Aug
19th
2017
Points of Canon: S7x15 - Triple Threat · 5:22pm Aug 19th, 2017
Exactly the kind of comedy I don’t like. Really don’t like. This is going to be difficult.
Oh well.
- But of course the entire crowd of fans from Fame and Misfortune is gone and we’ll never hear of them or the Friendship Journal again.
- Notice that the town hall is used for the official part of this event, rather than the Friendship Castle.
- Canterlot Friends are helping. They’re still waiting to get lines again. Hang in there, girls, you might get some in three more seasons later.
- Spike says, “I’m pretty sure dragons don’t like flowers.” A sensible assumption.
- Ceremonial Dragonfire Flame of Friendship burns with a bright white flame for some reason. I’m way behind on my chemistry to tell you how this could possibly happen.
- “According to Ember’s letters,” Ember has been sending letters. The manner of doing so is never elaborated.
- “but competing is in their nature.” Dragons think that it’s natural for them to be competitive, which is good to know.
- Spike is the “new Official Friendship Ambassador to the Dragons.” It almost looks like Twilight is building a separate, non-diplomatic track of cultural exchange – see the whole mess that made Pinkie the honorary yak in Not Asking For Trouble.
- Thorax arrived with no fanfare whatsoever, alone, and apparently, nobody paid much of any attention to him until he tapped Spike.
- Thorax warms his hooves at the fire of friendship. While a funny gesture, I can’t help but wonder why would he find this pleasant on a warm day like that.
- As a side note, I’m pretty sure that a war between changelings and dragons probably would not “ruin Equestria as we know it,” due to the numbers involved and the fact that they probably would not fight it on Equestrian soil. Though it certainly is something to be avoided.
- “I have indigestion. I’m not sure it’s the new diet, or stress…” Wait, so what do the newtype changelings eat? Thorax also mentions sleeping, which is very much not a given with this bizarre physiology.
- Ember also arrives alone, and is surprised by the fanfare. This is actually a strange contrast to all the preparations.
- “Yes, the castle! I’ll give you a personal tour!” So the last time Thorax visited the castle, in A Celestial Advice, he did not get a tour. Why?
- “…as the official Equestrian Friendship Ambassador for the Dragonlands and for Ponyville…” …wait, what does a “friendship ambassador for Ponyville” do?
- “I, Spike of Ponyville” So not “the dragon” anymore, huh?
- Lemon Hearts should be working, it’s an official occasion, she’s a photographer. But instead, she’s chatting up a stallion. It’s a new one. Again.
- Ember is genuinely unable to tell the difference between Starlight and Twilight. While the more subtle differences in shape might get ignored simply because the brain is not trained to differentiate them yet, the difference in colors is rather significant – she says that both Twilight and Starlight have “purple hair” – and implies dragons have worse color visions than ponies. (Or us.)
- “You know what us dragons say, ‘Push past the pain!’” Spike wouldn’t, of course. And dragons seem to be more stoic than their previous appearances would imply.
- Ember ignores pony-style food entirely in favor of crystal dishes and crystal walls. If anything, this would suggest that dragons in the wild are preferentially lithovorous. See Dragon Quest – so why did they want the phoenix eggs?…
- Notice that there is no sign of forks or spoons on the table. Did Ember eat those first?…
- Ember implies this particular kind of crystal is her favorite food. Where did she come by any? Or did she just mean that gems are her favorite food? But what else would be food to her at all?…
- As a side note, how exactly are they going to restore the castle? The yaks wrecked it in Party Pooped, and they did fix it, so it’s obviously possible, but I’d love to see the details.
- “Just gotta use the little dragons room.” Dragons poop. Not a given. :)
- Twilight keeps separate chairs for reading different literature – comfy chair for fiction, hard back for studying.
