That's certainly an interesting name, isn't it? This'll be the official thread for anything on this episode for a bit, so that all the spoilers are in one place, as usual.

The title gives me ideas about what this episode will be about. It's about time for another cutie mark episode, isn't it?

Or maybe Starlight Glimmer shows back up and stole someponies cutie mark, and we have to find it?

--Sweetie Belle

4768744

First for this episode will have dank memes.

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The episode synopsis is below. Spoiled if you don't want to know yet.
Pipsqueak runs againt Diamond Tiara for class president, and the CMC attempt to help him.

I'm now imagining Ocarina of Time, except starring Scootaloo. Raised in the Everfree by a colony of chickens when she was a filly, she set's out on a noble quest to save Equestria from the dreaded Grogar. Unfortunately, Grogar has a few tricks up his sleeves...

Guest starring:
-Applebloom as Saria.
-Sweetie Belle as Zelda.
-Pipsqueak as Malon.
-Grogar as Ganodorf.
-A older Gilda as Rauru.

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Crusaders of the lost mark.

Man the puns are strong aren't they.

Though, it's an Indiana Jones pun, so it's all right.

Unless somepony gets her cutie mark, I have a feeling this episode won't do much for me.

4768744 I'm surprised that, from the leaked synposis, it seems they're not going anywhere with that Indiana Jones reference. Especially seeing as we have an Indiana Jones expy already established. It could be another "Castle Mane-ia" where they go nowhere with a harmless pop culture reference. Sometimes, you have to wonder what goes on inside the writers heads.

Wow. I've always assumed slice of life anyway. So far this is pretty interesting.

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Cutie Marks achieved.

Holy shit, did not expect that ending.

Welp.

Also AJ parents dead confirmed.

Anyone else notice that big life-changing events are always done via musicals?

4768744
Congrats on your butt upgrade.

When swirly lights happened, a-la MMC, I thought you guys were going to turn into alicorns for a second.

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Unless somepony gets her cutie mark, I have a feeling this episode won't do much for me.

Muaha.
Mwahaha.
MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

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Also AJ parents dead confirmed.

They're just not there to see it!

They're off doing missionary work, bringing the light of Celestia to the heathen Zebra.

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And those ungrateful Zebras killed them instead of being converted!

Very good episode. Nice to see the Crusaders finally get their due. Also, great character development for DT and kinda nice to finally see her mom(even though I'd like to punt that mare straight into Tartarus).

Wow.
1. Diamond Tiara turning over a new leaf.
2. Apple family parents mentioned directly for the first time, dead.
3. CMC get their cutie marks.
This is the most canon-significant episode this season. I doubt whatever they do in the finale could change that.

They really kept us guessing with their marks, didn't they? Scoots has a lighting bolt for speed, and Sweetie has a musical note for singing, but their talents definitely aren't what most of us thought.

For anyone reading this comment I want you say 1 WORD describing this episode.

INSPIRATIONAL. Now if you'll excuse me I'm gonna go hide in a bunker away from the tidal wave of fanfics that are about to be written.

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Delicious.
Wait, should the description be accurate?

4769099 No just one word.

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but they're talents definitely aren't what most of us thought.

Kinda glad about that, for various reasons.

This way has much more interesting implications for character development and growth and interesting happenings. There's only so much you can do with a carpentry or tinkering cutie mark, for example. But having marks for bringing out the talents in other ponies is something a bit more... philosophical. More magic-of-friendshippy. S'kind of easy to think of them as the next generation of heroes with marks like that.

Also, they're all linked. Makes CMC-splitting as life goes on unlikely, which is the best. They are the best group.
Alsoalso, more chance of polyamorous CMC-shipping in years-in-the-future fics. Bonus!

Er. Mah. Gerd.

That is all.

I don't know about you guys, but I LOVED this episode! Diamond Tiara's behavior makes total sense to me now. Her dad's a workaholic and her mom's a stuck-up, prissy bitch who looks down on others who aren't in the same social class as her. If you were raised like that, it's no wonder you'd turn into a bully. However, I will say that Diamond Tiara's change and the CMC getting their marks was rushed, that didn't sour my liking for this eoisode at all. All of the songs were great and I liked that more focus was put on the schoolfillies. I also loved seeing Sweetie Belle using her magic. That always makes me smile. I swear, this is probably one of the best episodes Rigers has written, and it's undoubtedly one of the best episodes of this season. I can't wait to see what kind of stories will crop up with these five in season six. I am so proud of these three. Turns out their special talent is helping others figure out what their cutie marks are, though this seems to contradict what "The Show Stoppers" implied what their special talents were. Okay, that's enough gushing for one day.

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My only complaint is shared with MMC. Something this big could have used a two-parter. I get that they use musical numbers to compress progress and emotion. And cool, fine, totes works! But stiiiiiiill. Both DT redemption and CMC flanks leveling up deserved a bit more time to brew.

4769133 Especially considering the fact that the latter just comes clean out of nowhere. We spent the whole epiode focusing on DT and suddenly we're focusing on the CMC getting their marks. This was never implied to happen anywhere in the episode, and the Pip for class president plot is dropped by the second act and only referenced once.

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this seems to contradict what "The Show Stoppers" implied what their special talents were.

Not at all; those just happen to be other talents that they have. Twilight Sparkle didn't get her cutie mark in organizing things, but she's very good at it. Similarly, Apple Bloom can have a talent for carpentry even if it doesn't happen to be her special talent.

