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DrakeyC


Writer, reviewer, creator of Filly Fantasy VI, occasional PMV maker, and uploader of mildly amusing image macros to Derpibooru. https://www.patreon.com/drakeyc

More Blog Posts1514

  • Today
    Friends with Ponies

    Twilight and Sunset:

    Twilight: "Hey Rarity, can I borrow your hair curler, I can't find mine."
    Rainbow: *eyes widen*

    Pinkie: "Oh my god, I just thought you guys were doing it, I didn't know you were in love!"

    Shining Armor: "What? No, no no no...what are you doing? GET OFF MY SISTEEEEEEEEER!"

    Read More

    0 comments · 63 views
  • 2 weeks
    1000 Followers

    My thanks to Malcharion for pushing me to the milestone :D

    8 comments · 70 views
  • 2 weeks
    Revised Harmony Spirits

    I wanted a full set of these with proper art, so with permissions from mauroz, here they are. A couple effects have been tweaked to be consistent with modern vernacular in the card game and for my own better understanding of card design and balancing, and I also added a new "Tier 1.5" form for Twilight so she can have her own Fusion outside the ace monster, and finally added Sunset as a

    Read More

    5 comments · 133 views
  • 13 weeks
    Go spread the holiday cheer

    My Jinglemas gift was The Hearth's Warming Truce by TheLegendaryBillCipher, go give it a read and leave a comment.

    0 comments · 75 views
  • 16 weeks
    2024 will (hopefully) be the end

    The outline is done, the roadmap is drawn, all that remains is to follow it. There may be some bumps along the way, but we'll be on our way.

    My friends, let us step together beyond the horizon.

    6 comments · 332 views
Mar
30th
2016

Comic Review - Main Series #40 · 5:14pm Mar 30th, 2016

Twilight and Spike. A relationship of ambiguous closeness that is one of the foundations of G4. Is she his mom, his sister, his boss, his friend, his girlfriend, his platonic life mate? Or some combination of several of those in a way that just can't be put into words? I recall it was always a point of debate among some how much Twilight was involved with Spike's upbringing; some said Celestia raised him and then appointed him as Twi's assistant, other said Celestia gave him to Twilight as a baby to raise. Well the latter wins that bet, because this issue focuses on just that.

Our story today is brought to us by Ted Anderson, who also did the Friends Forever issues with Celestia and Spike, Rainbow Dash and Spitfire, Twilight and Big Mac, and Spike and Zecora. A good resume here, I have no... Fiendship is Magic #3 and the Cherry Smackdown? Hmm. I'll cut the guy a break, because what comics of his I've read, I've liked. I'm in the minority that liked the Sirens issue, and my biggest problem with the Cherry Smackdown was that I just don't really care about Cheerilee that much. Artist is Brenda Hickey, fine by me. I'm going in optimistic, here.

We open on Rainbow Dash poking around the castle and finding Twilight looking at an old photo album her parents sent her, and of course Twi gets talking about her first day at magic school. And of course Smarty Pants cameos. Here Trixie steals the show as her mother appears for the first time, and we get nods to some older generations with Gusty and Starsong namedropped, and the latter even appears in a recognizable design alongside an unnamed Powder. Moondancer is also here, as is a rather jarring Sunset Shimmer recolor.

Celestia takes Twilight aside and shows her the newly hatched baby dragon from her exam, and asks for some help taking care of him, since she's sort of the ruler of the world and is a bit busy to take care of a baby. Twilight's facial expressions here are marvellous. Celestia clarifies Twilight isn't taking on the duty full-time, just helping Celestia, and she's sure Twilight can handle it. And of course Spike belches flame into Twilight's face because you knew it was coming sooner or later.

Twilight reads all she can about taking care of babies, though there aren't any books for baby dragons. Spike is fed, changed, and put down to nap, when she realizes she's late to class. First, I appreciate the continuity here when Twilight's professor is Inkwell, all the way back from Micro Issue #8. Second, Trixie, Lemon Hearts, Minuette, and Sunset's recolor are in the crowd. The recolor is red and pink, and the wiki doesn't seem to list her that I can find, so I hereby name her "Sunset Swirl." Twilight is lectured by the professor for being late for her first day, and as Twilight sits down with Spike he wakes up and starts crying. I question why she brought him to class, honestly. We then get a page montage of Twilight trying, with increasing difficulty, to balance taking care of Spike with her classes. She confesses in a conversation with Smarty Pants that she's worried she can't do this, but she doesn't want to disappoint Celestia. She then goes to class as Spike watches unhappily.

Twilight's stress and lack of rest is beginning to affect her classes, and Inkwell takes her aside after one class to say that she fears Twilight isn't living up to her potential. Perhaps she needs a friend? Twilight replies she just needs some rest. A big tea party is held where the parents all attend, and Twilight is nervous a heck. Spike tries to run off but she pulls him back, determined to keep an eye on him. Celestia properly names Twilight's parents (way to drop the ball on that one, Season 6), and invites them to the parents' room to mingle. She tells Twilight she can go to the students room, but when Twilight gets nervous about it, Celestis lets her into the parent room too.

