Fans of My Little Pony Friendship is Magic have been waiting with bated breath for the season 3 finale and – thanks to controversy over reports that Twilight Sparkle would be transforming into an “alicorn” – just a little bit of fear. But as the episode’s airing draws close, the voice of Twilight herself, Tara Strong, wants everypony to know, it’s all going to be OK. Yes, Twilight is becoming a Pegasus-unicorn hybrid, and a princess, but that doesn’t mean things in the show’s world of Equestria aren’t going to change dramatically. Everybody be cool.

“I’m very excited for everybody to see it and get over their fears of it not being good,” Strong said in an interview with Wired. “It’s actually very emotional when it happens, and they’re overwhelmed with this happiness for her that she’s transitioning to this new place in her life, as opposed to this fear that everything is going to change. … I know a lot of people in the community are really nervous about that but it’s really such a great show.”

For those that don’t know, Twilight Sparkle has heretofore been a unicorn and a studious practitioner of magic. To fans, she was a nerd everyone could identify with, and they liked her that way. Then, late last year, rumors started to spread that she might be becoming an alicorn and the fandom got a little worried about what that might mean (see: this Reddit thread and the comments on this Equestria Daily post). In January, Entertainment Weekly broke the news that Twilight would be becoming a princess. That also didn’t go over well (the word often used to discuss the situation was “shitstorm“). Now, the episode — titled “Magical Mystery Cure” — about to air and Strong would just like everyone to watch it and rest easy.

“It’s not like [Twilight] is leaving – if she was leaving or the stories would change, or the main six [characters] would change, or other things that really draw in the audience would change, then I would say that there’s valid reason to be worried,” Strong said. “But there’s really not. It’s the same but better.”

(Spoiler alert: Minor plot points from the season 3 finale to follow.)

The controversial events in “Magical Mystery Cure” finale revolve around what happens when Twilight unleashes a spell that mixes up the “Cutie Marks” of her other friends in Equestria, making them take on one another’s various traits to humorous and not-so-great ends. (Watch Twilight cast the spell in the exclusive clip below.) Fans will have to watch the show Saturday morning to find out how its resolved but, obviously, Twilight herself might be the one facing the biggest change.

The end of season 3 also marks the end of another year in the show’s ever-eclectic fandom – a group that gets the most attention for its adult viewership, commonly known as “bronies” (short for “bro-ponies”). It’s a group of people Strong seems to enjoy having around, so Wired asked her a few things about her relationship to the group and the show. Here’s what she said: She hasn’t opened all of the birthday gifts they’ve sent, but says the gifts she usually gets are “very sweet.” She often breaks out her cartoon voices even when she’s not at work, adding that “I just find certain that voices help situations … I definitely use my multiple personalities for good.” Although she’s fine with the female-centric Pony fan name “pegasister,” she prefers “brony” because, she said, it “includes everyone” and she finds it cute when girls identify as bronies. If she were to create her own pony character, it would be a lot like the “Taralicious” one fans have created for her. And finally, she can’t talk about what will happen in season 4 “I believe I need to plead the Fifth on that one,” she said.

The season 3 finale of My Little Pony Friendship is Magic airs Saturday at 10:30 a.m. Eastern/7:30 a.m. Pacific on the Hub.