Some OCs Review The One Where Pinkie Knows · 7:28pm Oct 19th, 2015
I’m surprised though, Lord Tydal… I wouldn’t think a war god would be so giddy about babies!
I know, I know, but I can’t help myself… they are so cute! All small and sweet and trying to babble… when they hit the peak level of cuteness they are just the greatest thing ever.
Peak…level of cuteness?
Of course! They start off all scrunched up like little prunes but then get cuter and cuter until they can sit up and wave and babble. That is peak level of cuteness. Then they get a touch older and stop being cute. Oh, little ones are fun to play with, but they can’t compete with babies, what with their chubby cheeks and their sloppy swordplay. I wonder if it is up to me or Shining to get the baby his or hurt first weapon.
Speaking of cute did you see Pound Cake riding gummy? EEEEEEEE! And then Pumpkin shushes Pinkie! So… much.. cuteness!
So I’m going to be the only one to talk about this episode rationally, huh?
You aren’t buying my baby a sword.
What about a club? I mean, babies have rattles and they are basically clubs.
Yup, the only one.
Alright, so before we get into what this episode means for the series, I want to talk about the plot itself. I’m so happy the writers didn’t spare a moment when it came to revealing the big news. I know there are some complaining about the fact that we didn’t even get to the theme before we found out that Cadence and Shining are having a baby but I for one am thrilled they dropped that bombshell… mostly because it wasn’t that big of a boom. Pretty much everyone in the fandom knew it was coming from the synopsis so dragging it out would have been just… boring.
Shining, just look at this catalog of weapons and select one little Tydal Jr. would like.
We aren’t naming him after you! And we are not… is that ‘Baby’s First Morningstar’!?!?!?
Of course, only the best for Tydal Jr. Anyway, you’re right Flicker. But I’d say you didn’t even need the synopsis to guess what was going to happen. When I saw the trailer for the back half of Season 5 I had a feeling we’d go down this route.
Exactly! And the thing is that this episode wasn’t about the reveal to the audience about the baby… it was about Pinkie knowing the secret and trying to be a good friend and not ruin the surprise. I think we’ve all had moments were there was big news and we wanted to share it but couldn’t. When I was living in Detrot I was friends with a reporter and he’d always give me juicy little tidbits that were ‘off the record’. He couldn’t print them right away because important ponies had asked him to hold off but he wanted to share with me. And while I never revealed a word of what he told me… I came close a few times. When you know something exciting that is going to make you people or ponies happy you want to tell them right away… but you also understand that sometimes it isn’t your place to tell. That is what we got here, with Pinkie waffling between the desire to tell her friends the news and knowing it wasn’t her secret to tell.
I love the fact that Pinkie Sense was used as a cover! It is a great call back, as we haven’t had it in a while, and the way her friends just accepted it really speaks to how far Twilight has come since ‘Feeling Pinkie Keen’. Also… Shining’s room! Shining’s room! It is so cute that Twilight wanted to make a room that felt like home to him! The little train, the small bed… just so wonderful.
More than that… development for Shining Armor! Hints of his childhood and his likes. Including something I’m sure Tydal loves: new fiction.
Yup! Flash Fortunes, Equestria’s version of Flash Gordon, was a nice touch. Even if it is never mentioned again, the idea that Shining Armor read Sci Fi adventure books as a colt is great. Also, the confirmation that there are more comics than the Power Ponies was a nice touch.
Though my inner nerd is crying that Spike destroyed an Action Stallion #1.
Meh, I’m more partial to Batstallion myself. By the way, speaking of Shining’s room… he has his own Smarty Pants doll! Or Brutus Horse doll. That is so touching! Oh! Oh! New headcanon! Twilight’s grandma, Twilight Twinkle, made Smarty Pants and Brutish Force for Twilight and Shining!
Huh… I really like that idea. Would explain their looks and give them more depths. Though… now we need to lead a raid to get Smarty Pants back from Big Mac.
Meh, I have the headcanon Big Mac did give it back after a few days, realizing how important it was, and Twilight in turn got him his own Apple-themed doll as a thank you. I call it Buck Rogers and he is a little astronaut doll. Hmmm… every little one needs a trusted stuffed pal. I had a little stuffed kitty cat named Author Insert.
I had a monkey with Velcro paws I’d wear around my neck.
I still have my plush manta ray.
Really?
What?
I expected you to have a stuffed sword or shield or something.
Shining, Shining, Shining… all my weapons were steel. Including Baby’s First Morningstar. Now, there are different colors so which one do you think your foal would like? While we could go with pink or blue I like gender neutral colors. A nice yellow Morningstar?
