Woohooooooo! It's here! It's like totally here! Would have been nice to have this during the Long Ponyless Summer, but you can't have everything.

Friends Forever #16! The long awaited fabled Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon issue! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah

Okay, calm yourself, hawthornbunny. Professionalism. That's what people expect from you. That and Silvertwist shipping jokes. Deep breaths now.

So, first off, I'll just say that I'm not much of a comic reader at all. It's not that I don't like them - I think it's a really interesting mode of storytelling - but I just never got into them. In fact, the MLP comics are really the only comic series that I've made any effort to collect, and even then I haven't read most of the ones I've got yet. I read the Queen Chrysalis arc and then the Nightmarararity arc and I liked the one with Shining Armor in high school and then it started getting all weird with a frankly baffling arc about pirates that I swear doesn't make sense half the time. And then there was something about a bookworm and finally I think I dropped out halfway through the arc with the mirror to the evil universe and have yet to resume. I blame Fimfiction.

I can't remember if I read any of the Friends Foreverses yet, but I gather that all the stories in that are standalone so I guess it doesn't matter.

So let's get started on Friends Forever #16! This is a blind reaction, because I haven't gone beyond the cover yet. I've seen a few snippets and previews here and there and I know the basic premise of the story as well as the mystery guest star, but that's all. Let's go!

So the episo comic opens with an establishing shot of Ponyville and someone narrating, which turns out to be Diamond Tiara, giving a talk to the class, which ends with her and Silver Spoon doing the 'bump-bump-sugar-lump-rump' thing. Does anyone else get the shivers when they bump their elbows together? I always do. I mean, it's cute, but the thought of banging the tip of the elbow against another elbow makes me cringe and want to curl into a ball. You know, ulnar nerves and all that.

And how did they do their routine anyway? Silver Spoon is clearly sitting behind her desk, and Diamond Tiara is standing in front giving the talk, so did Silver get up, do the thing, then sit down again, while Miss Cheerilee was watching?

Also literally the very first word of dialogue of the comic is misspelled. Come on, IDW! I know this comic had an editor, it says so in the opening credits!

So anyway Miss Cheerilee quickly supplies the plot, which is that there's a scavenger hunt coming up, so they'd better all get their teams of three together. I'd say that number sounds pretty arbitrary and suspiciously convenient for the Cutie Mark Crusaders, but then it seems like this scavenger hunt thing is pretty serious business, so they probably have a strict rulebook.

I don't really know what a scavenger hunt is, so off to Wikipedia:

A scavenger hunt is a party game in which the organizers prepare a list defining specific items, which the participants – individuals or teams – seek to gather all items on the list – usually without purchasing them – or perform tasks or take photographs of the items, as specified. The goal is usually to be the first to complete the list, although in a variation on the game players can also be challenged to complete the tasks on the list in the most creative manner.

Ooooh. That sounds fun. So anyway Diamond and Silver are like "Pffffft, whatever", because they're way too cool for that kind of thing, but Scootaloo just happens to say exactly the wrong thing in Diamond's earshot:

SCOOTALOO: With the power of our friendship, we can beat anypony working together!

I do love this little conflict because Scoots isn't even trying to wind Diamond up, and doesn't even know that she's there. But Diamond's competitive streak can't take it, and so Diamond does a total 180 and decides that actually, yes, she will enter the scavenger hunt, because otherwise the rest of the comic is just her and Silver Spoon drinking milkshakes and hawthornbunny isn't that lucky.

It's at this point that I notice that Silver Spoon's glasses design is different in this comic, with a very low bridge and stylish wings that makes her look even more posh than usual, and I love it.

Spoony, being the smart one who actually pays attention, notes that they're one pony short if they want to form a scavenger team, but Diamond's already got a plan. Nopony catches Diamond Tiara off guard. Nopony!

Cut to Diamond Tiara's manor and we get the welcome return of Filthy Rich's eyebrows. Frustrated by his inability to out-slickmane Bootsy, Mr Rich instead turns his attention to his incredibly manipulative daughter, and offers to 'make some calls' on her behalf to find a third member for her team. So I guess telephones are canon, at least for the upper classes.

