It’s time for the next episode in our rewatch!

This time, the episode is “Look Before You Sleep”, by Charlotte Fullerton. Time for some classic Rarity vs. Applejack conflict!

So, we open with today’s entry in ponies you don’t remember, Sunny Rays, carefully positioning a cloud. Then comes Cloud Kicker and, er, Parasol. Then we see Derpy pulling a stick off a tree for no reason, and in the background, it’s Bon Bon picking up a stick in her mouth. Background ponies galore!

Pan over to Carrot Top and Cherry Berry, Cheerilee behind a tree, and on to Applejack, lassoing a branch and yanking it down. And there’s Raindrops and Daisy, and Rarity’s hiding behind a tree branch. Hide and seek?

Oh, no, she’s attaching it back to the tree. I see how it is. When I superglue branches to trees, I get in trouble, but not Rarity…

She then decides to turn it into, whatcha-call-it, topiary?, and Applejack immediately pulls the branch down and lectures her. Apparently they are pulling down branches before a storm so they don’t come loose during the storm and cause issues. Kinda makes sense.

And Sunny Rays is back with a different coat color for some reason, and Cloud Kicker and such. This does look like a big storm. Apparently they skipped a storm earlier and have to make up for it? Wonder who messed up there…

And Rarity’s mane is ruined the moment it starts sprinkling. She dodges drops of rain and runs over to a nearby table! But disaster strikes. It’s muddy under the table! So she avoids the rain by standing there arguing with Applejack instead. The character dynamic here is great.

You’ve got to love the way they back away from other, unwilling to even turn around. And then lightning strikes, and they’re hugging each other. Beautiful. Storms getting bad, too. Maybe they should’ve gone for shelter instead of bickering,

So Applejack’s hunched under the table, all muddy, while Rarity has no shelter at all, wind blowing her mane around and getting all wet, when Twilight calls ‘em. They were that close to Twilight’s library and didn’t go over there?

Applejack brings up that being in a tree might not be the best place to be in a lightning storm, but apparently there’s a magical lightning rod protecting it. I kinda want backstory. Was that already there? Did Twilight install it? She looks kinda smug.

And Rarity stops Applejack and makes her get the mud off before coming in. Which, in fairness, is the polite thing to do in someone else’s home.

And Spike is away in Canterlot on Royal Business. I almost want to call this early season weirdness in that they actually bothered to explain where Spike was, where later he’s just missing half the time. But, really, they should have been doing this later too…

And Twilight’s always wanted a slumber party. Except that she never hung out with her friends in Canterlot and read books instead. Maybe she just wanted the slumber party, but not the actual part with guests over.

Rarity, though, really does not want a slumber party with Applejack. Vehemently. Twilight is oblivious, pulling out “Slumber 101: All You’ve Ever Wanted to Know about Slumber Parties, But Were Afraid to Ask”.

Twilight’s kinda scary when she’s that enthusiastic.

Meanwhile, Applejack’s fighting with a garden hose in her mouth, trying to wash off her hooves. Not having magic must suck.

Applejack finally comes in all clean, though, and Twilight and Rarity are putting goop on each others faces as they give each other makeovers.

“We have to do it. It says so in the book.” Twilight, this is a dangerous line of thought…

Applejack wants to “skedaddle”, but lightning dissuades her. Guess makeovers are better than the storm. Rarity wastes no time splatting her with goop on her face and putting cucumbers over her eyes.

Which Applejack eats. “Puffiness, Smuffiness, that’s good eatin’!”

“Isn’t exciting! We’ll do everything by the book! And that’ll make my slumber party officially fun!” Twilight is on point.

Rarity and Applejack have an agreement… which turns back into a disagreement when AJ spits on her hoof and expects Rarity to shake it.

I love how the two of them are hot on each other arguing and Twilight goes “This is going to be the bestest slumber party ever! Yay!”

Cut to later and they all have curlers in their manes and tails. “Makeovers, check!” Though Twilight then vanishes them, and I think they are supposed to actually stay in them for a while.

Now its ghost story time! Except that Applejack and Rarity are using it to make fun of themselves while doing classic memeworthy things.

“That’s not a real story. You made it up!” “It is a ghost story. They’re all made up.”

The lights go out, and Twilight actually tells a ghost story in the dark. It’s the legend of the headless horse. This one actually gets revisited later in the series!

Twilight wins at telling ghost stories. She turns the lights back on, too, so she probably turned them off to begin with.

Smores time. Rarity makes perfect-looking Smores, and Applejack crams ‘em in her mouth. I’m kinda with Applejack on this one.

“Now the next item of fun we have to do... “ Twilight, I’m not sure you’re understanding how “fun” works.

It’s “Truth or Dare” time. Never a good idea, and they just use it to argue.

“Um, I don’t think this is how the game is supposed to work…”

“You have to. It’s the rule.” Which is why I don’t play Truth or Dare.

