"Discordant Harmony": Episode Followup

Chaos is weird, y'know? Sometimes it's a ladder, other times it's a friend of mine, and every once in a while it creates this crazy, confusing scenario where a couple new episodes of My Little Pony end up premiering in Australia weeks before they're supposed to come out in the United States. But we here at Equestria Daily are nothing if not something, and that something is "dedicated to what we are". Which is horse bloggers. And late-night Glim-Glam posters. And occasionally rude, crude, and devilishly average-looking episode followup-ers.

So without further ado, here's one of those things for one of those chaotic Aussie eps. Cheers, mates.

I should be bothered by how blasé I've become to tea parties. I should be, but I'm not. I bet carrot ginger sandwiches are actually pretty dope, even.

All right, there's "chaotic", and then there's "keeps skinned animals under their bed so they have someone to talk to at night". Eating just the crusts falls on a discomforting side of that spectrum.

Discord: *a pun about finger foods*
Fluttershy: *internal screaming/wondering what the frankincense was in that tea*

A picture that popped into my head just now is of all of the Mane 6 at Fluttershy's place together when she's run out of sugarcubes before, at which point everyone slowly turns towards Applejack with their lips clamped in their teeth. The accompanying picture I have of Applejack at that point is not amused.

In the words of Max the Mad: "That's (ship) bait."

Discord literally talking to himself throughout the episode is an interesting choice of running gag, especially when it expands into a full Dr. Manhattan-esque construction crew later on. It's one of those weird bits of magic that gets weirder and weirder the longer you think about it. Example A: Is the Mirror Pool a bunch of stagnant chaos magic? Example B: Does Discord ever apply his body quintuples towards the same, uh... ends as Dr. M?

Pictured above: a cartoon recreation of what Aqua just did with the filthy, filthy hands that typed that last thought.

You know, Discord, if you didn't like the food you could've just hidden it in your napkin like a normal... right. Yeah. Stupid thing to say.

>your girl's house when you tell her how hot your tea is

Discord(s): *geeking out about tea parties*
Grandma Tinyhorse: *making a note to ask her GP what the horsefeathers is in her arthritis pills*

So at this point, I could talk about the building narrative conflict or the wondrous wads of wordplay brought to literal life by our central character (all right, look, you try to come up with good alliteration through a hangover)... but none of us are here for that, are we? Course not. So let's get down to well-weathered brass tacks and spin the big Wheel o' Weekly Waifus!

... or, y'know, just Waifriends. If you're not into that, I guess.

Anyway, first up: this chick! Who... doesn't have a name yet, far as I can tell. For our purposes here, let's agree on Sweet Leaf, because ponies are innocent and I am not.

Very strong opening round here. Pleasant color palette, super-cute mane, tasteful eye for accessorizing, and a voice like an angel who 100% isn't just Rarity with a sore throat. Definitely a solid 9/10 on the Would-Snug-O-Meter.

Plus bonus points for looking fresh even as a discolored eldritch horror.

But in the opposite corner (of the Ponyville market), a strong challenger awaits in Judgy Clerk Pony/Raspberry Vinaigrette, steadfast purveyor of fine china and general woobiness.

A little weak in the vibrancy department, sure, but you can't deny she makes the pixie cut and nasally lilt work for her. 8/10 at minimum, maybe 8.25 with a bow on or something.

Tack on the fact that she'll probably pay for dinner too, and you've got yourself a 8.5 and a real strong contest.

And last but not least, the wild card, the Beast of No Burdens, the One and Only to Cuddle Your Cares Away...

10/10. Piñata Pone wins. Hers is the face that will launch a thousand shipfics.

My Tiny-As-Hell Pony: Friendship is Oh My God They're Like Toys or Something

Okay, now I want to see Pinkie's version of a tea party. Or... have we already? If you empty a six-pack of Arizona and a fifth of vodka into a punch bowl, does that count?

Good grief, Discord. Trixie's hat is right there. No wonder you're worried about Fluttershy seeing your pad.

Really, though, the more you look at Discord's house, the more there is to unpack. Why is there a Netherworld Pit in the middle of the floor? (Related: RIP, Piñata Pone. You were the best of them all.) Would a giant donut swing even be comfortable, or just sticky and disappointing? (Hopefully not related: whichever waifu you settle on as a replacement.)