It seems that Diamond has also sold her dad the story that the CMC pick on her rather than the other way around, which I can totally see her doing, but I find it difficult to buy that. Filthy Rich is no idiot, and he and Applejack do business together, so I'm sure he knows Apple Bloom's no bully. Not to mention that if he's that protective, he'd already have sorted out this problem by now.

But still. That face. XD

In no time at all the day of the scavenger hunt arrives and aaaaah giant panel of OC filly jokes

Okay so I've never seen The Three Stooges or Sailor Moon but I totally get both of those. The girls in the front are Powerpuff fillies obviously. Who are the other three?

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon are there and Diamond hasn't filled Silver Spoon in on the plan at all, because Di loves her dramatics. Apparently the CMC haven't been filled in either because they have no idea why DT and SS are even there. Seriously, didn't any of the fillies get Di's memo? Probably another indication of the technology/class divide in Equestria. Both Diamond and Silver have smartphones, but they can't message anyone except each other.

Diamond and Apple Bloom go nose-to-nose without quite kissing, and then Diamond makes the reveal -

Okay that made me laugh. XD Timing issues aside, the mystery third team member makes her appearance, and as the opening credits helpfully spoiled, it's a pony with a magnifying-glass cutie mark who looks like Velma from Scooby Doo: the famous filly investigator, Prancy Drew.

...

To the Wikipedia!

Nancy Drew is a fictional character in a mystery fiction series created by publisher Edward Stratemeyer. The character first appeared in the year 1930; the books have been ghostwritten by a number of authors and are published under the collective pseudonym Carolyn Keene.

Aha! Okay, I'm British, so if Nancy Drew is an American cultural icon, the significance is probably gonna go over my head. But she sounds a little like the adventurer characters that author Enid Blyton (a British cultural icon from around the same time) used to write about, like the Famous Five or the Five Find-Outers or the Secret Seven etc. etc. I loved those books. So I think I sorta know what we're dealing with here. So in her determination to win, Diamond Tiara has brought in a ringer, and wow Silver you sure got with the plan quick didn't you?

Just a minute ago you didn't even seem to know who the third team member was! But, using her encyclopedic brain, Spoony manages to lay it down for the CMC.

Scoots accuses her of cheating, which, as Silver points out while managing to sneak a devilish jab at the CMC past the radar at the same time, isn't actually true. Mayor Cathy Weseluck tries to point out the futility of hiring outside help to win, but it doesn't matter because seconds later Princess Twilight shows up to remind the Mayor who's really in charge of Ponyville. Turns out Twilight is a Prancy Drew fan, which uuuuusually would be ringing the Mary Sue alarm bells, but... c'mon, it's Twilight and a famous literary figure. This basically had to happen.

Prancy shows off her Sherlocking skills, and it seems that she's definitely worth the money Diamond paid for her, so it's not looking good for the CMC.

(Incidentally, forgot to mention it earlier, but it's so adorable that Apple Bloom is in this just to win concert tickets for her big sis. And of course, Scoots and Sweetie Belle are in it to support Apple Bloom. Dawwwwww. Man, this is making Diamond and Spoony look bad, isn't it?)

So Mayor Weseluck lays out the rules: they've gotta find three clues and be the first to return to Town Hall. I assume the three clues aren't physical objects, then. Diamond gets in a parting shot of "Apple Dumpling" at AB, which is meant to be an insult and definitely not DT flirting or anything. And then, the hunt is on!

The Mayor's first clue is for Fluttershy's cottage, because I'm super smart and I totally figured it out, like, straight away. But! That answer requires some fairly specific knowledge about Ponyville and its residents, so what's Prancy gonna do?

Well, with a bit of linguistic analysis she manages to rule out a few possibilities, and with Silver Spoon's brains they manage to put the correct answer together.

It does seem that Prancy has done her homework, because she knows, for example, who Spike is. Possibly Prancy even knew the answer already, but was just prompting DT and Spoony to make them feel smarter. She is on Diamond's payroll, after all. Diamond naturally takes all the credit because she's a big meaniepants and I'm going to assume that Silver is just humoring her.