Things get worse, to a point where Twilight can’t keep ignoring it, but decides to move on to a pillow fight. Yay pillow fight!

“Oh, please. I am not at all interested in participating in something so crude…” *whump* Pillow to the face. “Oh. Ooh! It. Is. On.”

An epic pillow fight ensues.

“Oh! I get it. Pillow. Fight! Fun!” *whump*

A little too epic. Twilight decides to call it a night.

And I know some of you probably want to spend the night in bed with Rarity or Applejack. Rewatch this scene, and reconsider.

“Can’t hear ya, I’m asleep.”

And Twilight’s finally had it. I’m surprised she hadn’t reached this point earlier, honestly.

“I mean, is there anything else that could possibly go wrong?” *boom* “Sorry I asked.”

And part of a tree outside is about to come crashing down! So Applejack lassos it and pulls it down… into the room.

Rarity’s OCD kicks into full gear.

“I’m mighty sorry, Twilight.” “It’s… It’s not okay! There’s a giant tree branch in the middle of my bedroom! And the book doesn’t say anything about having a giant tree branch in your slumber party. Or at least I haven’t found that entry yet.” Twilight’s freakouts are great. And I like how she automatically goes to say it’s okay, then decides it isn’t.

And Applejack finally decides to apologize and tell Rarity she needs her help. It’s a good apology. This is a good scene.

“Well, they do have a section on backyard slumber parties. Is that what we’re doing now? Is this camping?” Twilight…

Once they finally have the branch under control, Rarity starts to freak out about the mud on her… and Applejack turns it into a mud mask. Perfect.

And it turns into a real slumber party.

“Is it... a six-legged pony with a purple polka-dotted mane and shootin' stars comin' out of his eyes?” “Who flies through the air all over the world to hide magic, sparkly eggs?” “That's it!” “It is?” “No.”

Dear Princess Celestia,
It's hard to believe that two ponies who seem to have so little in common could ever get along. But I found out that if you embrace each other's differences, you just might be surprised to discover a way to be friends after all.

Seems fair.

All in all, I still really enjoy this episode. It's a simple plot, but the characters drive it. Lots of good moments, and I had fun. Glad to have rewatched it!

And on to next week with "Bridle Gossip". Zecora time!

--Sweetie Belle

This episode probably single handedly started my love for Twi

This was one of the best episodes in the first season in my opinion.

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So, we open with today’s entry in ponies you don’t remember, Sunny Rays, carefully positioning a cloud. Then comes Cloud Kicker and, er, Parasol. Then we see Derpy pulling a stick off a tree for no reason, and in the background, it’s Bon Bon picking up a stick in her mouth. Background ponies galore!

Ponyville was much bigger on community work in the early seasons, wasn't it?

She then decides to turn it into, whatcha-call-it, topiary?

Yeah, she actually had magic back then.

This does look like a big storm. Apparently they skipped a storm earlier and have to make up for it? Wonder who messed up there…

The workings of Equestria's weather schedule are mysterious and fascinating - like, why do they need a storm anyway? At least they're having it at night...

And Spike is away in Canterlot on Royal Business. I almost want to call this early season weirdness in that they actually bothered to explain where Spike was, where later he’s just missing half the time. But, really, they should have been doing this later too…

Mind you, it's the kind of explanation that raises further questions. We know a fair bit about Twilight's life in Canterlot (namely,, that she didn't have one) but Spike's links to the place are much vaguer.

And Twilight’s always wanted a slumber party.

One wonders why she never had one as a foal - is it Not Done in Canterlot?

“That’s not a real story. You made it up!” “It is a ghost story. They’re all made up.”

SO ponies don't generally believe in ghosts, but in a way that implies they once did.

Dear Princess Celestia,
It's hard to believe that two ponies who seem to have so little in common could ever get along. But I found out that if you embrace each other's differences, you just might be surprised to discover a way to be friends after all.

One thing that only became known after this (but before they threw the two together another zillion times - seriously, I know they bounce off well, but how many Mane pairs never happened?) was that these two were the only Manes to grow up in this one small town. So one does have to wonder about their prior relationship, if any.

Gotta love Bon Bon/Sweetie Drops adorably picking up a stick in that first picture.

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One wonders why she never had one as a foal - is it Not Done in Canterlot?

Are you talking about her hosting a sleep over/slumber party or just being part of one? If it's the former than it's fairly obvious why, as much as she may have secretly wanted one she was too wrapped up in books and studies to think about it seriously. If it's the latter though, that is a valid question since the Canterlot Five certainly regarded her as a friend, you'd think one of them would've invited her at some point. Unless somehow their invitations got lost or thrown away.

Usually I'd come in here with a groundbreaking, 300+ IQ long-winded comment about how the characters behaviour is easily explained by how at the start of the show they didn't like each other, and highlight the cracks in their personality, but, well, I think the ep beat me to it.

