Friendship is Card Games: Once Upon a Zeppelin · 11:47am Oct 8th, 2017
Is this the weekend of airships or what? I’m certainly not complaining. Let’s cast off and take the tour.
Twilight seems to be taking on more and more of a workload as time goes on. It makes sense, but it’s really becoming clear how it’s taxing even her organizational skills. Somepony’s going to need to hire some staff soon, lest she drown in paperwork.
Huh. Apparently Twilight’s parents can send dragonmail. That… actually casts her relationship with them throughout the entire series in a new light. Even after she moved, her parents were only a puff of flame away, and they could contact her with a belch.
… which really goes to show that communication problems run in the family; it’s not like the parents mentioned the wedding either.
Twilight said it herself: Spike is part of her family. Though he only shows up in the cold open, he is fantastic in this episode, from taking on the burden of leadership for a bit to perfectly predicting Twilight drawing up her schedule.
A bit weird to hear Night Light call his daughter “Twilight,” especially when Twilight Velvet is billed as such in the credits. I suppose context plays a big part of conversations in this family.
It’s not much, but Twilight’s parents do get a decent amount of characterization. I never knew how much I wanted adrenaline junkie Twilight Velvet until now.
I was delighted to hear Iron Will’s voice again. A return all the more welcome for how unexpected it is.
The cruise ships propulsion system amuses me more than it probably should. Flap flap flap flap…
Accepting the prize of a contest you never entered… Well, at least it’s not a haunted mansion. Though I suppose that would entail Twilight going in with a vacuum cleaner after Shining Armor got captured and sealed in a portrait.
I see Twilight got a copy of the convention schedule.
Cloudsdale, then Canterlot, then the Crystal Empire in rapid succession. This is apparently one of those fifth-dimensional airships.
If I had been in Twilight’s unseen shoes when Iron Will revealed the true nature of the cruise, the first words out of my mouth would’ve been “Am I getting paid for this?” Granted, the forms probably include a waiver for that.
Also, good to see that Iron Will doesn’t resort to aiding and abetting dark resurrections when the motivational speech circuit dries up.
Iron Will may have performed some underhanded tactics is misrepresenting the cruise, but Night Light and Twilight Velvet are still the ones who signed the consent forms sight unseen. That’s practically a secondary lesson of the episode: Always read the fine print. If it seems too good to be true, that’s because it is.
Still, I can’t help but wonder what he would’ve done if they’d actually read and refused…
“Who doesn’t like prizes?” By the time this over, Twilight, you.
Creepy fan is creepy. Heck, I think Star Tracker’s special talent is celebrity stalking. Some of that is understandable and even relatable—heck, I though the episode was going to go for more of a “Fame and Misfortune”-esque metareferential angle with him—but there’s a limit to how I’m willing to forgive in the name of social awkwardness. Pinkie Pie-level earth pony teleportation right into Twilight's personal space crosses that line.
Huh. Minotaurs can apparently pluck objects out of telekinetic fields without collapsing the field bubble, then insert other objects in their place. Neat.
Seeing the green in Shining Armor’s face spread up his horn is more than a little disturbing. Likewise Iron Will flexing each section of his rectus abdominis muscle individually. And yet Star Tracker trumps them both.
Flurry Heart stacking the other babies is funnier than it has any right to be. It’s like playing with blocks, only they’re alive and squirming! 
Twilight still feels like she has to earn the right to call herself a princess. Impostor syndrome’s a bitch.
Who else wishes they were at the alicorn Q&A session?
Good to see Iron Will is still providing employment opportunities for enterprising young goats.
That autograph book is rich with blink-and-you’ll-miss-it jokes. Turns out Agent K was right. Elvis is not dead; he just went home. (Also Alan Rickman, David Bowie, and Celine Dion.)
Wow, Cadence. Way to rub in just how big an opportunity Twilight just missed. As she’s right in front of you. Crying her eyes out. I guess love really is blind.
Poor Star Tracker. Sure, he needs to work on the personal space thing, but I do have to feel bad about his being in the wrong place at the wrong time and getting the brunt of Twilight’s frustration. On the other hand, if he hadn’t been there, she might well have wrecked the ship as she vented, so maybe it’s for the best.
I’m a bit disappointed that we didn’t get a flashback anecdote of when Cadence had a hard time with balancing work and personal time.
Good on Twilight for apologizing. Also, I adore how the entire family, Star Tracker included, is absolutely gobsmacked by Twilight proposing something spontaneous.
I really love how Star Tracker redeems himself in the third act, even standing up to Iron Will… for about as long as the average pony can be expected to.
How does that wireless headset work?
Ponies: Vastly more understanding of their idols that humans. On average. Honestly, I never even get involved with the celebrity panels at conventions. I embarrass myself enough around the fans who are more horsefamous than I am.
