Did you guys miss me?
Scootaloo's obsession with and hero-worship complex involving Rainbow Dash has often been the butt of jokes within both the show and the fandom, so it was a real treat to learn that we were getting an episode that addressed the issue in a deeper fashion than having Scootaloo wear a hat that looks like Rainbow Dash's mane (however funny that might have been). This episode doesn't disappoint on that premise- like Read it and Weep for Rainbow Dash, it sets up a good foundation for further interaction between these two characters, as well as continuing such interaction and growth between other supporting characters.
A tale of entertainment, nightmares, unexpected character appearances, and every character being generally awesome lies beyond the page break. Come on- let's followup.
We never got to find out what those coins were from. She certainly seems pleased about them, though. Maybe she's going to buy some cider.
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| "I don't remember last night, and I don't think I want to." |
I know they were riffing off the scooter scene from the season one episode, but this still threw me for a bit of a loop. Deja vu all over the place, man. On another note, how did these ponies actually flip this cart completely over? Maybe Trixie did it.
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| If I start pointing out all the places Dash breaks physics, this followup would take forever. |
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| And then Scootaloo was hay. |
All three of the CMC seem to be doing this animation a lot. Maybe it just means they're scheming a lot more than usual, but there's something about it that bugs me. How is Sweetie Belle standing up right now? She should be flat on her face. Unicorns, man. Can't trust em.
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| Sweetie Belle. Master of manipulation. |
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| Mission accomplished. |
This is the continuation of growth that I mentioned earlier. This was a pretty subtle callback as far as callbacks go- certainly not as opaque as Rainbow Dash reading a Daring Do book- but they're clearly referencing Sisterhooves Social and the lesson learned there. This pleases me, not only because it's my favorite episode, but because... okay, it pleases me because it's my favorite episode.
Seriously though, I appreciated the throwback.
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| Today I learned that Applejack and Applebloom are wizards. |
That could have also been the only thing in her saddlebag, which would have been much less impressive. Let's go with the former.
I... I'm sorry, I really don't like her dress. The colors are strange and the bonnet is weird. Oh, and Sweetie Belle is being used for manual labor, but seriously, nothing she's wearing matches.
It's happened a few times up to this point, so I'll mention it now: Scootaloo buzzes her wings a lot in this episode, and it's a really nice touch. I understand that Faust's original vision for Scootaloo was to make her crippled and unable to fly, but I think I would prefer this slow buildup of ability. That way, when she does eventually learn to fly (if ever), it's less sudden.
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| Rainbow Dash can be kind of a jerk sometimes... |
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| ... but this sequence was pretty awesome. |
Even if that sequence wasn't awesome, it was worth it just to see Scootaloo make this face.
The ponies sit like this a lot during the episode. It just feels really strange to see. I'm not certain why they didn't just sit like, you know, horses sit. I'm putting bets on the fact that the storyboarders wanted to keep that archetypical campsite look and feel, complete with the logs.
Can you guys confirm with me on this? I'm curious and I know some of you are reading.
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| Was this really necessary, Rarity? |
Oh, look, Rainbow Dash took someone's feelings into account. That's new.
Bonnet still looks strange, but... wait, is Rarity wearing her tail on her head? Oh my god, she totally is. Rarity has a ponytail that is an actual pony tail. I can't believe I just saw this.
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| Waited for a twang. Twang never came. |
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| I imagine that Rainbow Dash sleeps like this all the time. |
I'm gonna put this horse on my list of least-threatening villains. Right next to King Sombrero. Alternately, I could chalk it up to Rainbow Dash telling not-very-threatening stories. Actually, that sounds pretty likely.
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| Hey, when did we get to the Everfree forest? |
Hey, what the- Luna? What the heck are you doing here?
I'll talk about Luna in just a second, when she gets her real scene.
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| This is how I looked this entire semester. |
Now that I look at Rarity's dress again, it looks like one of those outfits the girls in the 40's would wear when they posed for the US propaganda posters. Look closely and you'll see it, maybe. Also, poor Sweetie Belle.
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| Obligatory spiky pit of death. |
Scootaloo is like twelve for twelve on awesome faces this episode. If I included every one, this followup would be even longer than it is now.
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| See? Have them sit like this. Rainbow Cat. |
Was I the only one expecting a real song here? DHX pulled a fast one on us, I think.
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| Rainbow Dash- queen of comically oversized props. |
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| Scootaloo is really mad at that tree. |
Now we know what Luna would look like if she was missing half of her ridiculously awesome space-mane. And her entire head. And her ornamentation. Actually, she does appear to be missing those, on second glance.
The moon in the background was a nice touch, though.
But seriously, Luna! Apparently she can guide those in dreams. Hm. Sounds familiar.
I know many were happy with her appearance, as was I. It serves as both character development for her and a nice treat for us, because now we know exactly how far her power can reach. This is assuming, of course, that Scootaloo isn't simply fever-dreaming a Luna into her own nightmare. Since Scootaloo never speaks to the real Luna, and never has as far as we know, we can't verify this either way.
Honestly, though, any Luna is good Luna.
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| Oh no oh no oh no oh no crap crap crap crap |
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| AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA |
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| AAA- oh. Phew. |
I don't mean to take away from this, but imagine how anticlimactic this scene would have been if it had been any other pegasus falling off that cliff. Oh, no, I am falling to my doom.
Evidence towards the legitimacy of the whole Luna inception thing? Sure, I'll give you that. Still, imagine how freaked out anyone else is right now if they happened to be looking up at the moon.
"Oh, honey, it's such a beautiful night out."
"It sure is. The stars are twinkling, the air is cool, the moon is fAAAAAAAAAAAA"
The relationship between these two has been explored countless times inside and outside the realm of fanfiction, so it's a real treat to get to see the show's writers handle it. Again, I am aware that Faust has said in the past that Rainbow Dash is not the kind of sister that she wanted Scootaloo to have, but the dynamic definitely is something that can work if both characters can be molded into it instead of simply smooshing them together and calling it a day.
Let's face it- Dash can be a jerk, and that's not the sort of influence anyone wants Scootaloo to have. However, we have strong evidence that Dash's character is malleable- Read it and Weep is an excellent example. She can be soothing to Scootaloo if the situation permits.
I, for one, am excited to see where this can go.
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| Plus, I'll take any excuse for a wing-hug. Aw. |
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| I can only assume this is directly beneath Cloudsdale. Don't swim in that. |
I am going to continue to believe that this episode is full of references to Sisterhooves Social and you can't stop me. I'm a pony on the edge! A loose cannon! You don't know what I'm going to do next!
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| Okay, I'm posting this. It's too adorable not to. |
Followup over! Thank you for reading along with me, guys. There's a smattering of community-submitted stuff right below if you're interested.
Cereal out.
Here's a great reference from today's episode!
Rarity's bag in her camping cart is spin-off of Chanel luxury handbags, just with horseshoes instead of C's!