- The map has officially adopted Spike as an agent. Looks like a cutie mark is not a requirement for this at all! Why exactly is it blinking his spines is a question, though. I wonder, if, say, a human-in-Equestria got called by the map, what would be flashing?…
- One of the construction ponies jumps into a ditch as Spike startles him. So, they don’t mark construction areas in Ponyville at all, huh? What if somepony breaks a leg?…
- Lyra and Bon-Bon are having an argument over cupcake frosting, which Spike solves – but the way they look at him when he interrupts them makes me think they were having fun.
- The whole dialogue between Starlight and Thorax regarding food implies that newtype changelings are pony food compatible if not outright dependent – and since Thorax referred to “new diet” earlier in the episode, this has to be it.
- “There’s this renegade group of changelings who still feed off of love.” Which is a forward reference to the upcoming To Change a Changeling. Someone tried to do continuity.
- Renegade changelings exist, not that this is all that much of a surprise.
- “This is how we’ve been doing things for hundreds of years.” This is a second hand statement, but it implies that changelings were active for hundreds of years. Which is, to be honest, quite dubious, for reasons too long to detail right now.
- “I am Ember, daughter of Torch, winner of the Gauntlet of Fire and Lord of all dragons.” Lord, not lady nor princess, nor any other title.
- Ember’s flame is uniformly pink throughout the episode. Looks like a dragon’s flame color is as much an individual trait as a unicorn’s aura color.
- I honestly don’t understand what the point of the scene with the muffin was or what kind of social action did Ember think she was performing. Other than offending all the Derpy fans.
- Thorax has memories from when he was 1-3 years old. Which is in itself surprising.
- This café has interesting low three-legged chairs, much more suitable for ponies than the furniture they typically use.
- Newtype changelings retain the ability to transform. Which was actually demonstrated in Twilight’s vision in A Celestial Advice and should have been mentioned there, but here, Thorax demonstrates it outright.
- Even in transformed state, as a bear, Thorax retains the ability to speak.
- “Did you say you’re not gonna let me harm Spike?” “Yeah!” “But that’s what I’m doing!” Grammar, dammit!
- “I’m having trouble leading my pack.” You’d think bright colorful things like that would rate at least a pride. He’s “leader of the changelings,” but not even a king.
- Dragons solve problems by “feats of strength and fire duels.”
- So they redid the entire reception from scratch. Again. Was it the same day or later?…
Well, it was less painful than it could have been, so thanks for that.
I think Twilight's castle self-repairs. It's not like there's another ready source of that crystal in the area.
Based on the walls of the Palace-Tree, she thought it was pony-customary to coat the walls of buildings with a friend's favorite food.
To be fair, it's true that she isn't letting herself harm Spike.
4640584
…and the easiest way to acquire the potential friend’s favorite food is to take it away from them? I suppose it works…
I independently posted my notes.
Dragonfire mail, I'd expect: as you just posted in Dragon Quest, dragons weren't surprised by his burping up mail.
Contra what you posted there, Ember sneezes fireballs, rather than belching.
Friendship counts as a part of love; thus it is mystically-pleasant.
Or simply no cultural need to recognize fine differences of color, particularly for identifying each other.
I'm told that, as Japanese has one word counting blue and green, being asked whether a blue and green thing were the same color would yield a "yes"…
She doesn't mention the hairstreak…but she does mention behavior. To which they both indignantly respond, natch.
Or pee. There are various options for waste-product elimination.
Also interesting is that it blinks his "spikes" as he calls them in sequence…unlike the Scepter, and unlike marks radiating symbols. I hypothesize magic traveling along meridians from its intake/source as the reason for this sequence rather than a radial effect. (This also posits that the Mark is the source of a pony's magic.)
She was performing the "covering the walls in your favorite foods" thing she thought out loud Twilight did by having the castle made of crystal.Newtype changelings retain the ability to transform. Which was actually demonstrated in
Her vision was not necessarily based in reality; she was exaggerating everything.
Also of note is that turning into bigger things for combat purposes is a thing…maybe. As no collisions with other (than ground) are occurring, we cannot tell if it's illusory or not.