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The combination of her determined effort to have fun with her friends and thus make up for what she missed in her over-intellectualized childhood, mixed with the hilariously dorky way she goes about it?

Here we have yet another episode where the moral is being taught to the wrong characters. It’s no wonder this episode is on so many fans’ “worst of” lists. I can see why.

Like I said, one of the major problems with this episode is the fact that it is Rarity and Applejack who are learning the lesson, that being despite having differences, two people can still become good friends. This lesson sounds like something that would be geared more towards someone like Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. Or Apple Bloom and Scootaloo since they seem to be the most diverse in terms of personality. But instead, we’re forced to watch two grown mares acting like a couple of five-year-old children.

Not helping is the fact that Twilight is in this episode as well. Now, I love Twilight. She’s my favorite character. However, she acts so stupid in this episode that it’s hard to see her as being the smartest of the bunch among her friends. For one thing, she wants to throw a slumber party, saying that she’s always wanted one. Why is Twilight throwing a slumber party? Isn’t throwing parties Pinkie Pie’s thing? And again, this setup makes it seem as if it would be more fitting for a Cutie Mark Crusaders episode rather than an episode with the Mane Six. In fact, they had the opportunity to do this in “Scare Master”, but they went with a different idea for that one.

After Applejack and Rarity start fighting over a blanket (no, I’m not kidding), Twilight decides that she’s had enough. Before she can do anything, however, lightning strikes a tree outside. Instead of steering the tree away from the house, Applejack ropes it into the bedroom. Twilight decides to start looking through her book on slumber parties instead of actually doing anything, leaving Rarity and Applejack to handle the situation, all while she looks up anything about having tress in your bedroom at your slumber party. Why that entry would be in a book on slumber parties is beyond me. Once the situation is fixed, Twilight obliviously asks where the figurines came from, stating that they aren’t in the book either.

The story and characters weren’t very good in this episode. Again, the setup and characterization makes this episode seem like it’s better suited for the Cutie Mark Crusaders, or maybe Diamond Tiara. Have Diamond Tiara throw a slumber party, inviting the Cutie Mark Crusaders along, only to have the Cutie Mark Crusaders fighting because they do things differently. The writers had the opportunity to do this in “Stare Master.” Why they didn’t, I don’t know.

7155209 You know an episode is good when the worst thing folks have to say about it is they don't think young adults fight over sheets and want to have sleepovers, lol.

7155213 God, no, this episode was terrible!

7155253 You've not exactly sold me on why, though.

7155255 No, I did. This episode portrays two grown adults acting like a couple of four year olds, Twilight is portrayed as being extremely stupid, and the episode just wasn't very entertaining or interesting and was just overall generally boring.

7155259 I have to agree. Applejack and Rarity act like their younger siblings here despite being the most emotionally mature of the mane six. Season 1 in particular was really bad at this, often treating the mane six like children instead of young adults even when they clearly had adult responsibilities and professions.

7155259 Firstly, you've not met many adults have you? From experience, having to share a bed with someone who irritates you is mad frustrating, especially when you feel like you're supposed to be having fun. Don't ask.

Secondly, you can say that it wasn't entertaining as much as you like, but all that means is personal preference, which is fine, but let's be wise enough to recognise it as such, yeah? We're writers; we generally try to do a bit better than 'I thought they were stupid lol' and not address writing, conflict, resolution, theme, any contradictions in the story, presentation, and more. Thinking of these things both allows us to investigate how the show works better, conveys our thoughts better, and improves our ability to write stories and in a general sense, rationalise, analyse, and perform logical reasoning.

Thirdly, you're not taking into account the context of the episode. Context and interpretation should be my motto at this point, because I seem to have to remind people of it endlessly. This is literally the first instance of Applejack and Rarity actually being in the room together for an extended period of time with no other characters to act as a proper buffer. Twilight is still at the stage where she's never really had friends before, and is still enthusiastic about getting involved in all this stuff, and everything they do is pretty much in line with where they are as characters at that point. That they're acting in character doesn't make it bad writing; actually, it makes it good writing.

I'm fine with you not liking the episode. It's not really my favourite either. I just want you to be better at explaining why, because I'm the poor sod who has to read these things.

7155264 But the Mane Six, at least for the first couple of seasons, being portrayed as children was for the benefit of the audience. In contrast, Princess Celestia is the adult. Hence, the coning-of-age story angle to the first couple of seasons to the show.

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Firstly, you've not met many adults have you?

Oh, no, I'm positively surrounded by adults.

From experience, having to share a bed with someone who irritates you is mad frustrating, especially when you feel like you're supposed to be having fun. Don't ask.

