My Little Pony: Because Friendship Is Magic

[Thanqol]

I guess the point I'm trying to make is that I'm wondering why after watching that episode instead of finding a hundred million new FluttershyxRainbow Dash ships, there's a ton of commotion about how she touched a boy that's so ickyyyyyyyy.

I mean... what?

I choose to read this post in the tone of "Where are all my ships!?"

Look, the Internet has very clear ideas of how things should happen.

[Lix Lorn]

...who's that on the left? O_o

[Xefas]

...who's that on the left? O_o

Never seen that webcomic before, but I think it's supposed to be the main character as a pony (the character who is seen in the final panel).

[Lix Lorn]

Oooooh.

[Irbis]

Sorry about that I wasn't thinking.

Spoilering after I managed to read the ending was... a bit pointless, you know :P

The Wonderbolt who actually spoke with Rainbow was absolutely positively 100% female.

Fun fact - from Episode 1-3 Shadowbolts are mostly male, Wonderbolts mostly female. I wonder if the choices indicate something? :P

I think the show just lends itself better to a day-to-day slice of life type of show rather than a big super epic bonanza, even if there's room for some of that stuff too. There's a big upswing in quality between episodes 2 and 3, which is kinda hard to ignore. If executive meddling caused that, then its good that the executives meddled.

I don't know, Wakfu, the other big 25 minute per week Flash animation, managed to combine slice of life with overarching plot quite nicely, before going to epic ending. But, they had whole story planned/scripted first. Though, I heard the creators insert some fan-made characters and plots, so maybe a bit of leeway is a good thing.

By the way, what upswing? I have watched first three just now and I'd say 2nd was better than 3rd.

I don't think this show qualifies as "slice of life". Things happen. Events transpire.

Hm?

Ok, what bugged me in Ep3 (Ep1-2 tomorrow, I'm too tired now). Note, I know this is a show for girls, and I'll ignore most of the 'girly' elements, concentrating only on these that weakened the story, IMHO.

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So, the show went from nice Fantasy to (apparently) disjointed slice of life episodes, dealing with such epicness as farming and sewing. Meh. But, I guess we'll see if that was done well.

You know, I don't know why, but I suspect the interactions between characters will use a lot of american-style cartoon crutch. That is, someone will grab an idiot ball, and the other characters will try to convince her about being wrong, providing tension/conflict. That seemed to match what I saw so far. So, in order:

A) Leading character angsting about choice of friend to be taken, then coming to conclusion that if she can't take them all, she won't go as well

Problems with that: I'd have asked her teacher right from the start (not about giving more tickets, but about advice what to do, hoping she'll provide more out of her own initiative); if that failed, I'd do what Twilight mentioned in passing, and give both of them to most needy or randomly chosen ponies. Instead, she dangled them before her friends, then threw the carrot away. Let's be honest here, Twilight had most of these attractions daily when she lived in the castle, so for her, that wasn't big deal, but for fer poor friends, it kinda was. I just think the moral they wanted to give is, in reality, surest way to permanently damage relations. Like your rich friend dangling coat you always dreamed of in front of you, declaring she doesn't need it and throwing it into a fire. Eh.

B) Her 'friends'. I'm also not sure about the moral of trying to bribe others (at least it didn't work). I found Twilights reaction to these attempts a bit... overdrawn, but I guess it's par for the course in this genre.

I honestly didn't expected Fluttershy to be the boldest liar in the group. That was seriously not cool. Her rabbit-thief was also suspect. A pity, I almost started liking her :P

C) Their requests. I thought they were a bit... lame. Frolicking in the garden, in the kid section, in the ball, on the parade - why Twilight simply didn't offered to take them there on more calm day? Out of those, only Apple pony seemed to care about others, not enjoyment, but there, I begun to think what tickets give you right to place stands and why her family has all these problem with finances when they have a virtual monopoly on food.

I mean, they have only industry in the village, one that everyone must by from, and they live in rotten shed? What's up with that?

I also wonder why rich people would want to buy apples of all things. Oh, right, ponies. So, might be justified.

