It's time to wrap up the search for a legend! The ponies have found Bighoof, but what are they supposed to do with it now?
The answer–which is a spoiler–can be found with the rest of the review after the break!
There's not much more I can say about the art that hasn't been said already. The color choices by Reggie Graham and Jonathon Dobbs really add vibrancy to Kate Sherron's style. The ponies themselves are usually very simplified shapes, much like the backgrounds. One thing I haven't commented on is that their expressions freaquently feature contracted puplis with a curious line underneath. It's often used to convey both surprise and fear, but I can't help finding it comical.
"Oh my Twilight! I am tripping so many balls!"
There's plenty of opportunity for both emotions as Sunny and Zipp have finally found Bighoof and it turn's out she's a hugger. She's also a mother as they quickly discover an offspring. I'll grant that it's a fair assumption that this Bighoof is female because of the presence of an offspring as I think many animals in the wild stay close to their mother while the father (if at all involved) goes hunting. Yet the question follows why the father Bighoof–who was barred entrance when the canyon collapsed in issue #1–isn't trying to force his way into the valley and reunite with his family.
So... is it okay to reveal their existence after the kid is all grown up?
What I'm really getting at, however, is a desire to see the A and B plots of this story come together. We've had a focus on teaching foals to use their new magic while Sunny and Zipp have sought out proof of Bighoof's existence. Now we are presented with the knowledge that a belligerent Bighoof might be just on the other side of the rocks those same foals and camp counselors are trying to clear. This should create a ticking clock feeling, but it seems the responses from mother and child are enought to pacify things.
Careful! It'll go straight to your hips.
There's also what I consider to be dubious morality from Sunny and Zipp. They were all see to prove the existence of a new creature in Equestria, but now that it's apparently a parent, they're having second thoughts. I don't think they're wrong to reconsider but I'm frustrated that they're only conducting this introspection now. Is there no concern for the individual's life on the same level as the safety of a family?
Product placement!
With the power of cheese puffs, the ponies begin guiding mother and child back to the entrance, where they must circumvent the campers. Zipp shows a surprising amount of aggression with her distraction. One could suppose that, as a counselor herself, she could lead the group away and allow Sunny to shepard the mythical pair to safety. Instead, they stage an assault on the campers and send the whole group retreating. In any other circumstance, this would mean the end of the camp as they're clearly in the area of an aggressive being. But if a landslide that trapped them in the valley didn't already accomplish that, I don't see why this would either.
Sunny is venting so many emotions right now.
Sunny and Zipp attest to the non-existence of Bighoof, which is a pretty hard thing to do. Confirming something's non-existence is pretty hard to do without evidence to the contrary. Plus, Hitch himself saw Bighoof, so this assertion is pretty weak. My hope is that they would pull Hitch aside later and explain their full discovery and reasoning. A secret between three ponies should be easy enough to keep.
Let's forget that we were definitely attacked by a hostile life form earlier!
Of the campers, we only see the end results of their practice as they use their magic to clear baracades. No Earthy Pony vines in the process, just flight and levitation. Whatever the case, it seems that the camp is a success as a training ground. Yet the roar heard throughout the camp still raises the issue if they should stay in this valley or at least move somewhere with less agressive wildlife. I doubt we'll ever know.
And as the sun sets, the lawsuits begin.
As a climax goes, this did not come together into anything spectacular. It seems the goal is to keep the A and B plots as far removed as possible, which prevents rising tension. That's my greatest criticism of this entire mini-series. Every opportunity to escalate the situation or at least cause some conflict goes unfulfilled so that we never really get the sense things are building. There is the argument that this doesn't need to be a building conflict and that it serves as a light piece of storytelling, but I would counter-argue that G5 needs some more driving stories. It's difficult to keep the energy up between chapter releases and the comedy of Tell Your Tale isn't big on overarching conflict. A monthly comic series can help keep that energy going but only if the audience feels an investment. I haven't felt that with this series.
Dang! Evil Pipp!
Let's explore that down the way with a retrospective. In the meantime, this final issue means that those who held off can now read the whole series in one go, wait a bit longer for the trade paperback, or skip it all together. I can't say one option is better than the others.
And slightly sassy Sunny!
I'm Silver Quill. Thanks for reading!