Back to the episode… I see it didn’t take too long for the CMC to get bored, what with not having days filled with Cutie Mark Finding to keep them occupied. I kid, of course, but still it was funny to see them walking there with their Marks and saying they were bored. Or maybe I’m just taking that too seriously
Shhhh! That’s Firebrand’s catchphrase. If he hears you say it he’ll hunt us down and do… uh… Youtube reviewer things to us.
You know, thinking about Pinkie’s dream sequence with her friends as balloons… it makes me wonder if there is something with balloons in Pinkie’s past. I mean, when Discord was taunting and tormenting her he also used balloons to break her and here again we see Pinkie suffering as balloons mock her. It can’t just be a coincidence that balloons figure in twice to Pinkie’s unfurling mental state.
Maybe she was attacked by that stupid clown from IT. Stupid demon, trying to scare Luna when she was a filly… I enjoyed killing him.
…we can discuss that later. What did you guys think of the scavenger hunt? I thought it was really fun! Especially when I realized that Mayor Mare, Featherweight, and the Quill and Sofa seller were all in on the secret. Really funny stuff.
I liked it too but it also lent to a theory I want to talk about later. I guess the only thing I do what to talk about directly is Applejack’s baby photo.
Because it was so cute? EEEEEE!
Well, yes. But also that it made the most sense as the item to find. Applejack would be the only one to have their birth certificate on file in Ponyville. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy grew up in Cloudsdale, Pinkie grew up on the rock farm far away from Ponyville, Twilight was born in Canterlot, and considering that Rarity’s parents don’t appear often and their accents I don’t think she was born in Ponyville either. Only AJ was for sure.
Good point. Now, if no one has anything else, I suppose we can turn our attention to the episode as a whole. You and Mary start… I need to see about setting up the crib for Shining and Cadence’s foal! I’m thinking of putting it in the main tower next to my bedroom; that way, when the little one wakes up, I’ll be able to get to him or her quick.
Tydal, you do realize the baby will live with us and not with you, right? Right? Right?!?!
So the first thing overall that stood out for me wasn't the whole baby announcement; what I found really interesting was how this episode developed Shining Armor.
Oh, you mean like his likes and hobbies?
Well, yeah there is that. Yes, it was really great to see a glimpse into Shining Armor's life. Before this episode, if I were to have made a list of his interests, it would have looked like this: Likes- Twilight, Cadence, Not having crystals shoved into his horn. Which is sad because he had all this stuff that could have led to really great moments in the show. He is the captain of the royal guard who fell in love with a princess. He is the older brother of one of the cast members and she clearly adores him. He is a powerful unicorn; not in the way Twilight is but in his own unique way, able to do things the princesses can't. And yet the authors fell into the trap of 'show, don't tell'.
I really do hate that phrase. Too many small minded critics throw it around to justify any dislike without really understanding what it means.
You don't think it applies here?
I didn't say that. This time I do think you are quite correct. Shining Armor has always been rather empty as a character. Rather than treating him as a new character he comes off as little more than a new prop to move along the story. He showed anger in Canterlot Wedding (which ended up being unjustified and he never apologized for his behavior) and in Twilight's Kingdom, and he showed some sadness at weddings during Slice of Life. That is it. Characters like Miss Cheerilee were given more depth.
I can hear you, you know.
Cheer up! At least you aren't Flash Sentry
I have depth! I was born a slave but then a warrior from another world took me from my home and trained me to become a knight!
...that's Anakin Skywalker's backstory!
This episode did give us a lot when it came to fleshing out who Shining Armor is. Going back to that list of likes we can add model trains, ant farms, Flash-
Yay!
-Fortune
Awwww
and comic books. That is a pretty interesting list.
But doesn't that fall under 'show, don't tell'? I mean, yeah, we saw those things but still.
I think what Flicker is getting at is that these things also let us draw conclusions about Shining Armor.
Exactly! I mean, just look at how giddy he was seeing that room. It wasn't him merely being happy... that stallion was absolutely ecstatic and was bouncing around like a colt on Hearth's Warming Day. We got to see a side of Shining Armor we've never seen before: his childish side.
But more than that, there is a lot we can infer based on his likes and those around him. Shining Armor is clearly a reader. We've never seen a tv or a radio so most likely Flash Fortune is a novel series he read growing up. I wonder how much of Twilight's love of reading comes from seeing her big brother get lost in his own favorite series. The same is true with the comic books; we know Spike enjoys them so maybe Shining Armor is the one that introduced him to them.