There might be something to all these theories I saw just now about iron hooves, this place has no social security to speak of! :P

Anyway... animation is very nice, music, acting, too, I just faced a huge values dissonance on the morals and the attempts of solving problem-of-the-week. I feel had the moral was about taking her oldest friend (Spike) or giving to more needy (say, Apple/Rarity) or even finding workaround (before-mentioned days off) it would have felt better, the actual plot felt a bit forced.

But I'm probably the only one who didn't liked that aspect :P

[Thanqol]

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A) Leading character angsting about choice of friend to be taken, then coming to conclusion that if she can't take them all, she won't go as well

Problems with that: I'd have asked her teacher right from the start (not about giving more tickets, but about advice what to do, hoping she'll provide more out of her own initiative); if that failed, I'd do what Twilight mentioned in passing, and give both of them to most needy or randomly chosen ponies. Instead, she dangled them before her friends, then threw the carrot away. Let's be honest here, Twilight had most of these attractions daily when she lived in the castle, so for her, that wasn't big deal, but for fer poor friends, it kinda was. I just think the moral they wanted to give is, in reality, surest way to permanently damage relations. Like your rich friend dangling coat you always dreamed of in front of you, declaring she doesn't need it and throwing it into a fire. Eh.

Twilight's Vice is Pride. She never asks Celestia for help because she's always confident she can solve the issue on her own. She's down in Ponyville to study and learn on her own and report back, not bother the deity of the Sun to deal with her minor issues.

(As a sidenote, when Twilight talks about giving up one of her tickets - which she did - you can see that she was thinking of giving them to Fluttershy and Applejack.)

I don't agree with your take on the moral at all. The moral is that Friendship is more important than any coat.

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B) Her 'friends'. I'm also not sure about the moral of trying to bribe others (at least it didn't work). I found Twilights reaction to these attempts a bit... overdrawn, but I guess it's par for the course in this genre.

I honestly didn't expected Fluttershy to be the boldest liar in the group. That was seriously not cool. Her rabbit-thief was also suspect. A pity, I almost started liking her :P

Thing about these characters is they're all very flawed. Rainbow Dash's reaction to being the last one standing, for example. They can be greedy, petty, small minded and arrogant - and they can also show pure friendship, kindness and generosity. It's easy to see them getting swept up in their own stubbornness, recklessness or cowardice and then making visible effort to overcome their lower urges, and that makes them good characters.

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C) Their requests. I thought they were a bit... lame. Frolicking in the garden, in the kid section, in the ball, on the parade - why Twilight simply didn't offered to take them there on more calm day? Out of those, only Apple pony seemed to care about others, not enjoyment, but there, I begun to think what tickets give you right to place stands and why her family has all these problem with finances when they have a virtual monopoly on food.

I mean, they have only industry in the village, one that everyone must by from, and they live in rotten shed? What's up with that?

The reason this was the first non-pilot episode was because it perfectly showcases everypony's dreams, goals and motivations. While these ponies are good people, and do exhibit loyalty and compassion to their friends, Rainbow Dash's personal dream is to join the Wonderbolts. Pinkie Pie's dream is to attend the greatest parties. That they're able to put aside their dreams to stand alongside their friends is the point.

AND IF YOU WANT TO GET INTO PONY ECONOMICS

Applejack doesn't have a monopoly on food (most ponies have gardens and the Apple family is huge), if she did she doesn't seem the type to gouge Ponyville, and she's completely at the mercy of weather-working Pegasi. She's also reliant on hundreds of volunteers/temporary employees to prepare her fields after Winter, as seen in Winter Wrap Up. Being able to sell high priced luxury foods in a major city is a boon to her business.

EDIT: Also the idea that Celestia might let earth pony scum into her capital without a good reason

THAT SAID

The plotlines and morals are not the main part of the show. Indeed, you can usually predict the entire storyline just from the 30 second intro before the credits roll. It's how they get there which makes it great.

[Jahkaivah]

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You know, I don't know why, but I suspect the interactions between characters will use a lot of american-style cartoon crutch. That is, someone will grab an idiot ball, and the other characters will try to convince her about being wrong, providing tension/conflict. That seemed to match what I saw so far. So, in order:

Thats actually a very valid criticism thats sums up most of the episodes, not that it bothers me in the long run.

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B) Her 'friends'. I'm also not sure about the moral of trying to bribe others (at least it didn't work).