So they arrive at Fluttershy's cottage and get the first clue from Angel Bunny, because bunnies are basically the most important beings in Equestria, and oh my gosh how do Prancy's glasses work are they magical look the lenses all move by themselves I don't know what purpose that serves but it's so cool I want some

Then the Crusaders arrive through the power of sheer improbability and cosmic favoritism, and you know, I totally sympathize with Diamond here. The CMC didn't do squat to earn their first clue. There's an adorable shot of Apple Bloom looking what's supposed to be dazed, but looks more like she's drunk, and I'm sure that won't become a meme or anything.

Diamond decides she's going to try to beat the cruel unfairness of the universe by outrunning it, so they rush off to try to find the next clue. Now from the sound of it I'm guessing it's Sugarcube Corner, but I don't quite get the 'prize-winning' bit. Nopony won any prizes there that I remember.

But it turns out that I'm right, and... ooh. Wait a minute. Is this a reference to comic continuity? I remember there was like a Friends Forever which had a baking contest between Applejack and Pinkie Pie. Ooh, that's pretty cool. So yeah, it's Sugarcube Corner. When they get there, they have to deal with Pinkie, and not even Prancy can handle Pinkie logic, but nonetheless they get their third clue.

Silver Spoon gets an awesome moment here when she figures out the third clue instantly because, as we know, she's interested in Ponyville's early history. Continuity!

Diamond Tiara decides to pull a Dick Dastardly, because that always works, and alters the CMC's third clue to send them to the Castle of the Two Pony Sisters instead of Sweet Apple Acres, which is the real answer. Wow, that's pretty dark. Is the Everfree Forest still dangerous? I guess it isn't because they get there immediately without any trouble whatsoever. After they start to smell a rat, Sweetie Belle figures out that Diamond tricked them. Sweetie Belle is totally the Silver Spoon of the CMC.

The Avatar of Fate once again proves just how much she despises Diamond Tiara by somehow opening up a tunnel straight from the Castle of the Two Pony Sisters to Sweet Apple Acres, which is such a ridiculous plot device that I did something like that in an unpublished badfic as a joke. But it works, which is a shame, because it interrupts Silver Spoon being gloriously bitchy.

So now it's a race between Team Dazzle and Team Dumpling as the two try to get to Town Hall first, and...

Oh!

When Manaphy posted the spoiler for this, I completely misinterpreted it. I thought Silver was saying to Diamond "I'm sorry, my friend needs me" - as in, she'd formed a friendship with Prancy and wasn't going to abandon her. But now I realise she's actually saying to Prancy "I'm sorry, Diamond needs me", which makes much more sense. Damn, I guess my Cult of the Glasses Ponies isn't a thing after all then.

So DT and SS get to Town Hall and try to claim their prize, but the Mayor counter-rules-lawyers Diamond by noting that without their third team member, they can't actually win. Luckily the CMC show up, with Scoots carrying Prancy in a way that's actually quite heartwarming, and Prancy finally realises that Diamond Tiara is a freakin' awful person to work for. And god I love this last scene. XD

SWEETIE BELLE: How could you leave a friend behind like that?
DIAMOND TIARA: Who said she was my friend? She's my employee.

That's fantastic. XD

But there's more, because Diamond also gets this epic speech.

DIAMOND TIARA: You girls think friendships are all the same and have to be just like yours. Silver Spoon and I share a special bond because we get each other.

And if you wanted any evidence that the writer of this comic gets Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, there it is. That's beautiful. Kudos to you, Mr Whitley.

Silver Spoon manages to rules-lawyer a win for their team because she pays attention, and so they take first prize, but of course Fate decides to stick a few more pins in her Diamond Tiara voodoo doll, and so the Terrible Twosome still don't really get what they wanted. And finally we get Silver Spoon in a straw hat and pretending not to enjoy it and it's the end.

I enjoyed this comic a lot. Other MLP comics have felt pretty weird to me with references I don't get and bizarre dialogue that doesn't make sense, but this one was tightly focused on the story. The writer manages to give Diamond and Silver their own outing without compromising their characters one bit. Diamond Tiara is every bit as manipulative and conniving as she is on the show, and never once apologises for it.

Silver Spoon makes a respectable showing. Sadly the comic doesn't really give her too much in the way of characterisation. We don't learn anything new about her, which is a shame, as this is really the only place we ever could have. But I still do get the impression that she is the brains of the duo, whereas Diamond is the brawn, and together the two compensate for each other's weaknesses. Although it often seems like Diamond is keeping her out of the loop (she seems like she's always playing catch-up on Diamond's schemes), I think this is just how their two different personalities interact. She's the ice to Diamond's fire.

