@Exdee
The show’s writing was never good.
@TheMultiBrony21

@TheMultiBrony21
>Hardly any episode post pilot has been consistent.
According to you, at least.  
>In fact, a number of old episodes even contradicted the pilot.
No, they didn’t. How did they?

@Dark Dash  
individualism vs. collectivism

@Dark Dash  
That’s… actually a pretty interesting take on things.

@Background Pony #5631  
Never.

Nice Necro….
 
(Sees who necroing)
 
Ohhh noooo im sorry modsss 😭

@Background Pony #7210
 

In season one Twilight’s lack of understanding of friendship was a personal failing of hers that other people didn’t have. She had to address it by moving out of her seclusion in her tower and go to a place where she’d have to be involved with people on a daily basis so she could gain what they already had.
 
Then we’re told her overcoming this problem made her special and superior when she transforms into an alicorn even though she was trying attain something everyone else already had, not seeking something unique.
 
Then she moves into a new tower where she’s be secluded even though the point of moving to the little town was to be around other people.
 
Then we’re told she can teach others what she knows about friendship, even though it was something she had to learn for herself (Celestia doesn’t and couldn’t teach her).
 
The basic theme of the series has not been kept coherent. Pretty sloppy.

@Background Pony #AEBE  

 
How can you learn about friendship from books and school at all? She wasn’t studying it in Canterlot before the story began; she was studying magic and mythology.

@Background Pony #AEBE  
Exactly

@Background Pony #AEBE  
Twilight was directly avoiding ponies in the first episode

@PurpleWonderPower  
I think it’s more character development and I don’t believe the show has ever had consistent continuity

@PurpleWonderPower  
This is not a continuity error. Celestia meant that you can’t learn friendship from books and school alone.

@CalypsoFantasy  

 
I think that just came from her transformation at the end of season 3.

@CalypsoFantasy  
She’s been that tall since she the season 3 finale.

@Darth Shy  
Continuity error. Seeing how chock full MLP has been of those since Shadow Play, its no surprise.

@Darth Shy  
I’m going with FAKE!

@Background Pony #188F  
Someone will merge it then

the school of friendship is dumb

Take your pick, character development or continuity error? (I’m going with the former)

@CalypsoFantasy  
Being resurrected as an alicorn made her a few inches taller.

You know, I never thought about this until now. In a way, its kind of interesting to think that letting Twilight’s friendship with the rest of the mane six blossom naturally and have them take responsibility for their own trials and tribulations made them into the extraordinary group that they’ve become in Equestria. While attempting to teach the aspects of friendship to other in a systematic fashion led to young characters like Cozy Glow misconstruing the ideas of friendship to meet her own ends, as well as the young six who (while truly being friends) don’t take the things being taught to them that seriously. In other words, letting it happen organically gave rise to a greater and deeper understanding for the mane six, while attempting to teach it through a system like a school has led to misunderstandings and apathy among those being taught.
 
I know this wasn’t the intent of the writers and showrunners, but it’s just something that comes to mind when thinking about the difference between these two opposing ideas that “Friendship can’t be taught” in earlier seasons and “We should teach others about Friendship” in Season 8 onward

Celestia kind of forgot about the Iron Fleet the lessons she gave.

That’s not what she said in season 1. Twilight wasn’t even trying to learn friendship from books

They actually made Twilight look older between seven seasons. I love it.
 
OP does have a point here.