....moral?

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C) Their requests. I thought they were a bit... lame. Frolicking in the garden, in the kid section, in the ball, on the parade - why Twilight simply didn't offered to take them there on more calm day? Out of those, only Apple pony seemed to care about others, not enjoyment, but there, I begun to think what tickets give you right to place stands and why her family has all these problem with finances when they have a virtual monopoly on food.

I think consensus was that Applejack had the best reason (assuming she could get away with selling apples, it's tended to assume she would know if she couldn't), and its implied at multiple points in the episode that Twilight thought so as well.

Also the lengths Applebloom goes to try and sell apples in a later episode suggests that the market for apples isn't exactly flourishing.

[Mewtarthio]

I think consensus was that Applejack had the best reason (assuming she could get away with selling apples, it's tended to assume she would know if she couldn't), and its implied at multiple points in the episode that Twilight thought so as well.

Can't argue with that. Rainbow's main goal was to disrupt a public sporting event, and Rarity wanted to seduce a prominent aristocrat, so it may be for the best to keep those two away from the Gala. Fluttershy didn't care about the Gala at all, so Twilight could have just pulled some strings to get her there on a less crowded day. Pinkie is Pinkie; Twilight could have given her a knotted piece of yarn covered in glitter and she'd have been just as excited. Applejack is the only one with a sensible plan to use the Gala to improve her future.

That being said, the episode's obviously not about who has the best reason to go. The real point is that Twilight can't stand to let down any of her friends for any reason, everyone else was being selfish trying to bias her towards them, and Spike's a jerk for causing the whole thing by turning down a ticket that was obviously meant for him even though he actually wanted to go.

Iron-Hooved Interpretation: Celestia's prized pupil abandoning Canterlot to live among lowly earth ponies has caused quite a scandal, and some are questioning the Princess's fitness for command. Now that Luna has returned, the people have an alternate goddess to flock to, so Celestia must be more careful than usual with her public relations. She plans to recall Twilight to Canterlot without any of those low-class hangers-on, to prove that she is still in charge and can still control her subjects. When Twilight rejects the tickets, Celestia mistakenly believes that this is a political move to demonstrate her independence. However, she can't afford to call Twilight's "bluff": It would be a political disaster if the princess's own apprentice did not even attend the Gala. So, she is forced to back down and invite all of Twilight's friends.

[Sinfonian]

Celestia as despotic overlord may well be my favorite alternate character interpretation of all time. Well...not so much alternate, since it must be true!

[Coidzor]

Sooo... I wonder if this is any good.

Note that if you might say 'yes' I might actually watch a few episodes.

And than critique them :P

Do eeet.

The Wonderbolt who actually spoke with Rainbow was absolutely positively 100% female. Even if the two she left with in the final scene were stallions, the Wonderbolts are a split gendered team.

Well, yeah, or she would've said something about being the first woman wonderbolt or something if they were a sausage fest. Get in that female-encouragement to go beyond what society dictates for the children that they're obligated to do by virtue of what they are, uplifting kid shows.

And even if they weren't, she's going to hang out with her childhood heroes. There's zero sexual connotations to the whole thing.

Um.... Ahehh.... Heh....

[Thanqol]

Iron-Hooved Interpretation: Celestia's prized pupil abandoning Canterlot to live among lowly earth ponies has caused quite a scandal, and some are questioning the Princess's fitness for command. Now that Luna has returned, the people have an alternate goddess to flock to, so Celestia must be more careful than usual with her public relations. She plans to recall Twilight to Canterlot without any of those low-class hangers-on, to prove that she is still in charge and can still control her subjects. When Twilight rejects the tickets, Celestia mistakenly believes that this is a political move to demonstrate her independence. However, she can't afford to call Twilight's "bluff": It would be a political disaster if the princess's own apprentice did not even attend the Gala. So, she is forced to back down and invite all of Twilight's friends.

I reckon that episode just got about 20% cooler in my head.

[Thanqol]

More Iron-Hooved Interpretations:

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The next episode where Celestia appears is Griffon The Brush Off. On the face of it, the Griffon Gilda arrives in Ponyville of her own accord - but what are the chances of a rare and dangerous Griffon trained in Celestia's Speedster Academy, under the gaze of her elite Wonderbolt squad, just happened to turn up in the same town as Celestia's estranged apprentice?