The note about renegade changelings is also interesting because it is explicitly justified in traditionalist terms.
4640597
We really, really need more data on dragonfire mail…
Same base color, yes, and the same word used to describe them, however, they wouldn’t be perceived as the same color. There are shades of ao.
As a side note, ponies don’t subscribe to Newton’s rainbow the way most of the Western human cultures do – they have six colors in a rainbow rather than seven… But they merge together the shades of blue to get six, not purple.
Let’s just say “excrete” and leave it at that for now.
Which is going to create far, far more problems in changeling-related canon than just about anything else, I’m sure.
Do you think they do a lot of euthenizing at Ponyville General?
And am I mistaken, or did the castle recruit Spike via the map table only after getting chewed on by Ember? "Your assignment is to do whatever it takes to keep any more of me from being eaten."
"Friendship mission?!"
"Sure, let's go with that."
4640643
Looking at Read it and Weep, probably not, but well…
No, you’re not mistaken, and this is a very sensible interpretation. :)
Let us say, it was a fad that passed quickly, and while the book still has plenty of sane fans, the toxic personalities washed out pretty quickly.
I've heard that a species evolves good color vision if it needs clean water to live. Presumably, dragons can survive drinking dirtier water than ponies.
As a condiment.
Humans aren't magical, so I submit it wouldn't happen at all. But if it did, I'm sure the eyes would glow, for the simple reason that I watch too many horror films.
I was surprised at the word choice too, since you'd think changelings would form "swarms." Hypothesis: Thorax is introducing new terminology, as a way to show that the new boss isn't the same as the old boss. Thus, they are now a Pack instead of a Swarm, and Thorax is Leader instead of King. Let us suppose, then, that the Changeling Leader is sort of like a President, Prime Minister, Federal Chancellor, or somesuch.
4640677
Thorax reads the Instapundit. Someone on one of the discord spoiler channels opined that 'swarm' sounds too villainous for 'good' changelings. But packs aren't much better, although I doubt the Y7 crowd reads the sort of sketchy urban fantasy where werewolf packs roam around like furry biker gangs.
4640643
I like this idea, because it suggests the Castle is a living being of sorts, which forms symbiotic relationships with its residents. "It's life, Captain, but not as we know it."
This is a rather flimsy link, but it ties into a small idea I once had in regards to what ponies actually look like versus the animation.
Notice how when ponies are really ill, or have lost their magic, they go much paler? Well, my idea was that their vibrant colours are the show's attempts at displaying a pony quality that doesn't translate well int the visual medium: scent. The colours are a visual representation of their unique scents, something that cannot possibly translate well at all into any human entertainment medium.
To quote Edith's mother from 'Allo 'Allo!
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Sharp Teeth is not rated for them, no.
4640725
This is clever, but then you get a question:
When Spike is blushing, and Rarity says that he is blushing, and we know reptiles don’t blush… what did she actually say he smells of?
4640751
I don't remember any episode with that statement. Which one would that be?
4640767
Dragon Quest.
My policy is generally that if you find yourself in need of such a thick translation lens, you’re better off graduating from handwaving and upgrading straight to wings.
I have never seen more evidence of the fact that pony culture assumes every other culture is anti-friendship than Spike assuming changelings and dragons would automatically go to war. Very interesting for any political stories to follow.
img11.deviantart.net/641b/i/2017/231/8/c/vlcsnap_2017_08_19_17h22m04s190_by_snapcentino-dbkmiub.png
Now, I may just be reading too much into the central bouquet, the hearts on the chairs, and the fact that both of these ponies have the male body type, but I think something's just been confirmed about Equestria.
The Journal ep never happened. Either a bad fever dream on Twilights part. Or time travel shenanigans so it never happened.
I have yet to see this ep.
Considering how many times this and similar observations keep popping up (and how about all those dangerous activities the CMC keep getting into?), I think ponies in general aren’t very good at proactive safeguarding and/or preventative maintenance. It just never occurs to them that somepony could accidentally fall into an open pit until it actually happens.