Prancy Drew was cool, and the writer did a great job of not making her dominate the comic. She's pleasant, modest, and adorable, and I want her glasses.

Not bad, IDW.

The three ponies you didn't recognize are from the comic series "Archie".

4367926 I'll say I enjoyed this issue of the comics as well. I like how it showed Diamond Tiara as the leader of the group, and her jealousy of the CMC getting all the luck does add to her character. Sadly, she still seems to be almost full of malice, but that's part of what makes Diamond so intriguing as a character.

Silver Spoon was the big star of the issue for me. She's bratty like Diamond is, but not as wicked as her and absolutely adorable. She's shown to be rather smart, given how she pieces the clues together, and her interactions with Prancy Drew were great. It was as though she was about to become friends with her, only for it to not work out in the end for obvious reasons.

As for Prancy Drew, she was an enjoyable character as well and added to the comic's story. I do hope we see some quality fics and art with her, especially since she's quite adorable, and her detective skills could make for great mystery fics in the future. Also, part of me wants to ship her with Silver Spoon, given how close they were to becoming friends before it all fell apart.

Anyway, it was quite the enjoyable issue. Not perfect, but a fun read nonetheless.

4367926 4367936
Specifically, Archie is in the middle, flanked by Betty (the blonde) and Veronica.

I liked the illustration of Diamond's competitive streak, I also enjoyed Silver's adorableness, and I eagerly await fan art of Prancy Drew. (Also, I was expecting a Velma Dinkley moment when Prancy had her stumble. "My glasses! I can't see without my glasses!")

4367959 I was totally expecting that as well. Someone needs to make a fic involving Nancy Drew and that joke. Bonus points if they actually reference this famous scene:

4367926 One day I'll see Silver Spoon get redeemed... one day...

Either that or a much more fleshed out character.

I just love these awful children so much.
Loophole finder Silver Spoon made my month. So did her little panel of her throwing shade like nobody's business. And manipulative, clever Diamond being tiny, manipulative jerkhorse! Yes!

It seems that Diamond has also sold her dad the story that the CMC pick on her rather than the other way around, which I can totally see her doing, but I find it difficult to buy that. Filthy Rich is no idiot, and he and Applejack do business together, so I'm sure he knows Apple Bloom's no bully.

Ah, but she never said it was Apple Bloom, it's "those ponies" in "that club". I expect Diamond's purposely leaving out certain details, because one visit to Sweet Apple Acres will unravel the whole thing.
I also have my suspicions about just how much of that was actually a lie. Not that Diamond actually things Bloom is a bully but in that she's the victim. The rest of the comic indicates that Diamond really does, to some extent, see herself as the underdog in this situation: the hardworking, driven filly constantly foiled by lackadaisical blank flanks who got lucky and never worked for anything. This is one of those few times her motives are clearly spelled out, and they're actually pretty legit. I mean, she's not wrong; the CMC do get ridiculously lucky in this comic.
At the same time, it's also clear that even while Diamond's "win" is still a loss, she still dug herself into that hole by not going back for Prancey Drew (whose name makes me giggle every time I see it). That's the way it goes for all of her losses: at some point, she pushes too much or too hard and then karma snapback. Her ego doesn't let her quit while she's ahead. I'm more convinced than ever that folks who claim Diamond is underdeveloped simply haven't been paying enough attention.

Also: how dare you go through that entire comic without mentioning the panel with Diamond hopping down the stairs. That was made of precious.

It really was a pretty great issue but there was one missed opportunity that we need to capitalize on.

Someone needs to write a fic where Prancy investigates the CMC's streak of ridiculous luck, because there's no way that much pure luck bs didn't catch her attention.

4367936 - thank you ^_^

4367956

Also, part of me wants to ship her with Silver Spoon, given how close they were to becoming friends before it all fell apart.

Well, if either of the twosome could make peace with Prancy it would be Spoony. And that could be an interesting story.

4367980

Who knows, maybe they got the whole idea from you in the first place...