I've shared a bed with multiple people and have never had any problems.

address writing, conflict, resolution, theme, any contradictions in the story, presentation, and more

Very well, then. The writers seemed to go out of their way to make both Applejack and Rarity as unlikable and as annoying as possible, going out of their way to irritate the other for no reason other than to get under their skin, making the conflict feel forced, which was a problem that the series as a whole had throughout its entire run.

Twilight is still at the stage where she's never really had friends before

Except this would get contradicted later on in the series. It doesn't help that, like a lot of episode throughout the series, this is an idea that we've seen done before in multiple other cartoons, and the writers make no attempts whatsoever to do anything new or interesting with this idea. Literally the most memorable thing about this episode was Applejack's line: "And that, my friend, is what we call gettin' 'er done "

and is still enthusiastic about getting involved in all this stuff

You mean to tell me that in their time together, Twilight and Cadance never had a sleepover together? I find that very hard to believe. Even if they never did, surely Cadance told Twilight about what she and her girl friends got up to over the weekends. Girls do love to gossip after all, and it makes sense that Twilight would be interested in such tales, as she seemed to look up to Cadance about as much as she did Celestia. She was elated when she found out that Shining Armor was marrying Cadance.

and everything they do is pretty much in line with where they are as characters at that point.

Except Applejack and Rarity are behaving like children. I get the point from a writing perspective, but it still comes off as jarring, especially since these are two grown adults, and both Applejack and Rarity always struck me as the most mature members of the group.

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I'm positively surrounded by adults.

I wish I had your adults. But don't go thinking that just because something is true for you, that it is for everyone.

Very well, then. The writers seemed to go out of their way to make both Applejack and Rarity as unlikable and as annoying as possible

Show me evidence! These are impressions. You're associating authorial motive with personal impression. Why would a writer do that? Would it make more sense that, as characters with different backgrounds, they value different qualities and activities, and are more or less reserved about different things? Or does it make more sense that the show writers are 'out to get you'?

Except this would get contradicted later on in the series

No. The show later displays Twilight be utter crap at making friends to the point she forgot they existed.

You mean to tell me that in their time together, Twilight and Cadance never had a sleepover together?

Yes, because Cadance was too busy 'sleeping over' with Twilight's brother, and no matter what all the porn tells me, apparently neither Shining nor Cadence invited Twilight to join in.

Except Applejack and Rarity are behaving like children.

Young adults. As in, the vague, nebulous, 16-25 year old range where you're old enough to have responsibilities and a carreer, but are also on the tail end of the learning curve of adolescence. Again, what makes more sense; that the main cast are still working through maturity issues, or that they randomly decide to be stupid?

This is my problem with internet criticism. By jumping headlong into finding reasons why everything is garbage, people miss the very obvious, very logical reasons why something is the way it is.

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Show me evidence!

Applwjack and Rarity just seemed to delibrately go out of their way to attack one another's for example, in the horror story segment, they use it as a means of getting under each other's skin. During truth or dare, they go out of their way to dare each other to do something out of their comfort zone. While making snores, Applejack very obnoxiously eats her snores without bothering to close her mouth, then proceeds to belch, prompting Rarity to remind her of her lack of manners, which Applejack does passive-aggressively. Finally, when they're in bed, there is more than enough blanket for both of them, but both are constantly hogging it. I get that these antics are the writers trying to be funny, as two vastly different characters with vastly different backgrounds is a common comedy trope, but it just came off as really annoying to me. It doesn't help that pairing the country mare with the city mare to rip on each other as a means of comedy also came off as cliche, and that sums up the major problem with season one as a wjole;: the entire season came off as one big cliche storm, from the plots to the morals, even done to some of the characters. At the very least, the writers seemed to be aware of this, hence why they changed up the formula later on in the series, starting with season two.

No. The show later displays Twilight be utter crap at making friends to the point she forgot they existed.

Yet Twilight's line in "A Canterlot Wedding" ("Before I came here and learned the importance of friendship, Shining Armor was the only pony I ever really accepted as a friend.") implied that she'd never had friends before moving to Ponyville. It's like the writer behind "Amending Fences" went out of itheir way to retcon this as an excuse to make "Amending Fences" and the less said about that episode, the better.

Yes, because Cadance was too busy 'sleeping over' with Twilight's brother, and no matter what all the porn tells me, apparently neither Shining nor Cadence invited Twilight to join in.

Okay, that was widely inappropriate and unnecessary. You could've easily omitted that entirely and literally nothing of value would've been lost.

Again, what makes more sense; that the main cast are still working through maturity issues,

Even so, most people at a very young age are taught to be a decent person towards others despite their differences, to see the good in others and try their best to get akong. From the way that Applwjack and Rarity act in this episode, you'd think their parents never taught them these lessons, and I can'lt buy that given who their parents are.

Wow, it's almost like this is a show made to teach children lessons about friendship or something.

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Again, what makes more sense; that the main cast are still working through maturity issues,

Even so, most people at a very young age are taught to be a decent person towards others despite their differences, to see the good in others and try their best to get akong.

