Friendship is Card Games: Project Thundercloud II: Shadowbox · 11:45am Mar 26th, 2023
My copy of Lyra and Bonbon and the Mares from S.M.I.L.E. has yet to arrive. I can only assume that Princess Twilight is still processing the Freedom of Information request. As the gears of Equestrian bureaucracy (and the USPS) turn, I’ll move up what would have been next week’s card blog.
That specifically means looking at the follow-up to Minty Root’s Project Thundercloud. Let’s begin.
Ah. Recognizable music again, but this time from a pony source.
Ooh, Elements of Harmony speculation from 2014. Much like pre-Griffonstone griffons, often better than canon. Though in this case it comes very close, with the Elements being crafted by six heroes from an earlier. It’s just that this time, they’re explicitly from G1. Also interesting is that Elements are said to make the world not just safe, but habitable. Might just be an ill-advised word choice, but the idea of the Elements as terraforming devices is an interesting one.
“Without [the Elements and their Bearers], we would be condemned to fear ourselves and others.”
Yup, they got that part right.
And now we’re getting a prophecy, involving “an alicorn mare with golden mane and silver wings” reclaiming the lost Elements. I do love how well Best Pony works with a precious metals motif. (And, colors aside, they also got that part right.)
Interesting to see the Elements scattered across Equestria. (Well, Season 1 Equestria, which basically means Canterlot, its suburbs, and a vague suggestion of mountains around the outskirts.) Especially on the eve of Nightmare Moon’s reutrn. Loyalty is in Cloudsdale, Magic in Canterlot, and it’s possible that Kindness is in Ponyville, but other than that, they seem scattered through the wilderness.
I won’t lie, seeing Derpy animated with a horn gives me chills.
Well. Opening on the crystalline Elements shattering is certainly one way to start. And we can’t even blame Sombra this time (I assume.)
Great light and shadow work with the moonlight through filigree as we pan up.
Despite the name, this is more an extension and remaster of the first Project Thundercloud, so I must once again wonder what Vinyl and Octavia are doing on that castle skybridge.
We’ve trod this ground before, but there should be plenty more to work with.
More pony music, this time one of the more heartwrenching moments of the series. Very appropriate for a child learning that no, she’s never completely getting better.
Ah, new teacher design removing the awkward question of just how long Cheerilee’s been teaching… though still carrying on the tradition of much more advanced equations on the board than one would think given that charge density integral on the board.
Had to double-check, but yes, this one came out after “Pinkie Pride.” If they’d managed to predict Bonbon’s foalhood glasses, I would’ve been amazed.
Also, notable that the filly mocking Derpy is the only OC in the classroom. I’m not saying she was chased out of town, but I’m not not saying it.
I’m trying to avoid repeating my observations from a few weeks ago, but I do still appreciate the teacher stomping hard enough to register on the Richter scale to call the class to order.
The distant echo of “And that’s what my cutie mark is telling me” really helps sell Derpy’s sense of isolation and inadequacy. It’s a similar situation to what I’ve done with pony Link: When your talent symbolizes how you’re lucky to still be alive, it doesn’t have a lot of day-to-day applications outside of adventuring. But we’ll get to that.
This may be the most sympathetic-looking Spitfire I’ve ever seen. Also a rare sight of her out of uniform, dress, field, or Equestria Games.
The Mare in the Moon and attendant stars being there immediately after a cut to the Crystal Empire raises a lot of concerning questions.
Oh, there’s Spike. Still wondering why Derpy had to deliver that urgent notice to Twilight.
Oh dear. It was Celestia trapping the Bearers in crystal? Well, this got a lot worse than I thought.
Lovely example of the “wheels within wheel” chessmistess take on Celestia. I could definitely see her preparing a contingency for her own madness without telling Twilight. This probably isn’t the only one, either. I wouldn’t be surprised if she erased her own memory of these preparations; goodness knows that magic exists in this setting. Right, Wallflower?
… Oh. Or this is a confrontation. I can only imagine how Derpy discovered the plan. And what she thinks she can do to Celestia herself, but nopony messes with Best Pony’s family.
Also, when is this confrontation taking place? We do appear to be in an AU even at time of uploading, given how the Elements are scattered rather than assembled at the old castle, but if the eternal night didn’t come to pass until after the Empire returned, why is Twilight even in Ponyville? I suppose I’ll need to keep watching.
Oof. That rotating shot is very rough. The show never did much better, but still.