That's a really good point. I also think the way he just acted speaks to how much of a goof-ball nerd he is.
Hey!
I don't mean that as an insult. The pure joy you had when seeing that room was wonderful because it made you something more than Twilight's 'cool older brother'.
OOooo! That reminds me of an episode of 'Recess'! One of the kids had an older brother who all the kids thought was the coolest guy ever but when he comes back from college they realize he is a giant nerd. He likes obscure sci fi and makes custom pedal bikes and is just a goof. And while they were at first shocked they realized that just because he was like that didn't make him any less cool in their eyes. I think it's kinda the same thing here.
I'd say it is even better here. We know Twilight is an egghead and a nerd. But here we see that it runs in the family: Shining Armor is just as big of a nerd as Twilight. I really hope they explore this more in the future. I'd love an episode where Twilight, Shining, and Cadence go to a convention and Cadence is trying to enjoy it for their sake but can't... while those two are squealing and just having a great time and don't care in the slightest if they are acting like dorks. It would not only give us some sibling bonding time but also allow Cadence an episode to grow and be the main focus.
What about his interaction with Pinkie? That was really cool and neat too!
What do you mean?
Okay, so Pinkie was half a second away from ruining the surprise and telling Twilight about the baby. In most shows Shining would have pulled her aside and guilt tripped her or gotten mad. You know, let her know that she needed to be quiet and really put the pressure on her? Real angst-fic stuff!
But he doesn't do that. Instead he very nicely pulls her aside and states that he understands and that he's impressed she managed to last as long as she did. He KNEW how much it was killing her not being able to say it and didn't blame her for almost spilling the beans. And rather than guilt her into staying quiet he treated her with respect and asked her to please hold out for a while more, explaining he had a way he wanted to share it. THAT is the big brother Twilight has been telling us about and I was thrilled for us to see it. Yeah, we saw Shining's goofy side... but we also saw the kind, understanding side of him that didn't judge and offered praise.
There was one final moment I saw with Shining that I liked: him and Mr. Cake celebrating. Here we had not just two stallions talking (even if we couldn't hear what they were saying) but two FATHERS talking. I can imagine that Shining was sharing his joy with new father Mr. Cake, with the baker happily offering advice to Shining. Just another great moment that helped add to Shining's character.
Of course... that's also kind of depressing.
Huh?
How can it be depressing?
Because this is the episode we should have gotten back in Season 2! Not the baby stuff... I mean the development for Shining Armor. I rag on the guy, I admit it. I enjoy mocking him and making fun of him and hiding the fact that Tirek is his real father.
Please don’t start that rumor. Twilight still is wondering if she’s Nightmare Moon’s kid thanks to the Cakes.
But Shining Armor has so much potential to be an interesting character and when I see it displayed here I grow depressed that we didn’t get to experience this sooner. Personally, I think they should have had ‘Canterlot Wedding’ take place in Ponyville. Have it that Shining and ‘Cadence’ (Chrysalis in disguise) stop in to visit Twilight and reveal the news and recruit the Mane 6. Shining and Twilight would bond and we’d get scenes like the room but we’d also get ‘Cadence’ ruining things and making Shining Armor go against who he was… say that while the room was nice Cadence wanted to stay somewhere else other than a library, have him not want to do some of the things Twilight knows he would enjoy, so on. Then, after Twilight alienates herself from her friends and Shining tells her not to come (maybe even going as far as having all of Ponyville see this to give us a public shaming), Chrysalis would reveal herself and trap Twilight in the Everfree while her friends and Shining went on to Canterlot. Twilight would find the real Cadence and then team up with the citizens of Ponyville (who would stand with her and show that Twilight is now part of the community) to race to Canterlot and stop the wedding in time. It would be this big epic charge, with all the secondary characters like Mayor Mare and Big Mac and such aiding Twilight in charging into Canterlot to save the day.
…quick, someone kidnap DarthLink and make him write this!
Okay, if we are sharing ideas, I want to share one of mine. I… think Twilight knew about the baby.
Huh? What do you mean?
Well, people are commenting that Twilight was rather dense in this episode, not getting what the clues meant and it taking her a long time to figure things out. You can read into that several ways but my personal theory is that Twilight already knew and was trolling Pinkie.
Why would she do that?!?!
Four words: Green… Isn’t… Your… Color. I think Mrs. Cake or Mr. Cake spilled the beans to Twilight and also told her that Pinkie knew. Twilight quickly realized that Pinkie was struggling with the secret and decided to get some playful revenge of her little pink friend. Thus why she took so long figuring things out and made sure to ask for things like ‘BABY carrots’ and say Shining carried Brutus Horse like his BABY.