Gilda, as an elite and high ranking military officer, showed the contempt Canterlot feels for the earth pony scum. She wilfully stole from them, bullied them and reserved particular contempt for the earth pony Pinkie Pie. While her mission was to assess the prowess of the prodigy Rainbow Dash and oversee the next step of her indoctrination to the Wonderbolts, she realized with horror that the young officer had 'gone native'. In shock, she began trying to convince Rainbow Dash to leave, departing from Celestia's plans in the process.

Celestia, however, was fully aware that Rainbow Dash's great virtue was Loyalty and her plans for the Pegasus were far more long reaching. As expected, Dash turned her down and stuck with the Earth Ponies. Celestia's plans for the prodigy were forced to be delayed until later (Episode 16: Sonic Rainboom)

Celestia's signing of Gilda's death warrant was briefly delayed by the presence of invisible ink. Celestia, however, can appreciate a good joke.

Also, This

[Xefas]

So, the next episode is entitled "Stare Master", and apparently involves Fluttershy facing off against some "Crusaders".

[Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll]

So, the next episode is entitled "Stare Master", and apparently involves Fluttershy facing off against some "Crusaders".

DUUUUUDE.

I should not be online right now. I honestly am swaying and cannot type and stuff. But I am soooo watching the next episode.

[Coidzor]

Cue New Warhammer 40K Army being created by fans.

[Thanqol]

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There's also Pony Chaos Gods and Dr. Gordon Freepony.

[Fawkes]

She's babysitting the Cutie Mark Crusaders. You know, the little club Applebloom formed with the two other blank flank kids.

[Thanqol]

More Iron-Hooved Interpretations:

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The events surrounding The Great and Powerful Trixie provide the trained eye a good view of the reasons behind the Unicorn Dominance in Equestria. When the Ursa Major reared it's head, nopony even questioned the fact that this was a problem that had to be dealt with by a Unicorn. Trixie's boasting was an exploitation of current mythos regarding Unicorn Dominance, and ponies are so used to hearing fantastic stories about Unicorns that the only one who questioned Trixie's story outright was Spike (an outsider, and a dragon).

In the early days of Equestria, and especially during the First Moon Wars, Unicorns were the greatest warriors, using their sorcery in unison to deal with even the most terrible monsters. Pegasai and Earth Ponies were little more than shields for the Unicorns. After the victory of Celestia, Unicorns were hailed as heroes and the great city of Canterlot was built to house them. Prejudice didn't happen overnight - Friendship *is* Magic, after all - but Unicorns tended to immigrate to Canterlot while other pony breeds were sent elsewhere. Over generations, Unicorns grew to only claim unicorns amongst their circles of friends.

The Pegasai were originally roughly equal to the Unicorns, but once the Unicorns discovered the art of weather magic, the Pegasai were superfluous. They began to migrate to areas that needed their service more, such as the vast sky factories, or join the military service where they provide protection for their Unicorn Overlords. Segregation was not a conscious policy, but over the thousand years of Celestia's rule, it gradually became the accepted standard. The Wonderbolts exist primarily in a propaganda role, to convince the Pegasai that they still matter to the elite of Canterlot.

This episode shows this culture in small ways. Everypony's acceptance of the idea that only a Unicorn can beat a Unicorn. Rarity's comments that Unicorns are creatures of glamour and sophistication (implying that other ponies are not). The unquestioning acceptance of a Unicorn's power to defeat powerful monsters, like the Ursa Major. Everypony turning to one of the two Unicorn magicians in their moment of desperation, rather than attempting to fight the Ursa themselves.

NEXT UP: Why Celestia sent six frightened children to fight an ancient dragon.

[Thanqol]

More Iron-Hooved Interpretations:

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An Elder Dragon is not a thing to be taken lightly. Fluttershy mentions in the episode Dragonshy that Dragons are known for eating ponies "... In a single bite". And there is no doubting this was a serious problem, because Twilight said that "Every minute we hesitate another acre is covered in smoke". A hundred years of darkness was at stake, a doom Equstria could not easily withstand.