Gotta feel for Discord here. The toughest part always is talking to your parents about it.

Unsubtle though its presentation is, it's worth noting that genuine self-doubt is a new trick for Discord. For the first time, he's really internalizing a perceived problem and considering that he himself may be the source of it before anyone has to explicitly tell him so. It's just another step closer to mortality, buddy. Soon you'll be locked into this existential nightmare with all of us.

"Why'd you even rope us into this, Discord?"

In honor of one of the show's better one-liners in recent memory, I award this scene a deep sigh and a begrudging slow clap.

Ugh. Unions, am I right? Uh... r-right, guys?

The timing of all this is interesting to me. I mean, a regular person/pony you'd expect to take all day and night remodeling their house and finish with just seconds to spare, but Discord handles everything with a few finger snaps and a split personality. It all visibly takes like five minutes to get done, so... maybe time just does whatever it wants in his domain? Who knows. I'll just add it to the ol' fanon Rolodex and move on.

I don't really have a comment here. I don't think this is referencing anything specific, but I'm not sure enough to risk missing it entirely.

I don't really have a comment here either. I'm not sure I'm allowed to.

Yeah, I'm not even touching this one. I do know this reference, and nothing about it is TV-Y7.

What is it with everyone in Equestria having Yellowquiet costumes? Are they made wholesale? Does Buttershush get a kickback? Will I ever run out of derogatory nicknames for Futtershutter?

No, to answer that third question. Never.

I'll say this for Discord: he cleans up pretty good. I thought for sure he'd have to deal with little bits of chaos sneaking out here and there, but he's as good at feigning "normal" as any other loony cartoon character.

"Hi, how are ya?"

Sorry, Flappershoot, but forwardness in conversation definitely docks your waifu score a tad. You're looking at a 7/10 if you're not careful. I don't make the rules, y'know.

Real talk, though, the F-Train to Shysville is actually kind of precious here. She's really genuinely excited to witness the madness in Discord's realm, which is a degree of curiosity I honestly wouldn't have expected from her. It's left unstated directly, but it really seems like being friends with Discord has done a lot to pull her further out of her shell. It's nice to see, and that's coming from somewhere who's usually not her biggest fan.

Yes, even when she makes that face. I've got a job here, woman. I have to be impartial.

And on that note, I formally present "milk toast", the show's actual greatest one-liner of all time, with an eye roll and a chuckling shake of my head.

Something something, performance issues. Something else, never happened before, he swears.

I'm a big fan of the Back to the Future philosophy towards existential paradoxes: instead of just vanishing into thin air when you contradict the natural order of things, you get a slow fade out and time to think about where, when, and how deeply you done goofed. The universe at large is nothing if not empathetic, as I'm sure we all know.

Don't even trip, Floots. Just have him rip a sweet guitar riff or two and he'll be right as chocolate rain. See, watch...

DISRESPECT YOUR SURROUNDINGS

*incredibly conservative headbanging continues at a roughly consistent level of intensity*

All right, I'll be serious for a second (and even use her regular name as a show of good faith): Fluttershy's really, really sweet here. I can imagine it hitting Discord as he's watching her zip around her house that she really, truly gets him better than anyone else ever has, and up till then never thought anyone would actually like him despite that. He probably just resigned himself to still being "different" even though he's reformed, which fed into the kind of behavior and character he's been exhibiting. Between this episode, Starlight and Maud's earlier on, and even Celestia and Luna's a couple weeks ago, I'm seeing a major theme for this season emerging: being weird doesn't prevent friendships, but rather strengthens them if you embrace those differences and care enough to cater to them. Damn good stuff.

Semi-related: somepony's been hitting the gym too. That grandfather clock's a lot heavier than the vase you couldn't knock over in Season 1, Saddle Rager.

Totally unrelated: can I have a sentient couch pet, Seth? I promise I'll take it on walks and feed it whatever falls out of my pockets between its cushions.

I know I just joked about it earlier, but seriously, this is some bait at the tail end of the episode here. Like, I get that obviously they'd never actually put a Mane 6 member into a romantic relationship in the show, and whatever, that's cool. But don't tell me this entire exchange Fluttershy has about opening her up to new possibilities and impossibilities isn't as implicit as it can possibly get. Maybe it's just me.