That is very wicked mental warfare… I approve.
I’m not sure I can. Just seems OOC to me.
Hey!
OOC, not OC.
Ah. Complaint withdrawn.
So I guess the only thing left to do is discuss the cute baby elephant in the room. Or the cute foal in the… I’m bad at metaphors, let’s talk about the foal. Do you guys think it will be Skyla?
I’m honestly not sure. I mean, it would be rather odd that they would put out a toy years before the big reveal… would make it rather anti-climatic. I think it more likely that Skyla is no different from the other toy-only alicorns we’ve seen in the line and people just jumped to the wrong conclusion. Truth be told, I’m hoping that we get a colt, as it would be rather unexpected and offer some interesting storylines with Twilight trying to care for a little prince rather than a princess.
As for the baby itself… I love that they are going that route. It is going to open up a ton of storylines for the writers. The Cake Twins, sadly, have been reduced to background ponies and really don’t do much anymore save for episodes like this, but I hope the future foal gets more focus. I’m already going to call it that the final episode of Season 6 will be called ‘A Royal Birth’ and be a two parter with an evil force, maybe Catrina, trying to get the foal and the Mane 6 having to fight her and save her. After that, we’ll get at least one episode of Twilight having to babysit (with a role reversal again where Pinkie is now the knowledgeable one and Twilight is flustered babysitting) and after that the child will slowly grow and get an episode or two appearance per season.
For those worried that this will hurt the show… I say that they are quite wrong. I think we should be celebrating the fact that a children’s show is willing to let their characters evolve and grow and change rather than sticking to the status quo. It is a brilliant thing and I look forward to seeing where we go from here.
Excuse me, but I heard someone used my catchphrase and I am here to do Youtube Reviewer things to them
…uh… Flash Sentry did it!
Wait what? No, get away! No Commander, NOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Firebrand is the property of the great Fiery Joker, who gave me permission to use him. The background is the first of several custom backgrounds I have created for Tydal's Keep... if you guys want I can post them up for use. And Happy Tydal is so scary.
I loved this episode as well, unfortunately it still refuses to show something I want seen. I want to see, in definite proof, where Spike stands in Twilight's life. She hatched Spike, that much is true. But after that... what? Did Twilight Velvet adopt Spike and he's now Twilight and Shining's surrogate brother. Was he raised by some of the castle staff? Celestia?
What I'm saying is that, even more than Shining's character being developed, which I did love don't get me wrong, I want to see some interaction between Spike and Shining and whether or not they act like brothers. Spike is the second main character, fourth to be introduced in the show after Celestia and Luna, technically second if you go by stated name. I want to know where he stands.
3482417
I've always wanted to see an episode where Shining, Spike, and Big Mac go on an adventure
3482515 Why Big Mac? though I can see Big Mac and Spike together, since Spike says that they hang out trading Hoofball cards
3482564
It would be a 'Brothers' episode. Shining, Mac, and Spike, the three brothers of the mane 6. If Fluttershy's brother turns out to be the real deal like the rumors are claiming, he could be in it too.
Looking to start a flame war?
3482731
Why would it start a flame war? I enjoy RealityCheck's work.
This was a fantastic review, and it showed me some parts about Shining's character I didn't notice watching it the first time around. That said, Spike would be a great godfather for this baby! It's going to be raised in the Crystal Empire, it would be lucky to have the Brave and Glorious Spike as a godfather!
3482735
Please, Spike knows nothing of armed combat. The child needs Lord Tydal to be his or her godfather and teach the little one how to use a scimitar.
3482734 I know, but now a days, even mentioning him can get people riled up. He's been pissing a lot of people off, recently. Honestly, I'm one of them, though I do still enjoy his work.
P.S. And no, I'm not going to start one. Just making a joke.
3482739 If Tidal is going to give that child steel weapons from birth, who better to watch over it than someone with dragonhide? (Ok, he's less likely to make "godfather" than he is to get "manny.")
3482734 Because Reality Check is... ... ... abrasive.
3482801
3482746
Ah. See, I don't follow his blog or anything, so honestly I don't know about any of it. I think I'll delete the reference just for safety's sake. Still works with DarthLink
3482768
That's how I see it playing out: Spike ends up basically the manny. As for dragonscale... Tydal is immortal. And I sense that Cadence's foal will need another immortal around to ensure it doesn't destroy the world out of 'funsies'
3482890 I suppose Spike would have a difficult time putting Skyla the Endbringer down for her nap.
The episode was good enough. I just had to remember Pinkie episodes are not made for me.
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