Blame our wonderful US tax system for this post coming an hour later than usual! Like I'd ever miss this one.
Boast Busters came out around a time when we were getting much quicker at episode viewing. A lot of people were subscribing to the extra channels for The Hub, and very basic streams were starting to appear. It also headed the movement of listening to background music in the show, which like everything else, was masterfully crafted.
But how could I talk about Boast Busters without the greatest and most powerful unicorn in all of Equestria? The unofficial mascot of EQD, and the pony that some would argue increases your chances of getting posted by at least 50% (I swear it's not true!)? I honestly don't know what my personal first reaction to Trixie was. One part of me thought she'd lose her hat, and all the ponies would find out she's an earth pony who uses special effects to pretend she's a unicorn. That was quickly thrown out the window once Rainbow Dash decided to rudely interrupt the showmare mid act. A pony of Trixie's level can't just take that without a response.After outclassing 3/6 of the mane cast, my two least favorite characters decided it would be a good idea to drag a giant star bear to town, ruining her life forever. Poor girl.
Overall, public reception to Boast Busters was mixed, with many finding the way the Ursa Minor was defeated a bit on the lame side. We did get to see Twilight Sparkle go near-Super Saiyan to do it though. I definitely wasn't alone in not being much of a fan of Snips and Snails, who took a pretty good portion of the episode.
In the end though, The Great and Powerful Trixie and her 3rd pony speech became a thing. We had a rival for Twilight Sparkle (Or an ixie to Twixie within some circles), who doubled as a unicorn in a wizard outfit to create [loads] [of] [epic] [fan] [art] [of].
Update: And get some Boast Busters below the break.