As Celestia and her parents dine with her, the two ask about Twilight's classes. She awkwardly starts talking about them as Spike slips away, and Twilight eventually snaps and admits she can't take care of Spike properly or do well in her classes, because she's too stressed from trying to juggle both. And then Spike pulls a table cloth down and gets into a mess. A furious Twilight storms back to her room with Spike and screams at him that he should be more like Smarty Pants. Spike then tries to talk and say "like Smarty Pants," and a stunned Twilight realizes Celestia wasn't giving her a baby - she was giving Twilight a friend. Twilight mangles "igk suh pah" into "suh pah ike" when thinking of a name for the guy, and when her parents arrive, she introduces them to her new friend, Spike.

This issue... disappointing. Not bad in the way a lot of the comics have been lately. But a major letdown.

Twilight and Spike being brought together and used to each other holds a lot of potential, but this comic bungles it. Celestia is shown having no part in taking care of Spike, making it seem like she takes one of her most promising new students and unloads a baby on her, then never checks in again. Twilight is a teenage mother here, basically, except it was forced upon her by her mentor and idol. Celestia is very oblivious and irresponsible, and Twilight is admirable for trying her best to take care of Spike even as it affects her performance. The moral is very forced and comes out of nowhere, with Twilight spontaneously getting over all her stress and unhappiness as Spike starts to talk, and that makes them friends somehow.

And that is where the comic fails the worst. Because we have no new insight on Spike and Twilight's relationship. Spike as a character isn't even in this backstory, he's a baby who doesn't even talk for 95% of it and otherwise only gives a few facial expressions to show his mood. And Twilight's stress and anger towards him is completely at odds with how she feels about him now. However you define the two's relationship, they are obviously very close, but reading this comic you would have no idea why.

A better way to execute this comic would have been to have Spike already a little older, walking and talking, when Celestia hands him over to Twilight who's several years into her classes. Spike would learn responsibility and direction helping Twilight with her classes, and Twilight has to learn to mellow out and be nice to the guy who's out of his depth at first. That premise has potential, in fact if you guys know of any fics like that, link me and I'd like to have a look.

Give this comic a pass and stick to whatever headcanon you like for these two. Were it not for Trixie's mother and other cameos I'd say it's a total waste.

Report DrakeyC · 528 views · #idw #comic #official comic
Comments ( 6 )

Eh, I was a lot more lenient on this comic that most others. I thought it was cute as all get out, which scores big points regardless of the material.

I think this comic is guilty of the "Show, don't Tell" criticism when it comes to Celestia's involvement. Since we don't see her helping Twilight at any time, even though the comics says she does, we get the wrong impression. Even one small panel with Celestia coming in to check on Spike would have mellowed out some readers on this topic.

Still, I got a lot of enjoyment out of this, even if the appearance of Trixie raises some continuity issues. Apparently, according to the comic writer, that was suppose to be Trixie but Hasbro said no, but it somehow slipped through anyway.

3836996 I'm not sure how Trixie raises continuity issues? It was previously stated she went to the school, and given their personalities and how long ago it was, it isn't inconceivable she and Twi just don't remember each other.

3837009
I suppose that could happen, but just I find it odd how Trixie (unless she's seriously that full of herself) wouldn't recognize a pony that has a dragon companion. They aren't exactly a common sight. But it's a minor nitpick and I can't hold it against the writers for trying to retroactively build out the world and characters. It's not like anyone at the time knew Trixie would become the popular character that she is now.

It's definitely kind of shitty for Celestia to make Twilight a teenage mom like this, it really does seem like she doesn't take Spike back at all once she hands him to Twilight.

That said, I think Celestia did her shitty action for the greater good. She's trying to prevent Twilight from becoming another Sunset Shimmer by brute-forcing empathy development on her through the care of a newborn. That doesn't excuse her actions, only explain them. I also suspect Twilight "I must impress Celestia at all costs" Sparkle may have insisted on taking over all the duties of caring for Spike, having him sleep in her room, etc.

It's just a comic, so its not like its fully canon, but for me this lays out the relationship pretty clearly. The scene where Spike invents his own name and Twilight bonds with him feels like those scenes with new mothers at the hospital, and that ending where she makes his favorite cocoa so her baby....dragon can go back to sleep? That makes the relationship pretty straightforward to me.

I thought it was cute. It could have been better yes, but it wasn't that bad.

As far as Celestia is concerned, Twilight hatched Spike, so she should be able to raise Spike (at least that is how I see it).

#6 · Apr 1st, 2016 · · ·

I'd rather stick to the fanmade comic Twilight's First Day. It's way better and this felt like it would be a bad fanfic when I saw the cover. Then again, these comics fortunately are non-canon to the show.

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