History YMMV / MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS8E26SchoolRazePart2

%%* AlternateAesopInterpretation: Even children can be [[EnfantTerrible evil]].

** The fact that the main villain of the finale was Cozy Glow, a ''child'' of all things, has divided the fandom. Some loved that the writers subverted expectations and appreciate the change in status quo, showcasing that anypony could become evil regardless of age. Others hated it as they felt it was lousily executed with very little payoff to the season as a whole. Some even felt cheated that [[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter it wasn’t Chancellor Neighsay since he fit in with the overarching story of proving that the School of Friendship is a good cause, or Queen Chrysalis in disguise]] [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS8E13TheMean6 given she infiltrated the School of Friendship undetected previously this season]].

* AuthorsSavingThrow:
** A small one, but the Royal Guard no longer being used as a punching bag and actually being deployed as the last resort should the protagonists fail was a relief from some fans who are sick and tired of them being useless throughout the series. While still too late to stop the plan itself before the protagonists succeeded, them actually stopping Cozy Glow's ExitVillainStageLeft and successfully arresting her actually gave them some credibility instead of being a RedshirtArmy.
** There were many who saw Cozy Glow being imprisoned in Tartarus as a breath of fresh air after seeing so many villains being EasilyForgiven. [[FridgeHorror Looking past the logistics of a child being sent to a maximum security prison for a moment]], one of the biggest criticisms within the fandom was how too many villains were given a free pass at redemption despite nearly ending the world. This episode finally acknowledges this and shows the main characters, including the princesses, taking charge and nipping the problem in the bud before it could get worse, thus negating more problems of trying to reform another villain.

%%* AlternateAesopInterpretation: [[EnfantTerrible Even children can be evil.]]

* AlternateAesopInterpretation: [[EnfantTerrible Even children can be evil.]]

* DracoInLeatherPants: Some fans sympathize with Cozy Glow and feel like her imprisonment in Tartarus was unfair, given how other villains much older than her have been EasilyForgiven for crimes just as bad, if not ''worse'', and how Discord had sided with Tirek in "Twilight's Kingdom" but was still instantly forgiven at the end. This ignores that unlike the reformed antagonists, she showed absolutely no remorse for any of her crimes; even ''Discord'' showed remorse over joining Tirek, and [[GuiltRiddenAccomplice he even had some visible misgivings]] before Tirek stabbed him in the back.

* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotPolitical: Cozy Glow's imprisonment in Tartarus got this reaction from fans that were against it, questioning Equestria's laws of Justice for locking a child away in confinement instead of given a much more smaller sentence due to being a child. Even though she was intended to just be a comedic EnfantTerrible character with not much of a story or background to her, it also raised eyebrows over none of the characters questioning the whereabouts of her parents regardless of WordOfGod confirming she has no parents.

** Technically speaking, even before the events of Season 9, her crimes against Equestria really were among the worst. She tried to rid it of all of its magic, which plays a very vital role in the lifeforce of Equestria since the alicorn princesses need their magic to protect and serve its citizens, and it is what gives the unicorn and pegasus tribes their identity and role in using their talents to help the growth and development of Equestria. Plus, she tried to have the Mane Six locked up in Tartarus, as well as attempted to banish Starlight Glimmer and the Young Six along with the magic to another dimension where they would have likely never been seen again.

** Technically speaking, her crimes against Equestria really were among the worst since she tried to rid it of all of its magic, which plays a very vital role in the lifeforce of Equestria since the alicorn princesses need their magic to protect and serve its citizens, and it is what gives the unicorn and pegasus tribes their identity and role in using their talents to help the growth and development of Equestria. Plus, she tried to have the Mane Six locked up in Tartarus, as well as attempted to banish Starlight Glimmer and the Young Six along with the magic to another dimension where they would have likely never been seen again.

* FanficFuel:

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter:
** The CMC were set up to have their first major role in a season finale, only to be locked up by Cozy Glow halfway and get side-lined by the Young Six. Not only that, but their prior friendship with Cozy Glow is barely given a mention (save for Scootaloo saying she wasn't the pony they thought she was); they could have attempted to use that friendship to try and talk her down. While it wouldn't have worked (due to Cozy's true nature), it would have at least given them something more to do in this episode.
** A lot of fans question why Cozy Glow was even here at all when Neighsay was already set up as major antagonists for the season.

* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotPolitical: The reaction to Cozy Glow's imprisonment in Tartarus got this reaction from fans that were against it, questioning Equestria's laws of Justice for locking a child away in confinement instead of given a much more smaller sentence due to being a child. Even though she was intended to just be a comedic EnfantTerrible character with not much of a story or background to her, it also raised eyebrows over none of the characters questioning the whereabouts of her parents regardless of WordOfGod confirming she has no parents.

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot:
** The fans scratching their heads over the writers’ decision to have a literal ''child'' commit such a horrible crime and get imprisoned in Tartarus for it feel the finale, and the season as a whole, could have played out three ways:
*** Have Chrysalis be season villain impersonating Cozy glow or write Cozy out. Many feel if Chrysalis were the one working with Tirek to siphon Equestria’s magic, her appearance in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS8E13TheMean6 The Mean Six]] (where ultimately nothing was accomplished) would have built up to something and given her some credibility again after her VillainDecay, rather than being cast aside for a [[CaptainObviousReveal frankly]] ''[[CaptainObviousReveal obvious]]'' [[CaptainObviousReveal twist villain reveal]]. Because Cozy’s plan to drain all magic would have had disastrous consequences for Equestria, this falls in line with Chrysalis' tendency to not really think her evil plans through and would have been a fitting send-off for her.
*** Keep Cozy Glow on board as a neutral character, but have Chrysalis capture and impersonate her around the season’s second half and carry out the same evil scheme in the finale.
*** Keep Cozy Glow as the season villain, but have her character be an ''adult'' rather than a child so her imprisonment in Tartarus would make the Mane Six and Princesses look less awful.