Really not sure how to parse the rest of that scene, especially the shifts in Celestia’s expression. To say nothing of her mane and tail going pure pink.
That snowstorm is probably a bad sign.
Ah, now we’re back in new territory. Nice parallel with Dinky and her mother’s self-introductions, though writing to Celestia raises some concerns when it’s this Celestia.
As with Dinky’s Destiny (despite that being mutually noncanon with this,) Best Filly has cornus inversus, which means her magic is incompatible with all known unicorn spells. It’s the magical equivalent of being left-handed… though it may be closer to having a different biochemical chirality than the rest of the world in terms of how much she can do to adapt.
Diamond Tiara mocking a unicorn with magical difficulties is a special kind of petty. One that I’ve indulged in myself.
Star Swirl and Wonderbolts posters. Dinky has interesting tastes. (Or Minty’s reusing the available resources. Or both! 
)
“I might be blind…”
I mean, strabismus isn’t outright blindness. I get where the dialogue’s going, but this still feels off.
I’m not entirely sure what those toys on Dinky’s nightstand are, but they’re adorable.
“She was just a pegasus who raised me as her daughter.”
That phrasing raises the possibility of Derpy adopting Dinky. Not sure if that’s intentional or not.
I do like the construction-paper style. I half expect Mario to show up with a hammer and a colorful assortment of helpers.
Lovely rundown of Derpy’s horned friends helping Dinky how and where they can. Lyra as an inventor is a nice touch, reminiscent of both Anthropology and Mendacity. Though I do wonder what Amethyst Star’s “altruistic magic” entails.
Your mother’s lessons that every solution has a problem fill you with DETERMINATION.
A child in elementary school writing functional spells is still impressive, even if they’re buggy. Also, Dinky’s victory dance is adorable. As is her “It’s already sunrise!?” expression.
… Honestly, a filly stepping up to oppose Celestia might actually work out better than a random mare, depending on how far gone Sunbutt is at the time.
“I have a deep feeling that the story of Nightmare Moon is going to happen again.”
This is an interesting ambiguity. By “again,” is Dinky referring to the recent Summer Sun Celebration, or to the old fable? It’s really not clear what’s transpired in this timeline versus the baseline.
Dinky, that’s a very noble sentiment, but you’re about eight years old. Maybe hold off on the heroics until you’ve hit a growth spurt, or at least get the Crusaders on board so you have some decent firepower on your side.
It shouldn’t be funny, but Amethyst Star rearing up into a T-pose as she faints makes it seem less like she was startled and more like SFM crashed for her.You know, despite this being animated in Flash.
… Wait, did Dinky knock her out? Somehow that makes it even funnier. “Leave it to the grown-up ponies, Dinky, everything will be… Wait, what are you cast—” Thud.
Good thing the trains are still running as the end of the world approaches. And that everypony involved has no compunctions about a filly going to Canterlot unsupervised.
Yes, gentlestallions, I’m sure your two crossed spears would have stopped this full-speed train from entering the city. Also, given the bass rumble, I really hope these two have ear protection.
Stomach-turning camera shift, what with the bridge rotating and Dinky not. Eldritch geometries at work here.
Ooh, statue of Snowdrop. Always fun to see fan projects acknowledge each other., especially given the shared theme of pegasi with vision problems doing great things. Also nice use of the “people walking past the person they’re looking for without knowing it” trope.
Wait, how did Amethyst tell Time Turner about Dinky’s absence in such short order? Cell phones aren’t exactly an option. Telegram, maybe? Possibly a spell? Borrowing Spike? (Which raises the question of what he’s been doing while his sister’s gotten crystallized.) If she’d been able to catch the same train as Dinky, presumably she could’ve looked for the filly while on said train.
I do appreciate how Twilight’s habit of reading her mail out loud is a plot point.
Oh, Twilight was sealed in the moon? Wow, that wasn’t clear at all. It definitely feels like this was written by a dedicated team who neglected to get an outside perspective after they’d all internalized certain plot points that didn’t explicitly make it into the script. (Also, if Twilight got sealed away before Derpy made it down to the massive hourglass/cutie mark device, why was her mark the last to go dark?)
Wait, that was all in chronological order? I’d assumed there were flashbacks in there because it made more sense. At least the pink mane thing makes sense as a repercussion for Celestia swearing off sunrise.
“I can’t let you become blind from the lack of sunlight.”
Derpy said something like this to Celestia, but I’d thought she was being figurative. If that’s meant literally, that’s not how blindness works.