4367959

(Also, I was expecting a Velma Dinkley moment when Prancy had her stumble. "My glasses! I can't see without my glasses!")

This was the only thing that scene was missing. XD

4368275

Also: how dare you go through that entire comic without mentioning the panel with Diamond hopping down the stairs. That was made of precious.

I apologise for this unforgiveable oversight.

Waaaaaait a minute... where have I seen this before...

*gasp* Return of the Revenge of the Glasses Ponies: Revelations

4368483

Someone needs to write a fic where Prancy investigates the CMC's streak of ridiculous luck, because there's no way that much pure luck bs didn't catch her attention.

Yes they do! That's an awesome idea. ^^

4369147

I can hop too!

--Sweetie Belle

4369147
That's my Twist screencap edit!
(Took some work to remove the credits from that shot.)

Mayor Cathy Weseluck tries to point out the futility of hiring outside help to win,

"Mayor Cathy Weseluck"? Did Mayor Mare lose her last reelection, or something?

Aha! Okay, I'm British, so if Nancy Drew is an American cultural icon, the significance is probably gonna go over my head. But she sounds a little like the adventurer characters that author Enid Blyton (a British cultural icon from around the same time) used to write about, like the Famous Five or the Five Find-Outers or the Secret Seven etc. etc.

Pretty much. Nancy Drew was created by the same person who originated the Hardy Boys series, and both of them share similar themes; the starring characters are relatively-average teenagers who, through various circumstances, end up embroiled in and having to solve mysteries. (Usually revolving around missing or stolen items, or abnormal events such lights in the windows of houses that are supposed to be empty, picking up strange and unexplained signals on a shortwave radio, etc.)

4369924

Cathy Weseluck is Mayor Mare's voice actor, and they both have gray hair, so I have fun conflating the two.

4370039

My trouble is that I also associate her with another character, totally aside from Spike and Mayor Mare...

--arcum42

4371206

Ooooh, I think this is the first situation in which I've ever needed Google's "Search by Image" function. ^^ I did know that Ma'am Weseluck played this role as she mentions it sometimes on convention panels. But I ain't never seen Ranma 1/2.

I enjoyed this comic, Diamond and Silver need an episode in the show

4372061

Back when I started watching anime, Ranma 1/2 was my introduction to it. Shampoo was a fun character. Early on, she was trying to kill Ranma when he was a girl, and marry him as a guy.. Once she figured out that they were the same person, she dropped the first part...

Of course, in this clip, her emotion for him has been reversed.
[youtube=28q3KKkPDPg]

And in Ranma 1/2, the voice actors did their own singing.
[youtube=Abb-iFuh9yQ]

But yeah, as an anime I watched a fair amount of a long time ago, that role tends to stick in my head. Of course, Cathy Weseluck also is the voice of Coco Pommel...

--arcum42

4372061

And, dang it, now I have this stuck in my head. Shampoo, but her Japanese voice actor, not Cathy Weseluck.

[youtube=YdXRFkNlypo]

--arcum42

4372526
Ranma 1/2 and Tenchi Muyo were early in my introduction to anime, but Sailor Moon was my personal gateway.

As for Ranma 1/2, I never really liked it when his male voice actor changed midway through, and once Happosai entered the picture, the stories became irritating and no longer something I wanted to watch. I already hated Akane, but when Happosai became the plot device, her bitchiness became unreasonable and unbearable on top of what Happosai brought to the series himself.

This is starting to sound lie it's own thread worth of topic though.

I've noticed that a lot of the reaction to this comic has been, "I liked it, but it wasn't perfect." Once, I'd chalk it up to just one random person misunderstanding what words mean. But it has been more than one person, and in this case a blind reaction. Just what would be a perfect comic or episode? Is such a thing even possible? I don't think so, and it seems pointless to even bring it up when anything isn't. It's like reminding people that gravity makes things fall down when you're discussing dinner plans.

Maybe that would be relevant in the Doo household. Nevermind.

For me, there is a distinct lack of DT&SS presence in the show. I'm pretty happy when we get anything, even little tidbits like in Pinkie Pride. When we get more complete episodes like Ponyville Express, Twilight Time, and now this comic, I'm simply happy we have substance. Little errors like mispelled words, or missed joke opportunities, and so on are pretty meh things to bring up in my little worldview. I get that they're relevant to a review of the comic as a comic, but that's not really where I'm coming from. Anything greater than 0 is more than we had before, and therefore great. Not reaching some theoretical ideal of perfection seems petty to bring up.