Being taught something is a very different thing from learinig it.

7155439 Yes, but that's why we're taught these things so we can learn them.

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And sometimes, what teaches us is an experience in our adult lives - or an episode of a kids television show.

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Okay, that was widely inappropriate and unnecessary. You could've easily omitted that entirely and literally nothing of value would've been lost.

Inappropriate, perhaps, but I'd argue highly necessary and of great value. : )

But moreover, can you say I'm wrong? You're sitting there saying that Cadance would had slept over with Twilight, but you don't have evidence; it's just a headcannon at best, and one that clearly isn't supported by the show. Cadance was a babysitter who took care of her if I recall something like one summer (correct me if I'm wrong), not a friend of the same age. If anything, her babysitter, the pony sent to take care of her, being the closest to someone that Twilight confides in, sort of reinforces my point; Twilight was garbage at friends when she was younger, which is supported by pretty much the entirety of the show, from the season premier to later episodes.

At least my headcannon that Cadence was too busy with Shining to sleep over with Twilight is actually supported by the show.

You can say that she should have been taught to have friends by a young age all you want, but 'shoulds' don't mean anything; people should always eat a balanced diet and not smoke, but that doesn't mean they do, nor are they taught everything flawlessly. The whole point of a character being exceptional or flawed means that they are going to act in ways that depart from the norm, and Twilight's social shortcomings are clearly one of those instances.

Applwjack and Rarity just seemed to delibrately go out of their way to attack one another

There you go with 'seemed' again. And still not taking into account the context of the episode. What we see is each character in a position they don't want to be in with a pony they, at this stage of the show, clearly don't want to be with, and try to manage the friction whilst frustration and tension builds over time. Again, what makes more sense? That Rarity and Applejack went into this with the intention of attacking the other because the writers wanted to portray the characters as vicious and mean, or that being trapped in a storm with a pony that rubs them the wrong way makes them frustrated and unhappy which got the better of two evolving and flawed characters, which prompted them to try and correct their behaviour in later episodes?

It's like the writer behind "Amending Fences" went out of itheir way to retcon this as an excuse to make "Amending Fences" and the less said about that episode, the better.

You mean the episode which showed that Twilight literally forgot all about the ponies who were at one point trying to be her friend? The episode that supported the point made in Canterlot wedding, where she said that she only accepted Shining as a friend, and we see the negative consequences of this in AF? The episode which showed Twilight being so clueless socially she ignored Moondancer to the point where Moondancer was literally scarred for life?

That episode is inconsistent with Twilight's early character? Ok.

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You're sitting there saying that Cadance would had slept over with Twilight, but you don't have evidence; it's just a headcannon at best, and one that clearly isn't supported by the show. Cadance was a babysitter who took care of her if I recall something like one summer (correct me if I'm wrong), not a friend of the same age. If anything, her babysitter, the pony sent to take care of her, being the closest to someone that Twilight confides in, sort of reinforces my point;

Cadance was clearly a friend of the family. It's not hard to imagine that she was invited over for family dinners every now and then. Even if she did sleep over, it's highly unlikely that she and Shining would be allowed to sleep in the same room together, let alone the same bed.

At least my headcannon that Cadence was too busy with Shining to sleep over with Twilight is actually supported by the show.

Actually, it's not, as we didn't even know these two characters existed until the season two finale, and if anything the show shows that she was too busy taking care of Twilight to have anything to do with Shining Armor. And that's all we get as far as Cadance's background is concerned nothing more than that. At the very least this theory is supported by the comics, which delved more into what Shining and Cadance were like when they were kids. If those comics are anything to by, both of them had quite the active social life.

You can say that she should have been taught to have friends by a young age all you want, but 'shoulds' don't mean anything;

Her parents could've tried helping her reach out and make friends. This would be one of the added benefits of having Cadance as a babysitter.

and Twilight's social shortcomings are clearly one of those instances.

Except Twilight didn't have any social shortcomings. She seemed perfectly capable of making friends, especially if the pilot and "Amending Fences" are anything to go by. She just didn't see any need to invest the time it took to make them.

And still not taking into account the context of the episode. What we see is each character in a position they don't want to be in with a pony they, at this stage of the show, clearly don't want to be with, and try to manage the friction whilst frustration and tension builds over time. Again, what makes more sense? That Rarity and Applejack went into this with the intention of attacking the other because the writers wanted to portray the characters as vicious and mean, or that being trapped in a storm with a pony that rubs them the wrong way makes them frustrated and unhappy which got the better of two evolving and flawed characters, which prompted them to try and correct their behaviour in later episodes?

Except Applejack and Rarity have no reason to have a strong aversion to each other. It's like the writers went out of their way to make them as unlikable and annoying as possible just for the sake of creating conflict by having their antics annoy the other, and they did so by relying on tired, overused cliches. And it's telling that this is the only episode that showcases them behaving this way, as they don't act this way at any other point in the series, nor do we see them working to abstain from this kind of behavior.