So why, then, did Princess Celestia give this absolutely critical mission to her student Twilight Sparkle, instead of the military?

To answer this question we have to examine the role of Dragons in Equestria's politics. Enormously wealthy and immensely dangerous in their prime, each Dragon is a political, economic and military power that cannot be discounted. In addition, they are creatures of glamour and sophistication, and adore worship. They spend a great deal of time in the fashion arena, giving them enormous cultural clout. Such creatures cannot be treated as wild animals; they must be courted delicately, as one nation courts another.

The fashion arena in Equestria is dominated by Dragons, and was long before the rise of the Ponies. The Unicorns entered the ring in order to influence the Dragons on their own terms, and this is an area of such political importance that they're prepared to swallow their pride and allow earth pony scum such as Hoity-Toity entrance if it gives them an edge (or training a Pegasus Pony like Fluttershy). Make no mistake, a sewing manual is the equivalent of a tactical missile in this eternal battle for hearts and minds.

(As an aside, some Dragons enter their young in Equestrian scholarships as part of this ongoing war. Even a few year old baby dragon like Spike is intelligent and literate, and harbours a secret passion for fashion)

A curious side effect of this fashion war is the ongoing romance between Unicorns and Dragons. This attraction takes a variety of forms, but Dragons love being flattered, and unicorns love beautiful things.

And so we can see why, on the surface, Celestia sending her prize student to handle negotiations would be politically necessary - the equivalent of sending a royal ambassador.

On the other hand, the negotiations were still enormously dangerous, and the trip potentially lethal. And more importantly, the Dragon had no respect for Twilight, or Celestia's authority. And so we are forced to examine the real reason this particular group was selected for this particular mission:

Rarity.

A unicorn dressmaker, particularly one as stylish as Rarity, is a valuable weapon in the fashion wars. No one escapes the gaze of the High Dressmakers, and it was a planned decision by this military council to give the mission to Twilight on the assumption she'd bring Rarity along. Rarity had secret instructions to convince the Dragon to return to the political arena and forgo his nap entirely.

Unfortunately, her greed got the better of her and she fumbled the mission. Fluttershy worked damage control, but the High Dressmakers were ultimately disappointed by Rarity's failure to secure fashion concessions from the Dragon. This lead to her falling out of favour with the council, until she was able to impress Hoity Toity with her prowess in Art of the Dress.

[Fjolnir]

Those are great, keep them coming!

[Coidzor]

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There's also Pony Chaos Gods and Dr. Gordon Freepony.

Someone needs to produce fanart of the One Free Pony!

[Thanqol]

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[Thanqol]

More Iron-Hooved Interpretations:

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The issues surrounding Slumber Parties and Zebras, while fascinating and providing insight into the fundamental conflict between the Earth Pony underclass and Unicorn aristocracy and the ignorant xenophobia of Earth Ponies, do not provide as much insight into the political system of Equestria as the reaction of Ponyville to Celestia's "Unofficial, casual visit".

This is Celestia's first meeting with Twilight in person after the events of The Mare In The Moon, and provides the most fodder for examining the Princess' reign of terror.

The entire town's economy is put to work preparing for the event. Everypony pitches in, banners and decorations are raised, banquets are prepared, and even animals are conscripted. Ordinary events are cancelled and Twilight says "There's no such thing as an informal visit from royalty." She's right, of course - in the labyrinthine networks of alliances, betrayals, slights and honours of Canterlot you are never off the record.

It also showcases the disconnect between Unicorn aristocracy and Earth Ponies. An Earth Pony, Pinkie Pie, is familiar with the nature of the Parasprites (and indeed, probably lost relatives to a disaster like this - she does live with her adopted parents, the Cake family, after all). Unicorns, even eggheads well read ponies like Twilight Sparkle, simply do not concern themselves with the problems of commoners enough to document every last one.

Even throughout the infestation and destruction of their homes, crops and livelyhoods, Twilight's greatest fear remains constantly of Celestia's retribution. Indeed, she is so terrified by the prospect of disappointing Celestia that she attempts to order the other ponies to "Build a full scale replica of Ponyville in the next valley over, in less than a minute."