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It's fantastic! They can now lead the Cutie Mark Crusaders as a national youth organization!

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Also note that they each have something special in their marks; Apple Bloom's is sort of generic, as an apple, but the other two have symbols denoting their ‘secondary’ talents. It makes sense, too: If they're going to help others discover their talents, having a wide range of talents themselves is helpful. Sweetie Belle covers the arts, Scootaloo the sports, Apple Bloom the sciences and engineering.

4769159 Fair point, but "The Show Stoppers" and "Bloom & Gloom" implied that Apple Bloom's special talent was carpentry, Sweetie's was singing, and Scootaloo's was pulling stunts on her scooter. I guess that aside from helping others get their narks, Apple Bloom will work as a carenter, Sweetie will work as a singer/songwriter, and Scootaloo will work as a Tony Hawk-esque athlete.

4769075 that's racist! you ponies are all the same, thinking other beings as less than you!

...but seriously, that's a funny thought

4769159 was a bit of a swerve, wasn't it? At least in regards to what was thought up until this point.

I'm still trying to process it. I think the thing I liked most about this is what it says for the production team and the writing. They actually ARE willing - and FAR more importantly - able, to break the status quo.

This is a good thing. It is such a good thing, and... it gives me an idea of what they might do for the finale.

This episode brings a lot of what I've wanted to see--Diamond Tiara showing something other than total brattiness, Silver Spoon standing up to Diamond, Silver Spoon seeming half-decent, the CMC getting their cutie marks--but the way it was done was unfortunately rushed and sloppily done. I felt like they needed to hint at a change in Diamond's character leading up to this, and it relied on the cliche of "I have a bad home life so that's why I'm terrible to everyone ever." Also, the CMC needed their own half-episode or so (I don't know that they could have had a full episode, but perhaps they could have) instead of having their moment squeezed into the last two or three minutes.

I dunno. I'm not gonna try to "fix" the episode or anything, but I definitely think it could have been better. That's most of why I look at it so harshly. It had really good potential, but it ended up being average at best.

4768744 I feel a great disturbance in the force, as if a million fan-designed cutie marks cried out in terror, and were silenced.

And suddenly, every fanfiction of the cutie mark crusaders getting different cutie marks gets relegated to AU.

4769063 Also, Scootaloo's cutie mark is a wing.

Does that mean she'll learn to fly? The other ones are an apple and a music note, but Scootaloo's isn't a wheel like many have speculated.

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I thought it was a lightning bolt. I guess I'll wait until screenshots come in.

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Congrats on your butt upgrade.

Well... I was here watching the episode, not there, so...

When swirly lights happened, a-la MMC, I thought you guys were going to turn into alicorns for a second.

I thought so too! We could've been the Princesses of Cutie Marks! Maybe we should go complain 'bout it.

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I kinda think that there's been enough carpentry, singing, and zooming 'round on a scooter since then that we'd have gotten them if those were our cutie marks. Scoots kinda practices on her scooter all the time, you know...

--Sweetie Belle

4768744 There are no words to describe this episode, I don't think anyone could've seen this coming in such a fashion.

Poof. Character development for DT. Character development for the CMC. Character development for Pip. Also Rainbow. Applejack...

Aw, shucks. Character development for everyone!

It's weird. Outside of Twilight and her princessdom, most character development for non-side characters was pretty subtle. It's nice to see it can still happen in leaps and bounds.

I was actually a bit underwhelmed with the ep until the end. DT's mother is mean, so DT became a bully. Allow me to contain my disbelief at such a shocking turn. But it'll be very difficult to remember this episode as anything other than 'the episode the CMC got their marks'. And I'm comfortable with that.

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Well... I was here watching the episode, not there, so...

Ah? Now I'm wondering when the divergence between you and the Sweetie Belle we see on TV occurs.

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Maybe we should go complain 'bout it.

You really should! After all, that's the American Equestrian way.

4769205 <-- This all the way. Five years of buildup deserves a better payoff than what we just got.

That said, Diamond Tiara telling off her own mother is now in my top three greatest moments from the show, so the episode wasn't a total letdown for me personally.

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It says right on my user page!

--Sweetie Belle

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Congrats on your butt upgrade.

Now watch it disappear in the season finally when Ms. Tramp Stamp Stealer makes her appearance.

This episode actually brings up an interesting question: Is Diamond Tiara adopted? She looks nothing like Filthy Rich or her mother. My headcanon has been that Nurse Sweetheart was her mother since the two look identical. This episode also explains why Diamond Tiara is so angry: she doesn't understand what her cutie mark means.

This episode actually brings up an interesting question: Is Diamond Tiara adopted? She looks nothing like Filthy Rich or her mother. My headcanon has been that Nurse Sweetheart was her mother since the two look identical. This episode also explains why Diamond Tiara is so angry: she doesn't understand what her cutie mark means.

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.and it relied on the cliche of "I have a bad home life so that's why I'm terrible to everyone ever."

I don't think that's a cliche. There's more truth to this statement than you think. The #1 reason why people are bullies is because they have problems at home.

4769402 Maybe her mom had an affair with another pony.

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It is definitely a cliche'd trope. It is also truth in fiction. It can be both.

4769419 With who, Nurse Sweetheart? LOL

Well shoot, that was charming. I was smiling the whole way through.

I just wish they'd varied the colors and designs of the marks a little bit more—The colors work for Scootaloo but not so well for the others, which could really use a palate swap.

4769454 True.

4769470 It was a strange affair.