4640773
Presumably, then, Spike actually did blush. After giving it some thought, I realise that, as a dragon, his unique scent would be foreign to Rarity, much as a pony's scent would be foreign to Ember. They would not know what they're smelling. Any blush from Spike must have been a visual blush, then.
The biggest problem with my scent idea, is that it would wreak havoc on any scene in which a pony manages to sneak up on another unawares, or when a familiar pony was in disguise. Though in the latter case, I do believe a pony could disguise her scent with a perfume, I believ there might have been cases of the former? I'm unsure; I'm unfamiliar with most of the episodes from the first four seasons, and what I have seen is a mental blur.
They followed through on their threats to leave the fandom?
Spike knows how tempting the walls of Friendship Castle are...
Seriously! I love Ember, but I would have enjoyed more lines from Moondancer and her buddies even more!
Do we think this means Spike doesn't like flowers himself?
That one is an easy one, based on the episode you just did.
Based on Ember's actions and the fact that she was sending letters, the S7 Opener from Twilight about what Starlight's time with the dragons is looking a lot less racist and more prescient.
Since Pinkie invented the title, I think this is a hard lock after that episode.
Thorax didn't tell anybody, it sounds like he wanted a private chat with Spike. Notably, he doesn't seem interested in all in talking with Starlight, despite them going on a world-saving mission together, which as I understand it is the best way of all to make friends.
This is true, based on the new, new map released in advance of the movie! Well, there is one southwestern unnamed pony city that might be their path.
1.bp.blogspot.com/-KrZBx1vfrSU/WYPnB6IcmQI/AAAAAAAB5o8/kxDo8P0TnFYRhna2INHBa4dZ_vPow3vsgCLcBGAs/s1600/20170804_105525.jpg
The fact that he seems hungry for solid food suggests changling now eat regular food, perhaps their self love (
) plus regular food replaces forcible love absorption?
Probably thought she'd have to beat up some ponies to show she was worth a fanfare.
It was a brief ceremony where the new ruler showed up and left, I'm guessing. He's pretty busy.
First thing he did as dragon ambassador was probably drop "the dragon." I doubt other dragons would approve of it.
She's the worst. She's the Britta of the Canterlot Friends.
This was by a huge margin, the best part of the episode. How I wish that Trixie and Moondancer (and Sunset) were there.
I wonder if they were going to eat them, if magic flames from a baby phoenix are somehow delicious.
I want to know as well, because if it's easy to do, that suggests Spike has done it, which I love the idea of.
Yeah, if they eat pure gems... I mean only rocks would come out, drained of magic, right? HAHAHA, I want to see dragons pointing and laughing at ponies walking on some gravel, and the ponies can't figure out what is so funny.
That's where the pony doctor with a shotgun for a cutie mark comes in...
Ugh, hipster couples doing cupcakes for their wedding cake are the worst.
Better really, really late than never!
Will say now this rather supports the comic origin of changlings, and that they are a relatively new species.
And self-proclaimed ruler of all dragons in the world. Does this include Spike? I was sure when his head started glowing it was Ember summoning him.
It was a callback to Ember thinking putting your friend's favorite food on the wall is a gesture of friendship.
Noticed that too. Sounds more like solve arguments than problems. But honestly, is Ember really that much stronger than the other larger dragons we've seen?
Overall meh, Ember was actually lots of fun, and Spike was ok for a Spike episode, but in the holy name of Gosh was Thorax annoying! He was like Toby from the Office!
4640643
That makes so much sense!
4640677
Oh right, this is a fantasy story!
4640681
In Star Trek, aren't sapient crystal always evil?
4640831
I noticed that too. Though unless you mean stallionXstallion specifically, it feels a less strong confirmation than Lyra and Bon Bon having their little banter about mutual cupcake toppings.