And when Celestia arrives at the end, the entire conversation feels completely feigned. Everypony wears false smiles, the deeds of Pinkie Pie tactfully overlooked by both sides, and everypony cringes in anticipation of Celestia's wrath. Twilight is more canny; a vulgar display of violence would not be Celestia's style, but Celestia remembers. Twilight's first thought on thanking Pinkie Pie is for "Saving her reputation with Celestia".

Also note that not once did anypony even consider asking Celestia for help. That's because Twilight was present, and she knows what happens if you beg your ruler for assistance. The ponies of Fillydelphia were less canny, and Celestia was not happy at having to cancel her visit to go and help them.

For Celestia remembers. She'll help you if you ask, but she'll remember you asked. And she will take steps to ensure it does not become a habit.

[Comet]

You mind putting those in spoiler boxes? Someone might stumble upon this thread without seeing the episodes and be tainted with your treasonous lies about the fair princess.

Plus they, you know, take up a lot of space. Makes scrolling through the thread a minor inconvenience

[Drascin]

Personally, can't say I ever got the fascination with making uplifting, optimistic works into sad oppressive dystopias, to be honest .

[Xefas]

Personally, can't say I ever got the fascination with making uplifting, optimistic works into sad oppressive dystopias, to be honest .

Yes, well, God-Empress Celestia is just a bit more amoral than you and I, I'm afraid.

[Deme]

Can't argue with that. Rainbow's main goal was to disrupt a public sporting event, and Rarity wanted to seduce a prominent aristocrat, so it may be for the best to keep those two away from the Gala. Fluttershy didn't care about the Gala at all, so Twilight could have just pulled some strings to get her there on a less crowded day. Pinkie is Pinkie; Twilight could have given her a knotted piece of yarn covered in glitter and she'd have been just as excited. Applejack is the only one with a sensible plan to use the Gala to improve her future.

That being said, the episode's obviously not about who has the best reason to go. The real point is that Twilight can't stand to let down any of her friends for any reason, everyone else was being selfish trying to bias her towards them, and Spike's a jerk for causing the whole thing by turning down a ticket that was obviously meant for him even though he actually wanted to go.

Iron-Hooved Interpretation: Celestia's prized pupil abandoning Canterlot to live among lowly earth ponies has caused quite a scandal, and some are questioning the Princess's fitness for command. Now that Luna has returned, the people have an alternate goddess to flock to, so Celestia must be more careful than usual with her public relations. She plans to recall Twilight to Canterlot without any of those low-class hangers-on, to prove that she is still in charge and can still control her subjects. When Twilight rejects the tickets, Celestia mistakenly believes that this is a political move to demonstrate her independence. However, she can't afford to call Twilight's "bluff": It would be a political disaster if the princess's own apprentice did not even attend the Gala. So, she is forced to back down and invite all of Twilight's friends.

The problem with the less crowded day interpretation is that Fluttershy specifically wants to go on that day, since that's the only day all of the flowers are in bloom at once. She specifically mentions this in her pitch.

[Lix Lorn]

Cue New Warhammer 40K Army being created by fans.

I've written armies before. Want me to do it?

[Deme]

By the way, a note about the Ironhoof interpretations...

You need to figure out a way to reconcile the caste system with the Earthpony Mayor of Ponyville. Now, I do have a theory there, which I will share: she's a figurehead, whose existence is allowed to assure the ponyteriat that Ponyville maintains its traditional EarthPony roots (see the whole plot of Winter Wrap-Up, maintaining an inefficient tradition that serves the same purpose), and creating the illusion of power existing outside of Unicorns. "The Devil's greatest trick is convincing the world he doesn't exist," and so on. She may even let them elect the mayor, to further the idea that she's a benevolent Goddess-QueenPrincess who allows her people freedom. Her use of the title of Princess, said by the creator herself to be because "Princess" has a more benevolent sound, is also used to create an impression that lulls the masses into a false sense of security.

As we see, all the mayor really does is give speeches; in times of crisis, Twilight Sparkle, as an important Unicorn whose exact status isn't entirely clear to the audience, has all the authority.

Man, this is fun.

[Hawkflight]

Okay, um, ah ... question.

Is it Doctor Whoof, or Doctor Whooves?