I definitely enjoyed the kind of dynamic seen from DT&SS's POV. It may have been intended as a "CMC" episode, and it may have come across that way to others, but it felt plenty like a legitimate "Sugarlumps" episode to me. The CMC were antagonists. DT made use of her resources to fill their team. Prancy Prew was delightful, and Silver Spoon's attention to detail was great. Overall, it felt like they really did deserve the win. The CMC, through over the top ridiculous luck, kept pace and remained a threat. Because plot-armor is on their side. In this case, we got to see it for what it was, instead of the world bending to depict it as their being in the right. And when they do finally win, the mayor tries to "rules lawyer" it away from them. When that doesn't work, the reward is turned into a participation award.

What makes DT&SS so fascinating is that the world of Equestria is generally a pretty nice place. When bad stuff happens, it's because of fantastic magic monsters, insane alicorns, demons from tartarus, and spirits of chaos, vampire bugs, and so on . But the world still has it's grumpy, irritated, and unkind ponies. You have Trixie and Gilda, you have Lightning Dust, Flim and Flam, Starlight Glimmer, and so on. You have the residents of Ponyville and how they treat Zecora just because she's an unknown. We even sometimes see the veil lifted for the M6, and how they treat Rainbow Dash in Mysterious Mare Do Well. We get to see little hints of how the world is behind the sugary veil. DT&SS live in this world, and behave they way they do for a reason. When we get to see how unfair the world treats them, it can explain why they're not nice.

Diamond Tiara clearly has a certain skillset. In Twilight Time, the CMC dismiss her and her abilities. Sure, the episode also depicts a somewhat silly and ridiculous example of her commanding her butler to do things in her place, in order to serve the plot. But we also see the CMC committing actual crimes and getting away with it, being destructive around town, and they still get handed everything. Occasionally they earn it. But as we see in this comic, even when you play smart, work hard, and legitimately earn your victory, it's taken away.

It wasn't a happy ending, for sure. But it is the sort of story that really tells just why Diamond and Silver are how they are. It would make sense to be bitter towards Apple Bloom. Even when she earns her cutie mark, Apple Bloom still gets all the attention and sympathy. Even at her own cute ceanara, a party to celebrate her.

It certainly outlines how the two are friends, even when the world and fates conspire against them. They've earned their destinies, and they are good at what they do, but that isn't enough. Maybe some faceless force of Friendship and Harmony would want them to be nicer and more ethical, but it clearly hasn't done a good job of it, and instead it has taught the two to be ruthless.

So, I'd say this was an excellent story. This was far better than just some random "sponsered fanfic."

4374333

For me, pretty much Ranma 1/2, Tenchi Muyo, and Robotech were my gateways. Then I joined an anime club that showed things like Nadia: Secret of Blue Waters and the movie "Whispers of the Heart". The cover of Country Roads in it in Japanese is amazing.

I can understand what you mean about Ranma 1/2. For what it's worth, if you ever go back to Ranma 1/2, try reading the manga rather than watching the anime. The characters seem less flanderized. An interesting difference to watch for is Akane hitting Ranma with a mallet. By the time it happens in the manga, it's late enough to probably be drifting back from the anime. She's violent, but not as violent, IIRC.

But yes, that probably is worthy of a separate topic.

I suspect part of the issue people have with the comic is expectations going into it. For everything I'd like to see covering Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara, it'd take them having their own series.

Another part of it was simply that it is a bit uncomfortable to see the flipside of a cmc episode. It's one reason I'd much rather the cmc triumph using their wits rather than dumb luck. At that, the cmc were rather stereotyped here, which is something I've noticed before in the comics (and the show at times, of course). It is uncomfortable watching when the other side has plot armor. But it does make you think a bit.

The one part that really did bother me was them leaving Prancy Drew behind the way they did. It was in character, but I actually did really like her, and didn't like seeing her treated that way. I'd personally welcome a spinoff filly detective series of comics featuring her, or more realistically, detective fanfics featuring her...

--arcum42