The episode which showed Twilight being so clueless socially she ignored Moondancer to the point where Moondancer was literally scarred for life?

That episode is inconsistent with Twilight's early character? Ok.

You're making Twilight out to be the one at fault here. She's not. If anything, this is nothing but Moondancer's own fault. She very easily vould've written to Twilight. The writer of this episode seems to forget that Twilight was doing something much more important at the time: stressing over Nightmare Moon's inevitable return, yet this is completely ignored by the episode. So, because Twilight stood her up, she wants nothing to do with Twilight. Twilight investigates and quickly finds out that Moondancer lives alone, has questionable hygiene, almost never leaves her house, and is generally antisocial with an irrational hatred and distrust of other people. Twilight, of course, takes her duties as the Princess of Friendship seriously, and when Twilight realises it was her turning down going to the party that caused Moondancer to clam up. vows to help her old friend. I'll get to why this is a major problem with the episode later.

What follows is an episode of Twilight stalking Moondancer, even breaking into her house one time – albeit accidentally – and pestering her, and nagging her, bothering her, and basically being an all around twat to Moondancer. Or, in other words, pretty much everything Pinkie Pie has ever been, except this time it’s played straight as opposed to being a joke. This all culminates in Moondancer literally breaking down crying and pouring out her soul to Twilight. Honestly, this episode comes off more as Moondancer being jilted by a lover rather than a friend for her to have this extreme reaction to a friend not showing up at a party. It really comes off as Moondancer having a crush on Twilight when they were younger and her upset that Twilight didn't return her feelings. Anyway, to make a long story short, they talk for a bit, Twilight invites Moondancer to a party, they have a good old laugh, and boom, they’re Best Friends Forever.

On a first viewing, the episode seems innocuous enough, and it’s certainly a nice change of pace to see Twilicorn actually do something for once. But the message it delivers is terrible.

When Twilight realises it was her turning down going to the party that caused Moondancer to clam up. this has always been a major problem that I have with the episode because the episode (as seen in Twilight and Moondanlcer's reactions) put all the blame for Moondancer shutting down on Twilight. This isn't helped by the fact that Twilight, in all of the flashbacks shown with Moondancer as foals, is never shown as being like her friend, just her classmate. Apart from that one photograph Spike took, Twilight is never shown spending time, much less wanting to spend time, with Moondancer outside of class. In both these scenes and the pilot episode, in which Moondancer doesn't even appear (we'll get back to that), Twilight behaves like an acquaintance and not a friend, and her not even being able to remember her supposed 'friends' names says volumes about what her social life was like before she moved to Ponyville. In other words, the episode makes it seem as though introversion and preferring other hobbies/pursuits to making friends is always wrong, as there will always be that one person who takes it personally and makes their feelings your responsibility even if you were nothing but always civil to them (as Twilight was) and never did anything to give them the false idea that you were interested in friendship. Saying Twilight had a reputation as a bad friend feels unearned; a bad friend would be someone who pretended like they were someone's friend and agreed to go to [insert social event here], only to blow it off. TWILIGHT DIDN'T DO THAT! To make matters worse, this party that was such a big deal to Moondancer, that she herself threw? She didn't even bother to invite Twilight to it personally; all the other ponies did, which made it seem more like the invite was given in passing, rather than how the episode played it (that Moondancer really wanted Twilight in particular to show up. Not to mention, Moondancer had three other attendees all quite willing to be her friend! For her meltdown to be sympathetic I really needed more in the episode between her and Twilight, because as it is it resembles Starlight Glimmer syndrome in reactions/character writing. The intended aesop is obviously well-intentioned: be considerate of other's feelings, even if it's something you think is no big deal yourself, but it's done to the extent that the series is implying you have to take total responsibility for other's feelings even at the cost of your own personal preferences (lone wolf Twilight, if they'd let her stay that way, obviously preferred her own space and books over a lot of studying, which I think is totally fine in moderation and is something the show has tried to represent before in "A Friend Indeed"). Introverts are more often than not made to be the bad guy in shows, or have to change fundamentally, and this was just another example of it in how Twilight's old self is treated. The sole saving grace for me was the other ponies reacting more appropriately to Twilight's apology, and the great character animation in Twilight's expressions that show how much her confidence has grown

But it's not just the aesop as to why this episode sucks. This episode goes against the very theme that the show started out with. Here’s a thought experiment: imagine this exact same episode, but the protagonist is Moondancer.So you’re fine, sitting at home, readin’, chillin’, maxin’, relaxin’, when a magical Princess of Friendship bursts through your door and teaches you the wonders of socialising with other people. If you were watching this as a child, wouldn’t you feel a little bit insulted? Watching this as an adult, don’t you see how ridiculous this entire situation is?

