The Cutie Re-Mark thoughts and observations · 5:07pm Nov 29th, 2015
I was gonna do something like this earlier but I thought it would be better to wait until I had watched the eps a second time, and I’m glad I did! Just a bunch of thoughts in no particular order, some observations, and some fangirling…
I really like that Twilight did a lecture on cutie marks, focusing on the CMC and the Mane 6 getting the same marks/getting their marks at the same time. It actually kinda confirmed something I had wondered for a while: is there a whole branch of science dedicated to studying cutie marks? I mean, imagine the potential for this field of research: studying nature vs. nurture, and even studying literal vs. metaphorical cutie mark images (AJ’s apples vs. Cheerilee’s flowers). And going beyond that, just how important are cutie marks to, say, potential employers? Would having a cutie mark in a particular field give that pony an edge in the hiring process? Would an employer hire one pony over another because they have a cutie mark in that field, even if the other pony who DOESN’T have a similar cutie mark has more experience? Has anyone written fics about this?
But back to the episode.
I LOVE that every villain made an appearance. I was happy enough expecting Nightmare Moon, but nope, we get a war with King Sombra! And Zecora leading a band of rebels against Chrysalis. But I think Nightmare Moon was my favorite part. Her castle looks awesome and we got to see more bat ponies. I still wonder about those: are they a separate race, does Nightmare Moon magically change the ponies in her guard to look that way, or, like I read in a fanfic once, does their armor have temporary enchantments that gives them the bat wings, tufted ears, and fangs when they wear it? Rainbow Dash has the bat wings but lacks the tufted ears, fangs, and cat pupils. For now my headcanon is that they aren’t a separate tribe, but Luna/Nightmare Moon permanently alters their appearance. Also I like the changes they made to NMM’s design - she’s much more toothy in these eps. The way her fangs are visible every time she speaks looks really cool.
The NMM part gave me a really cool story/art idea that I’ll start once I have time, probably early next year. I’m so excited!
I still can’t believe we got an actual war in canon, and it was really dark too! I hadn’t noticed it the first time watching, but RD only had one metal wing. At first I thought it was just armor, but when I watched it a second time and saw that the other wing was normal, I realized….RAINBOW DASH LOST A WING. IN A WAR. HOLY------
I mean, DAMN.
Also, what was going on with that wasteland timeline that Twi takes Starlight to? What the heck could have happened?
Going back to talking about cutie marks, I find it very interesting that stopping the Sonic Rainboom doesn’t prevent the Mane 6 from getting their original cutie marks. In the war timeline they seem to be contributing to the war effort by using their normal talents. So the significance of the Rainboom isn’t that it gave the Mane 6 their cutie marks, it’s that it gave them their marks at the SAME TIME, which led to events that made them all be in Ponyville for the Summer Sun Celebration. That’s pretty cool, especially since I thought that the episodes would explore the Mane 6 getting different cutie marks as a result of Starlight stopping the Rainboom.
I liked Starlight before, but I really like her now. She was such a bitch in these episodes and I loved it. Convincing the bullies that what they were doing was wrong, shooting RD with a laser, clapping when Twi accidentally traps in RD in a crystal – hilarious! Also I really like that they acknowledge just how magically powerful Starlight is. I’ve seen quite a few people in the fandom complain that Twilight, the Element of Magic, doesn’t seem to be as powerful as Starlight or even Sunset Shimmer, but I think they’re missing the point. Twilight is powerful because of her connection to her friends; she may not be as strong in raw magical ability, but she doesn’t need to be. The Element of Magic focuses power from the other Elements.
I think that a lot of Equestria’s problems would be solved if there were therapists. Luna going ax-crazy because she feels unloved, Moondancer becoming a depressed shut-in because one pony doesn’t go to her party, Starlight becoming a cult leader because her friend got his cutie mark. Seriously, you all need some intense mental help. But what I really liked about seeing Starlight’s past was Sunburst and his parents – they have realistic horse markings! His mom has socks and his dad has a blaze, and Sunburst has both! SO FREAKING CUTE. I wonder if this might become a design trend in the future, like some background ponies having dull Crystal Pony manes in Magical Mystery Cure.
So I think that’s it! Great episodes, definitely going in my favorites. I wonder if this means that Starlight will show up in Season 6 as a minor character.
I think there was just armor over their wings to make them look like bat wings.
Love all the points you made here!