Time Turner’s voice actor really needed to slow down. This kind of works as a character who’s both desperate to get someone else to calm down and whose thoughts often outrace his tongue, but it still feels rushed when no one else is speaking that quickly.
Definitely feels like we’re missing some bits. I can gather that Ditzy’s earlier flight to the castle was an attempt to recover the Elements, but I’m still not clear on how Trixie enters into the process.
Goodness, this camera work is nauseating. I get the desire for an action shot and the need to both show Celestia speeding by and the Background Six in hot pursuit, but please stop spinning.
Ah, the pegasus privilege of taking the direct route through open airspace.
I see we’re going with the “Star Swirl turned into Discord” hypothesis here.
Okay, wow, Dinky just dropped a heck of an exposition bomb: Celestia apparently never slept for her entire millennial solo reign, and as a result, much like her sun, exhaustion led to a chain reaction that would culminate in a nova. That is a lot to take in in less than ten seconds. (Also a bit of a tortured metaphor after the ten-second mark, but that’s neither here nor there.)
“Don’t think you’ll be able to find [the Elements]. They are gone now.”
Reduced to… well, probably not atoms, but this definitely contextualizes the shattering at the start of the video. Also, looks like Dinky’s attempt to pacify Celestia with facts and logic could have gone better.
Blind. Ponies keep using that word. I do not think it means what they think it means.
The music definitely fits the mood they’re going for. The sedate panning shots do not. Goodness knows fight scenes are hard to animate, but cutting away until Derpy gets knocked to the floor with a dislocated hip (which, credit to Minty, looks very painful) still doesn’t sit well.
Okay, that literal child just blocked the horn of a full-sized horse. No offense meant to Celestia, but she outweighs Dinky several times over. We’re in neutronium Applejack territory here.
Also interesting to note how Celestia hasn’t seemed to use any magic since she went all pink. I have to wonder if she even can after forsaking the sun. Her mane certainly seems to have reverted to hair.
Deploying the wisdom of Carl Sagan in the middle of horn fencing is certainly a daring tactic. We’ll see how it works out for Dinky.
Oh dear. Dinky’s intonation makes it sound like her mother can’t do anything useful for society, just not because of her vision.
Ooh, Twist working at Bonbon’s shop. Lovely touch.
Oh right, we’re post-Tree. That had slipped my mind, even after double-checking for Bonbon’s glasses.
I think the Final Destination Platform of Harmony had Dinky’s cutie mark before she did. Which fits Harmonious artifacts’ loose relationship with causality as we understand it. Also, Derpy is apparently the Sunset Shimmer of the group… and the only pegasus. I suppose few others captured the fandom’s imagination in quite the same way.
Heh. The royal sisters are united in giving the Bearer of Magic time to exposit about the others’ virtues… though this a cavalcade of informed attributes given how we’ve barely seen any of the new Bearers demonstrate their virtues. (Also, Minty mixed up the Elements of Honesty and Loyalty, but Friendship is Witchcraft made an entire running gag out of that, so I can’t complain too much there.)
Oof. They couldn’t quite edit out Twilight’s voice from the music track.
Lyra tried to fix Derpy’s vision problems? I feel more justified in making her a member of the Simic Combine.
“And you, Daddy?”
So wait, is Dinky Derpy’s biological daughter, or did Time Turner end up with her after a divorce or worse tragedy?
They’re really giving Derpy a seventh element? I was joking about the Sunset thing.
“You are the forgotten Element of Inspiration, Bright Eyes.”
Okay, I appreciate the metareference to Rarity’s original element, but is that Derpy’s original name, or did her daughter just rename her out of nowhere?
At this point, I’m convinced that Dinky’s special talent is exposition. The filly memorized the script while she was studying all that magic. Though I do appreciate the parallel between Derpy and Twilight’s marks having potential readings of “Your destiny is to unite seven incredible friends.” (And I mean Spike for the latter. Starlight and destiny have a rather fraught relationship, after all.)
“You’re just a pegasus, but you taught me more about magic than any unicorn ever did.”
Firstly, two of those unicorns are literally in the room right now. Secondly, “just a pegasus” definitely rubs me the wrong way.
I didn’t intend for my Undertale joke to foreshadow the climax, but I’ll take it.
Okay, if they don’t actually make Derpy ascend and the prophesied “alicorn” is actually a unicorn filly riding a pegasus, then major points for prophetic creativity.
Luna!? But if Twilight was the one sealed in the moon…
What the heck is Luna even doing here!?