The show, when it started, always had a theme of self-improvement. No one’s going to change you. Improving yourself is your responsibility alone and no one else’s. The idea that someone will fly into your life and fix you is the worst possible message you could deliver to a child. You might as well make them watch some unfunny rom-com. You know the type. Probably starring Adam Sandler. Or one of those wish-fulfilment magical pixie girl animés. It’s the same thing.

The worst part of this is that “Amending Fences” sets up deliberate parallels with the show’s pilot episode, which only manages to further reinforce how much better the pilot really was in hindsight..

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Except Twilight didn't have any social shortcomings

Except she obviously does. This is ludicrous. You're complaining that she appears to have social problems in an episode because you think she doesn't have any, despite clearly seeing them in the episode. Have you actually, like, watched the show?

What makes more sense? That A perfectly socially able character has no real friends other than her brother and potentially babysitter (if we're counting babysitter) at the beginning of the show, has to write goddamn letters explaining all the things she's learned about friendship, and freaks out about deadlines to the point of wrecking an entire town, among dozens of other examples of social awkwardness including this one, or that actually, she just isn't very socially experienced?

Except Applejack and Rarity have no reason to have a strong aversion to each other.

Other than all the reasons they do? They value different behaviours and lifestyles, are generally insensitive at this stage to things outside of their comfort zone, and just want to go home. Again, you're complaining about something not fitting how you think it should work in your mind despite evidence that what's in your brain doesn't match up with reality. You say they should have no reason to dislike each other as the show starts, but should doesn't mean anything; they do dislike each other, or at least struggle to not get on each others nerves, and the episode (and show in general) focusses on them getting past that initial stage.

What makes more sense? That two characters just dislike each other's company for no reason, or that their differing personalities, behaviour, and attitudes combined with mounting frustration caused enough friction for them to be irritated?

Her parents could've tried helping her reach out and make friends.

More speculation. Clearly, whatever they did wasn't enough, though I'd argue that getting Cadance to babysit might have been an aspect of that. You can say that it should have worked, or that they should have done more, but for whatever reason, it didn't. Tough buns; stuff doesn't always work out.

Sigh. You're trying to fit MLP to your own preconceptions of how it should work and are complaining when it doesn't, instead of building your impression of the show based on what it actually gives you.

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The duration of Twilight and Cadance's involvement, as well as how it ended, is a mystery left to headcanon.

7155903 Cheers. I might be getting confused by a comic and their nebulous canonicity again. Happens to the best of us.

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Well if one includes the comics, it defintlu wasn't just a summer, as Cadance and Shining began their romance during the school year.

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You're complaining that she appears to have social problems in an episode because you think she doesn't have any, despite clearly seeing them in the episode.

That was never my complaint against "Amending Fences." Read it again. All of my complaints stem from the writing and the overall message of the episode. It was the writer themselves that tried to imply that Twilight had social problems, where she clearly didn't.

Have you actually, like, watched the show?

Yes, multiple times in fact.

What makes more sense? That A perfectly socially able character has no real friends other than her brother and potentially babysitter (if we're counting babysitter) at the beginning of the show, has to write goddamn letters explaining all the things she's learned about friendship, and freaks out about deadlines to the point of wrecking an entire town, among dozens of other examples of social awkwardness including this one, or that actually, she just isn't very socially experienced?

Why not both? That was Twilight's entire character at the beginning of the show. She was capable of being social but had no social experience due to having no friends.

They value different behaviours and lifestyles, are generally insensitive at this stage to things outside of their comfort zone, and just want to go home. they do dislike each other, or at least struggle to not get on each others nerves, and the episode (and show in general) focusses on them getting past that initial stage.

What makes more sense? That two characters just dislike each other's company for no reason, or that their differing personalities, behaviour, and attitudes combined with mounting frustration caused enough friction for them to be irritated?

Yes, and this is why people find the episode so entertaining. But my problem is that these two characters have known each other for literally years at this point and should know what the other I like. Twilight, as our window into the world of Equestria, is merely allowing us to get to know these characters thanks to this episode. Watching this episode again fairly recently, I'm not saying they don't have any reason to get on each other's nerves, but they don't even make an attempt to get along for the sake of Twilight's first slumber party, despite Rarity advising Applejack not to do anything that would do so earlier. Hell, Twilight is completely ignored during truth or dare, just so these two can continue making snide comments at one another. She doesn't even get a turn. This is what I mean when I say that this episode came off as more annoying than anything.

You're trying to fit MLP to your own preconceptions of how it should work and are complaining when it doesn't, instead of building your impression of the show based on what it actually gives you.

Okay, whatever you say.

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That was never my complaint against "Amending Fences."

We're not talking about AF. We're talking about Look before you sleep, and how you're confused she never had a slumber party before. Which is how we got to talking about her social awkwardness and lack of experience.

