My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic - Season 7 Episode 15: "Triple Threat" (SPOILERS) · 4:01pm Aug 19th, 2017
In which Spike channels Jack Tripper.
Spike has been Twilight's son assistant for so long that he's turning into her, and is neurotically obsessing over the impending arrival of Princess Ember. He's forgotten that he invited King Thorax to Ponyville on the same day, and when Thorax shows up out of the blue, Spike freaks out about how he's going to entertain both of them.
Anyway, Ember's trying to learn more about friendship to help spread it among the dragons, while Thorax is dealing with the stress of ruling a kingdom. Twilight and Starlight try to help Spike keep Ember and Thorax separated for...completely unclear reasons. I mean, seriously, he just freaks out for no logical reason about the whole thing and Twilight and Starlight enable his freakout. Because of this, things get cringeworthy fast.
The Cutie Map can summon Spike now?! 
Didn't see THAT coming.
It's Spike's first time, so he's a little nervous about how he'll perform.
While Spike tries to find the friendship problem, Twilight and Starlight each try to keep Thorax and Ember entertained. Thorax just wants advice on how to deal with a renegade group of Changelings. Ember just wants to make some friends, and kinda sucks at it and is also a little racist. Though it IS funny watching her point out that Starlight Glimmer is basically a clone of Twilight Sparkle. 
Anyway, Ember catches up with Spike, gets mad at him for ditching her all day, Thorax hears her yelling, misunderstands the situation, turns into a bear and attacks Ember, who thinks Spike is under attack and decides to protect him from the bear. But they quickly work out their misunderstanding while Spike freaks out...
Ember and Thorax both get mad at Spike for thinking neither of them is capable of getting along with the other, and then Ember and Thorax make friends and help each other out with their own problems, then head back to Ponyville to talk things out with Spike. They all make up, Spike apologizes, friendship is friendshipped. Yay.
So yeah, this episode is...really cringeworthy. But also kinda fun. And hey, Ember. 7.5/10.
Zef: Like I said, the 'lights should've gone "Great! If we get them together they can learn from each other!"
Zef: And then several months later you'd have cute little shapeshifting drakes
Moth: ewwww
Moth: Thanks for THAT mental image
Ember's eating the castle!
The map called Spike!
Yes, this is amazing!
Derpy's muffin!
No, this is terrible!
Thorax and Ember are working together!
It's amazing again!
Well, everyone was in character, except ultimately Spike. At first it wasn't so bad, but once the map called him it was painfully obvious where they were gonna go.
I'm surprised it took this long for a "dragon eating the castle" joke.
I liked how at the end Twi and Star pointed out that he caused the very friendship problem that he fixed.
Also I just noticed in this ep that Thorax has actual eyes and not just seemingly blank blobs like changelings have seemed to in the past.
Spike: The cause of and solution to all life's problems.
My favorite part of the episode was how Starlight was utilized
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Seriously, how does Spike not get tempted?
Loved this episode, it's hilariously fitting that the first friendship problem spike gets summoned for is one he ultimately created himself. Also this pretty much confirms the map can summon whoever it wants and not just the mane 6 + Starlight. So CMC cutie map episode is inevitable.
Now quick, we need someone to come up with a good name for the Ember X Thorax ship this episode almost certainly created.
I thought this episode was kinda funny with some of the stuff that happened, and yeah, a little cringeworthy. I found it cool with Ember being a badass and doing that super hero landing. If that was just the castle Ember was eating, how would she do in the Crystal Empire? Must be really crazy for Thorax to deal with rogue changelings and asking them nicely, and Ember being too competitive. Also, Spike really should've just told the truth instead of the whole fuss that we got. How funny that Spike finally gets summoned to fix something that was his fault.
So we got another Spike episode and this one was I would say a lukewarmer, but it was pretty funny.
The map summoning Spike indeed a surprise since that not only other than the Element bearers can be summoned, but also other species. Wonder what part of them while glow though.
Seems also the writers threw another meta humour moment with Ember saying Twilight and Starlight being practically the same and she does have a point. Trixie and Sunset are also consider clones of Twilight, but their names and colour patterns are different enough so they cannot be confused with one and other.
And Moth. Was it intentional that almost all your blog post was strike through?
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Maybe.
Trying to keep two foreign heads of state from meeting seems like a huge diplomatic incident in the making, really.
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You seem to be lost. Starlight's dick is over that way. 👉
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It was an accident that I fixed almost immediately, you just loaded it before I fixed it ^^;;
The main problem I had with this episode was the map's calling of Spike and how the problem was solved. Spike basically created the friendship problem and in the end it was Ember and Thorax who solved it by talking to each other. I was half expecting the map to signal Ember and Thorax for solving the problem instead of Spike, who was the one who actually learned the friendship lesson.
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Starlight's a mare.
She doesn't HAVE a dick.
Plus it's not my fault she's as awesomely written as she is
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And now, prepare yourself for Anon-In-Equestria stories where the map summons him by making his dick glow.
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Yeah, the map calling Spike was thrown in there basically to tell the fans that yes, the map can call Spike.
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You don't spend much time on Derpibooru, I see.
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I was wondering when someone will make a joke comment about the map calling someone by its genitals.
So congrats.
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Actually, i do.
I should have phrased that better:
Canonically, Starlight doesn't have a dick
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And you're STILL missing the point...
It. Was. A. Metaphor. You. Thick. Skulled. Nincompoop!
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Yes, I know.
I was making a joke by being oblivious on purpose.
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In other words, you were trolling me.
This isn't a good day to troll me.
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I'm half tempted to make some kind of snarky remark, but because I'd rather not make enemies, I won't.
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Probably either Thomber or Embax. Neither one sounds particularly good to me.
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I would not have made that joke if I hadn't seen you pointing out the thing about body parts. As for the map calling him, I hope the writers won't make the map reach out more than that. At least Spike and Starlight have an excuse (the former more than the latter, having a throne of his own and all).
Anyhow, the past few episodes seem to share a particular theme: Unexpected/Unlikely Friendships/Affection.
-The clerk ponies keep noting how different Fluttershy and Discord (Discordant Harmony)
-Pear Butter's and Bright Mac's families hate each other (Perfect Pear)
-Twilight is upset when she learns ponies think she and her friends aren't believable as friends (Fame and Misfortune)
-Thorax and Ember instantly bond despite being incredibly different (Triple Threat)
Another thing I noticed (sorry for spamming you, Moth): This was another instance of only the protagonist saying sorry. Even though Ember yelled in his face and acted all insulted when he gave her some good advice. And Thorax apparently talked for hours without getting to the point, namely that he wanted advice on how the be more assertive. To be fair, that's not a terribly thing, but he could perhaps have noticed how much stress Spike was under at the time.
I mean, seriously, Thorax. Aren't you supposed to be really sensitive?
On top of that, while Spike was in the wrong for not trusting his friends, his fears weren't unfounded. Not at all. Ember nearly attacked one of the trumpet ponies during her welcome, she got really aggressive and upset very easily. While he isn't Old!Fluttershy, Thorax was still kind of a pushover, and there's zero reason to believe Ember has any respect for pushovers.
Don't know how nobody got to this first but: PHRASING!
The amount of excitement I have for Littke Tree's reaction to Ember...eating her out (yes, it was worth it) in this episode is comparable to that of a single Pinkamena Diane Pie.