> Gets extracted from moon
> Breaks window
> Silently judges sister
> Refuses to elaborate
Points for chutzpah, I suppose.
I do like the emphasis on the physical Elements being symbolic foci, with the true power coming from the virtues they embody.
Ha! They did go for the mother-daughter alicorn. Lovely. Also, has that second platform always been above the Final Harmonious Destination? And are the Mane Six okay? Twilight still seems to be in the moon.
Nice touch with Fausticorn in the credits. I always appreciate a tribute to the woman who shared her sandbox with us all.
It’s also nice to get a To Be Continued teaser that actually did lead to the project it promised.
In all, this definitely has rough patches. Awkward dialogue, poorly communicated plot points, overly ambitious camera work… but the core story is sound and the effort is clear for all to see. It may not be the most polished piece of pony fan work, but it’s still an engaging one, and I’m glad I reviewed it. Plus, the iffy bits arguably add to the theme of working to overcome intrinsic limitations.
On that note, let’s see how well I can adapt these concepts to a different medium:
Canterlot Railguard 3W
Creature — Unicorn Soldier
Vigilance
Vehicles can’t attack you or planeswalkers you control.
The spears are ceremonial. The citywide force barrier is anything but.
2/4
Celestia, the Tireless 4WW
Legendary Creature — Noble
Alicorn (This card is also a Pony Pegasus Unicorn.)
Flying, vigilance
At the beginning of each opponent’s upkeep, untap all tapped creatures you control, then put that many fatigue counters on Celestia. Then if Celestia has ten or more fatigue counters on it, remove them and transform it.
4/4
Celestia, Impending Nova
(R) Legendary Creature — Berserker
Alicorn, flying, double strike
Whenever Celestia deals damage, put that many +1/+1 counters on it.
When Celestia’s power is 10 or greater, sacrifice it.
When Celestia dies, it deals damage equal to its power to each creature and planeswalker.
2/6
Legacy Wonderbolt 5W
Creature — Pegasus Soldier
This spell costs 1 less to cast for each creature with flying you control.
Flying, vigilance
Forecast — 1W, Reveal Legacy Wonderbolt from your hand: Create a 1/1 white Pegasus creature token with flying. (Activate this ability only during your upkeep and only once each turn.)
3/3
Young Expositor 1U
Creature — Unicorn Wizard
Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, detain target creature an opponent controls. (Until your next turn, that creature can’t attack or block and its activated abilities can’t be activated.)
Everyone’s happy to listen to the cute filly. Few notice the hours pass in the process.
1/2
Iterative Augmenter 2U
Creature — Unicorn Artificer
When Iterative Augmenter enters the battlefield, create a 1/1 colorless Thopter artifact creature token with flying.
Evolve (Whenever a creature enters the battlefield under your control, if that creature has greater power or toughness than this creature, put a +1/+1 counter on this creature.)
0/1
Left Unsaid 3U
Instant
Target spell or nonland permanent’s owner puts it on the top or bottom of their library.
“The end of the world is always a messy affair. Figuring out all of the details can wait until after you know the sun will rise tomorrow.”
—Twilight Sparkle, Bearer of Magic
Star Swirl, Daring Arcanist 3U
Legendary Creature — Unicorn Wizard
Instant and sorcery spells you cast cost (ur) less to cast.
5R: Exile Star Swirl, then return him to the battlefield transformed. This ability costs 1 less to activate for each instant and sorcery card in your graveyard.
Magical mastery was only the beginning.
3/3
Discord, Living Backlash
(UR) Legendary Planeswalker — Discord
You may activate Discord’s loyalty abilities any time you could cast an instant.
+1: Add UR. You may cast sorcery spells as though they had flash this turn.
-2: Target spell’s controller may have you copy it. If they do, you may choose new targets for the copy. Otherwise, counter that spell.
-7: You get an emblem with “Once each turn, you may cast an instant or sorcery spell without paying its mana cost.”
3
Abandon the Burden 1B
Sorcery
Target player sacrifices a creature.
Madness B (If you discard this card, discard it into exile. When you do, cast it for its madness cost or put it into your graveyard.)
“I’ve done enough.”
—Princess Celestia
Blinding Darkness 2B
Sorcery
Target creature gets -4/-2 until end of turn. That creature’s controller discards a card.
It’s not the night that gets you. It’s knowing that the day will never come.
Oath of the Forsaken Sun 3B
Enchantment
When Oath of the Forsaken Sun enters the battlefield, it becomes night.
It can’t become day.
