Equestria Girls Blog 4: “Good Vibes” · 7:15pm Sep 23rd, 2017
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this new song and the music video that came with it. Oh, my goodness! Spoilers ahead, so beware.
So, the music video opens with my favorite Equestria Boy feeling a little down. Despite that, he takes the time to help someone in need, which starts this chain of events that ends up going back to him. I think what I love about this video isn’t just the fact that Flash Sentry is finally getting some respect and recognition but also because it highlights the characteristics that drew me towards him in the first place.
Okay, some of Flash’s biggest criticisms are that he is completely unremarkable and that any one of Humane 5 could have done Flash’s one big contribution to the first movie, and you know what? The people who make those criticisms are completely right, but you know what else? It doesn’t matter that he’s completely unremarkable because he still matters regardless. I mean, if people had stand out and command attention to matter, then most of us, myself and many other people that I know and love included, wouldn’t matter either, but we do, which means Flash matters. Flash Sentry may not be the hero of the story or even the sidekick, but let’s be honest with ourselves. Neither are we. At the same time, he’s so much more than just another bystander or background character, and we are too, and I love how this music video drives that point home, which brings me to my next point.
Anybody else COULD have done what Flash did in the first movie, but nobody else DID. He DID. Anybody else COULD have started the chain reaction of kindness in the music video, but nobody else DID. Flash Sentry DID, and Flash doing what he did in both instances made all the difference, and that encourages and inspires me so much. Now, I’ve had moments in my life where I have looked at myself and where I am at and realized that my place in the world isn’t very big or very important, at least from where I’m standing. However, I knew that I was where I was at for a reason and regardless of what that reason is, all I can do is whatever God needed me to do, regardless of how big or how small that whatever might be. I’ve also looked at my friendships and realized that my friends made a huge impact on my life and on who I am today just by them simply being the people God made them to be. They didn’t have to pull me out of a burning building or clear my name of a heinous crime or help me save the world from an ancient evil. They were just there being them, and that made all the difference. What Flash did may have been small and seemingly insignificant, but it made all the difference. By extension, Flash being who he is where he is made all the difference, and that’s not a bad thing to tell people.
Okay, we’ve covered Flash and the music video. Now, let’s talk about the song itself. This song could very well be Flash Sentry’s theme song. It captures Flash’s, and by extension, everybody else’s, seeming insignificance and totally refutes it, and I could just listen to it on repeat just because of that. In its heart of hearts, the song is basically a grown-up, err, teenage version of “This Little Light of Mine,” and I certainly hope that Hasbro and DHX gives Flash more opportunities to shine in the future.
I agree, the character development of Flash by helping Trixie and inspiring her to help Fluttershy. .. and so on, was great. The nice gester of Sunset giving him a bento... I can't help but feel like some sort of apology to the character by the writers... while a slight apology on Sunset's part for her ... abuse... of him in the past.
I agree the song was nice, and since you pointed out it does have a 'Little light of mine' vibe.
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You know, I can't believe that I'm just barely mentioning this now, but this music video reminds me of a scene from the live-action Disney Cinderella remake. Ella is out in the garden thoroughly discouraged because her stepmother had just trashed her mother's dress and forbidden her from going to the ball, and she meets this old beggar woman asking her for a bowl of milk. Despite how utterly miserable she is, Ella has enough kindness in her to get the old woman just that. Three guesses as to who the beggar woman turns out to be.
Okay, I feel just a touch uncomfortable comparing Flash to a Disney princess, but I personally believe that kindness should be a gender-neutral quality. It's perfectly okay for a boy to be kind. It doesn't make him unmanly. To be honest, I personally think that kind men are WAY manlier than aggressive men, which would totally explain my shipping preferences.
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To be sincere, you seem to be the one that finds that comparison uncomfortable in that way. But it should be noted that in most of our relatives (as a species i.e chimps, gorillas, etc) that are social like us, the most aggressive ... or rather violent males often face violent ends, it's the males that engage in social grooming and demonstrate other leadership skills and traits that raise. But back to the short, it does show Flash in a full positive light.
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Yeah, you're right. I shouldn't be uncomfortable comparing Flash to a Disney princess. Besides, Flash is probably secure enough in his manhood to take that comparison in stride.
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Well if it makes you feel comfortable, you could always compare him to like, Aladin, Eugene 'Flynn Rider' Fitzherbert, Kristoff, Eric, you know most of the modern Disney princes.
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That comparison doesn't really quite work though because unlike Flash in this video and Lily James's Cinderella, Aladdin doesn't immediately get rewarded for his good deed. 
Let's just say that Flash Sentry has the heart of a prince and leave it at that. 
You mean like that scene from Aladdin where the title character had just risked life and limb to get his meal for the day but decides to give it away to some hungry kids?
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Well to be sincere, Flash also doesn't get 'rewarded' immediately either, his 'reward' comes at the end of the music video, much like the Sultan changing the law to allow Jasmine to marry Aladdin and to an extent, one could argue that Aladdin is never actually 'rewarded' for giving up the bread, sure it might be the event that 'The Sands of Time' Jarfar used, to deem that Aladdin merited his classification as 'the diamond in the rough'. Then again the term immediate here is really subjective, we have a music video of less than three-minutes long in Flash's case to a musical movie about an hour plus movie long in Aladdin's. Now you might be right in terms of absolute time passage, but I think you're ignoring where in the story being told the 'reward' is being given.
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Also, I did some research and there have been a few variations of the Cinderella story with a male protagonist through the ages. One of them was from Ireland, and another one was from Zimbabwe. I also found a more modern parody version starring a cowboy. All of them involve magic bovine instead of fairy godmothers for some reason. 
Is it bad that I want to see fanart of Flash as a male Cinderella and Sunset Shimmer as his fairy godsister?
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I think is okay to picture such fan art, but such a thought never crossed my mind. Not surprised that there are male variations of the tale. Got nothing on why... maybe the cow is the fairy godparent incognito?