister or friendship is enough to ruin the friendship between Glimmer and Maud, causing Glimmer to flatly state what Pinkie's been turned into by the writers that just don't fucking have the guts to let Poochie be wrong, or challenge her, or even make her have to try. Poochie gets to laze around and be shilled while Twilight forces friendship lessons onto her like a sapient forcing human interaction sessions on his retarded whiny selfish bratty bitchy emo shut-in cousin.
The new writers want you to like Poochie more than they want to tell a good story involving Poochie. They want their OCs, like Poochie and Sunburst and nu-Discord, to keep you watching this show. They want you to love THEIR characters like you once loved FAUST'S characters.
The modern show is a pit filled with laziness, ego, and shit.