At the beginning of your upkeep, you draw a card and lose 1 life.
The maddened Celestia forsook the only companion she’d had for her entire reign.
Cornotronic Dynamo 1R
Artifact Creature — Unicorn Equipment
Cornotronic Dynamo and equipped creature each get +X/+X, where X is the number of noncreature spells you’ve cast this turn.
Reconfigure 1R (1R: Attach to target creature you control; or unattach from a creature. Reconfigure only as a sorcery. While attached, this isn’t a creature.)
2/1
Motormouth Mechanist 2R
Creature — Pony Artificer
Whenever you cast a spell from anywhere other than your hand, exile the top card of your library. You may play that card this turn.
Much like his creations, he only needs a bit of windup to go all day.
3/2
Warped Perspective 2R
Instant
Devoid (This card has no color.)
Switch the power and toughness of each of any number of target creatures until end of turn.
Through eyes meant for the Blind Eternities, conventional space can be a strange and surreal experience.
Determined Filly 1G
Creature — Unicorn Shaman
Determined Filly has indestructible as long as you cast a spell that targeted it this turn.
Heroism comes in all shapes and sizes.
2/2
Implied Altercation 2G
Sorcery
Split second (As long as this spell is on the stack, players can’t cast spells or activate abilities that aren’t mana abilities.)
Target creature you control deals damage equal to its power to target creature you don’t control.
Between blinks, bruises bloomed.
Legacy of the Magnus 2G
Enchantment — Saga
(As this Saga and enters and after your draw step, add a lore counter.)
I, II — Create a 2/2 green Pony creature token.
III — Exile this Saga, then return it to the battlefield transformed.
Heroes of Old Ponyland
(G) Enchantment Creature — Pony Warrior
Trample
Other Ponies, Pegasi, and Unicorns you control get +1/+1 and have trample.
The Magnus, a mysterious warrior from another world, guided ponykind through its darkest hour and taught its first champions how to rise to greatness.
3/3
Classroom Telescope 3
Artifact
T: Scry 1.
3, T: Learn. (You may reveal a Lesson card you own from outside the game and put it into your hand, or discard a card to draw a card.)
Luna’s guest lectures often got sidetracked by newly encountered modern wonders.
Polished Princess 6
Artifact Creature — Golem
Alicorn
Flying
Ward 3 (Whenever this creature becomes the target of a spell or ability an opponent controls, counter, counter it unless that player pays 3.)
Precious materials for a precious subject.
4/4
Cosmic Holist BG
Creature — Pony Shaman
When Cosmic Holist dies, you may exile it. When you do, return target card from your graveyard to your hand.
“We are stardust, and to stardust will we return.”
2/2
Raw Determination (gw)(gw)
Enchantment — Aura
This spell has flash as long as it targets a Human.
Enchanted creature gets +2/+2.
“They used to hunt by walking at their prey until it fell over from exhaustion. No wonder they conquered their world.”
—Sunset Shimmer
Charge Density Integration GUR
Sorcery
Create a 0/0 green and blue Fractal creature token, then put X +1/+1 counters on it, where X is the greatest mana value among instant and sorcery cards in your graveyard.
Interdisciplinary projects yield Strixhaven’s most incredible displays.
Inspiration Elemental 2UR
Creature — Elemental
Flash
When Inspiration Elemental enters the battlefield or dies, draw a card.
“Inspiration comes and goes in an instant, leaving countless new possibilities in its wake.”
—Mineral MacGuffin, The Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide
4/1
Dashed on the Rocks 2RG
Instant
Choose one or more —
• Destroy target artifact.
• Destroy target enchantment.
• Destroy target creature with flying.
Celestia: ”The Elements are gone.”
Ditzy: “Not my first damaged package.”
Stupid Complicated Game Alert: Yes, Iterative Augmenter's evolve ability will see the Thopter. That's why it costs 3 mana.
Inside Baseball Alert: Determined Filly is channeling Theros' "Heroic" ability word. A side of Stupid Complicated Game in that it doesn't activate; there's no way to preempt the invincibility (not even countering the spell, since it still targeted her).
Young Expositor has an error somewhere.
Inspiration Elemental is probable favorite for this crop.
It also wound up hewing to the times when canon forgot that alicorns are also supposed to embody the traits of the earth ponies.
I don't want to dump all over a fan work, but there were a lot of moments during this when I was thinking, "Am I supposed to know what's going on right now?" I appreciate all of the effort that went into it, but on the whole, it didn't quite work.