IDW Comic Issue #18 · 9:07pm Jun 6th, 2014
We get a recap that involves Spike suffering because, well, he's Spike. But it's a good dig at the stained glass window method of history recording.
Celestia is concious again as well as patched up, with Luna demanding answers. Celestia explains that she came from a universe where Sombra is a good king and that Twilight and the others need to traven to this alternate dimension and stop a great evil. Luna demands to know why they can't stop the evil themselves, and it's about frickin' time!
Celestia says they can't go because the great evil is Celestia and Luna themselves. Celestia previous visit has caused a shift that has linked them closer and another visit could ruin it, but since the Elements of Harmony don't exist in this other dimension they should be safe.
...Wow, there's a lot of exposition going on in this review, isn't there? Twilight says she doesn't think she can fight Celestia, but Celly just says she's expecting Twilight to help her. Fluttershy calls her out for being cryptic, but Celly ignores that. Oh, and writers? Lampshading something stupid doesn't make it any less stupid.
So, they get the Elements and go through an LSD inspired transition to the Mirror Universe, and we get a banged up and desolate castle, along with a statue of Discord in full superhero garb, funny. They meet some guards, who immediately arrest them, mistakeng them for their counterparts.
We get a flashback, and I say, seeing Celly sitting in that cell looking like an annoyed teenager is just too funny. They're in jail because Star Swirl insulted a guard. But Sombra shows up to let them out.
Back in the present, the heroes are locked in the same cell. Something to note: in the last issue it's mentioned that Twilight reminds Celestia of Star Swirl, and apparently Twilight insulted the guards hat as well. Huh.
They just escape, and... I'm a bit confused. I think the next two pahes were supposed to be one spread, but iBooks didn't get the memo and put them on opposite sides of the same page. If anyone has a hard copy, let me know. There's some interesting world building here with the windows: Flim and Flam are judgess representing fairness, Trixie is an alicorn representing humility, Derpy represents wisdom, and Chrysalis has no holes and represents love. I wonder if changelings in the main universe can be like that...
Back in our Canterlot, Luna is mad that Celestia didn't tell her everything sooner, but there's a nice moment where Luna tells her she has to understand she isn't perfect. Then Luna takes a huge bite out of a whole cake. I guess they really are sisters...
We get another flashback of Luna nearly getting caught, not much to say...
Back in the mirror universe, they meet King Sombra, who welcomes them, saying he's been expecting them. She notes how glowingly Celestia talks of Twilight, and that's smething I'll talk about with issue #19.
Of course, Evil Celestia and Luna show up and do the cliche villain greeting: mocking Twilight and Sombra, taunting about how the beat on Celestia. There's a brief fight scene, which is cut short by a revelation: the dimensions synching up mean that Celly and Luna feel any pain their counterparts feel.
Evil Celly and Luna fly off, saying that Sombra can't say no forever. The comic ends on the revelation that Our Celestia and Mirror!Sombra were once lovers...
Then there's another two page story about how Star Swirl got his hat. This one doesn't make any sense.
Something to note: between this and the last issue, I read the IDW-published Dexter's Laboratory comics. The plot of the first arc is Dexter wishing Dee Dee out of existance with SCIENCE and then traveling to another dimension to get her back when he realizes he misses her. Now, aside from that being the plot of at least two episodes of the actual series I can think of, that short set up happened over the course of two issues. Issue 3 (currently unrealeased) will start with Dexter in that dimension. It made me realize how great this comic is at getting a lot of story in and not feeling rushed.
Friends Forever #5 next.
I saw that revelation about Celestia and Mirror!Sombra coming back when Celestia complained to Starswirl about not letting her say goodbye.
So, hurting Mirror!Tia/Luna hurts Tia/Luna? In that case, it's time to initiate snuggle suppression system. Bury them in cute pony hugs!
The reveal at the end was pretty obvious. And apparently in the IDW Universe this takes place either before "Princess Twilight Sparkle" or the events of that two parter never happened. Either way, someone needs to give them a stronger link with Hasbro and DHX so they don't have these kind of slip ups that ruin their claim of being canon.