4640993
So, wait, arguing over cupcake toppings is evidence of a relationship?
4641000 100% of all conversations I've seen about cake-related toppings in my life were from couples trying to pick a wedding cake, or sometimes a pile of wedding cupcakes if they wanted that instead.
4641028
...Fair enough.
4641028
Aren't cake samples basically elevated cupcakes?
4641050 If only this were Points of Canon: Cake Boss 3x07, we could probably have a really detailed discussion of this.
But seriously, there was this really nice bakery I would go to back in the day, they made their money on wedding cakes, and their cake samples were so delicious.
4640978
Not necessarily. But he surely thinks he shouldn’t like flowers.
Good point.
Any thoughts on those trumpet pony uniforms? Oh, look, they have saddles! And the saddles have a unique emblem of a white crescent moon, inside a purple circle, inside stylized yellow sun rays. Their hats have a similar emblem, but replacing the sun rays with yellow flower petals.
The purple accents on the uniform remind of Ponyville’s buckball team uniforms, which were purple with teal accents. (Though, looking at screenshots side-by-side, they’re not the same shade. The musicians’ purple is darker.) Makes me wonder if purple is Ponyville’s official color.
4641350
They’re pretty much completely unique, but I guess that’s what a marching band would look like in Ponyville. Saddles popping up again is also unusual.
Mmm… Inconclusive.
I’d suspect this is meant to be Twilight’s Own Marching Band rather than a Ponyville equivalent, though the difference would of course blur.
Seems to be evidence that changelings (or old changelings at least) mature quickly. Very interested to learn more about this. We know from this episode that Thorax has a brother, who will be in To Change a Changeling, so I really hope they'll delve more into this there. I'm particularly curious about changeling family dynamics, because "brother" implies that changelings have nuclear families, rather than Chrysalis mothering all of them.
4641643
Unless they have a superheavy nucleus, which is what I’ve been assuming.
4640978
New map? This is exciting to me.
...Huh. I was expecting the movie's events to take the ponies east, beyond Griffonstone... This way actually works out a lot better for me, headcanon-wise.
4640993
Beats me; only the original series ever grabbed me. But if so, it's refreshing to see one that's benevolent, or that acts out of enlightened self-interest. Let's say it only wants to keep itself from being demolished. So, it finds a way to make itself essential, not only to the lives of nearby flesh-brings, but to those of the world at large. Before long, they wonder how they ever got by without it, and will defend it from anything that tries to destroy it.
I'm starting to like this idea.
4641686 Interesting idea. Makes me wonder how long before Spike starts getting "friendship missions" to clean the floors and shore up a buttress or two.
Does the entity fear becoming hollowed out and dumb, like its northern cousin?
4641731
Think the Crystal Heart is a similar entity? Or am I completely blanking on your meaning? In any case, the Heart's symbiosis seems to be working, since the ponies put it back together after it was reduced to splinters.
It may be significant that she considers herself lord of all dragons, not just one tribe or section as has been suggested.
4640978
Likewise.
4641350
A sun covered up by a moon. A carefully timed eclipse reference?
4641756 I think "not eating me" should go a long way towards rent, if I was a crystalline entity with a dragon tenant.
I was actually thinking an equivalent might be the castle of the Crystal Empire, though it doesn't seem like it's alive. But then maybe it was and Sombra killed it.
4643909
As Oliver pointed out in his other blog post, those same trumpet players, in exactly the same uniforms, also played in “A Canterlot Wedding”—during the first wedding, with Chrysalis still impersonating Cadance.
Given the lead time required for animation and the mid-season hiatus, I really doubt the animators could have predicted what date this episode would have aired on.
4640725
Would that mean that the original changelings were black because their insect scent was too alien for ponies, while the new colourful forms are closer to pony scents?
4644006
To be honest, I only focused on ponies when I came up with that idea. I imagine the changelings would smell uniformly the same to a pony, so it's not so much their blackness, as their uniformity.