However, she acts so stupid in this episode that it’s hard to see her as being the smartest of the bunch among her friends. For one thing, she wants to throw a slumber party, saying that she’s always wanted one. Why is Twilight throwing a slumber party?

You mean to tell me that in their time together, Twilight and Cadance never had a sleepover together? I find that very hard to believe.

All of this is easily explainable by a lack of interest, ability, or whatever in social activities and connections, combined with Cadence being a babysitter, not a friend of the same age as Twilight. Why you suddenly began ranting about Amending Fences, which supports how Twilight is socially inept at the start of the show (whatever you may think about it) is beyond me. Control thy moving goalposts.

But my problem is that these two characters have known each other for literally years at this point and should know what the other I like.

What makes more sense? That two ponies knew each other for years and are suddenly surprised that their personalities get on each other's nerves, or that they knew each other existed for a while, but made no significant effort to get to know one another and therefore circumnavigated the problem until literally forced into a situation where they had to coexist, and struggled to do so?

Again, you thinking they knew each other well enough to get along for years is a preconception. It doesn't fit the facts on the ground. Get rid of it.

Yes, multiple times in fact.

It doesn't show. It looks to me like you watched a completely different show in your mind and are confused that you're watching something different.

This is what I mean when I say that this episode came off as more annoying than anything.

Thinking the episode is annoying is fine. The whole deal where Applejack and Rarity are at each others throats is not for everyone, and I'd be lying if I said that all of the gags landed for me. However, they have perfectly explainable reasons to be in that position from a character and writing standpoint, so let's not pretend that it's got bad writing because of it. There are so many better targets in MLP for shoddy writing and character development.

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Why you suddenly began ranting about Amending Fences, which supports how Twilight is socially inept at the start of the show (whatever you may think about it) is beyond me.

You were the one who brought it up, not me. I was merely explaining how bad the episode was.

It doesn't show. It looks to me like you watched a completely different show in your mind and are confused that you're watching something different.

Again, as I said, I watched the episode fairly recently.

However, they have perfectly explainable reasons to be in that position from a character and writing standpoint, so let's not pretend that it's got bad writing because of it.

I'm not saying the episode is badly written due to the circumstances the characters find themselves in, though there are plenty of episodes that are guilty of that. I'm saying that the episode is badly written due to poor characterization.

There are so many better targets in MLP for shoddy writing and character development.

This is especially true for the first two seasons.

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I'm not saying the episode is badly written due to the circumstances the characters find themselves in, though there are plenty of episodes that are guilty of that. I'm saying that the episode is badly written due to poor characterization.

The circumstances of the characters affect their characterisation. I mean, obviously. A character in a stressful, uncomfortable situation is not going to act the same way as when they are in control and in their comfort zone. This is pretty basic writing, and that two characters who are ordinarily mature become unpleasant and spiny due to being in a situation they neither want to be in nor enjoy is not evidence of bad writing; it is evidence of multifaceted characters who are affected by the circumstances that surround them. That a character who is ordinarily intelligent becomes naive and ignorant when confronted with a situation she has no experience in is not bad writing; it is evidence of a varied personality coming into effect in a story.

This is only a small step up from basic writing.

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That a character who is ordinarily intelligent becomes naive and ignorant when confronted with a situation she has no experience in is not bad writing;

Dude, she was looking for a solution to a tree being in her house in a freaking book about slumber parties. What's that tell you? Again, this is the character who's supposed to be intelligent, right? And for the record, I'm not the only one who hates this episode. Mr. Enter and several others have gone into detail about why this episode sucks.

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And for the record, I'm not the only one who hates this episode.

I don't care. If they're trying to argue that the writing is bad, though, they'd better be doing a better job.

People can like or dislike whatever they want, but if you're going to argue something is well or poorly written, you'd better square up on a forum about writing.

Time for another rousing round of what makes more sense? That a highly intelligent and reasonable character is stumped by a tree falling inside her house, or that a socially awkward and anxious young pony, overwhelmed by her friends unpleasant behaviour throughout the evening and unable to navigate an argument between the two, momentarily breaks down after an evening she was looking forwards to was ruined by forces out of her control, and then subsequently collects herself?

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People can like or dislike whatever they want, but if you're going to argue something is well or poorly written, you'd better square up on a forum about writing.

I've been writing for almost 20 years, ever since I was a kid.

Time for another rousing round of what makes more sense? That a highly intelligent and reasonable character is stumped by a tree falling inside her house, or that a socially awkward and anxious young pony, overwhelmed by her friends unpleasant behaviour throughout the evening and unable to navigate an argument between the two, momentarily breaks down after an evening she was looking forwards to was ruined by forces out of her control, and then subsequently collects herself?

Again, why not both? From a writing perspective, the latter makes much more sense.

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From a writing perspective, the latter makes much more sense.

That's sort of what I'm getting at, yes.