Heh. I love how Iron Will learned from Fluttershy. Caveat emptor. Still a more honest businessbull than the Flimflam brothers; at least Will provided steak with the sizzle.
… Okay, not the best metaphor I could’ve chosen for a minotaur, but you get what I mean.
Dang. Velvet can lift. She’s levitating her son, her granddaughter, and herself during the family recreation of the northern stars. I see where the kids get their magical acumen.
This is a very interesting lesson, one of balance. It’s okay to be a little selfish in your life; you need to be just to stay sane. Come to think of it, it's sort of the reflection of the other Iron Will episode. Here, despite the misgivings of those close to a pony, he's encouraging that pony to be less assertive.
In all, this was a big pile of fun. A few missed opportunities for richer characterization for the Sparkle family, but still a greatly enjoyable episode.
And now we have some hand-crafted cards being served on the lido deck:
Wall of Paperwork 1W
Creature — Wall
Defender
Whenever Wall of Paperwork blocks one or more black and/or red creatures, it gets +4/+0 until end of turn.
Forms left in the Palace-Tree learn to detect those who violate their listed statutes.
0/4
Air Sickness 2W
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature has flying.
Prevent all damage that would be dealt by enchanted creature.
”How do pegasi do this all day?”
—Shining Armor
Disciple of Friendship 2W
Creature — Unicorn Citizen
Battalion — Whenever Disciple of Friendship and at least two other creatures attack, create a 1/1 blue Unicorn creature token.
”We’re all just happy to be included.”
2/2
Tactical Telekineticist 2WW
Creature — Unicorn Wizard
Battalion — Whenever Tactical Telekineticist and at least two other creatures attack, attacking creatures gain flying until end of turn.
”Hold on, everypony! This might get bumpy.”
3/2
Disciple of Love 3W
Creature — Pony Citizen
Soulbond (You may pair this creature with another unpaired creature when either enters the battlefield. They remain paired for as long as you control both of them.)
As long Disciple of Love is paired with another creature, paired creatures you control get +1/+1.
2/2
Give Consent U
Sorcery
The next spell you cast this turn can’t be countered by spells or abilities.
Draw a card.
”You signed the form. Here comes the storm!”
—Iron Will, cruise director
Quill Keeper 1U
Creature — Dragon Advisor
T: Draw a card. Activate this ability only if you have no cards in hand.
He treasures each feather like a flawless diamond, only giving them away in times of true need.
1/2
Northern Stars X2U
Sorcery
Scry X, then draw X cards. (To scry X, look at the top X cards of your library, then put any number of them on the bottom of your library and the rest on top in any order.)
Watching the majesty of the cosmos unfold will inspire anyone.
Golden Parachute 1B
Enchantment
When Golden Parachute enters the battlefield, create a colorless Treasure artifact token with “T, Sacrifice this artifact: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool.”
Sacrifice a Treasure: Target creature gains indestructible until end of turn.
Obsessive Stalker 2B
Creature — Pony Citizen
You may cast Obsessive Stalker from your graveyard as long as you control a legendary creature.
”Hi again.”
2/2
Adrenaline Rush 1R
Instant
Target attacking creature you control gets +X/+0 until end of turn, where X is its power. Exert that creature. (It won’t untap during your next untap step.)
“Why should the kids have all the fun?”
—Twilight Velvet
Menacing Flex 1R
Sorcery
Target creature gets +2/+2 and gains menace until end of turn.
Most minotaur body language is unprintable.
Barrel Rammer 2RR
Creature — Goat Minion
T: Another target creature you control gains flying until end of turn. Destroy that creature at the beginning of the next end step.
A typical day for a goat. A momentous event for a unicorn.
2/3
Admiral Iron Will 3RR
Legendary Creature — Minotaur Pilot
Goats and Vehicles you control have menace.
Whenever a Vehicle you control deals combat damage to a player, create a 2/2 red Goat creature token.
Any airship he pilots has at least two giant gasbags.
3/3
Flame of the North 4RR
Creature — Elemental
When Flame of the North enters the battlefield, it deals 3 damage to target creature or player.
The same fire burns deep beneath the Frozen North as everywhere else.
5/4
Adoring Horde 1GG
Creature — Pony Citizen
As long as you control a legendary creature, you may cast Adoring Horde as though it had flash.
Twilight could’ve sworn the other guests weren’t wearing those T-shirts when she got on board.
3/3
Cruise Zeppelin 3
Artifact — Vehicle
Flying
Whenever Cruise Zeppelin attacks, defending player gains control of it at end of combat.
Crew 2 (Tap any number of creatures you control with power 2 or more: This Vehicle becomes an artifact creature until end of turn.)
5/5
Reenact WU
Instant
Target instant or sorcery card in your graveyard gains convoke and flashback until end of turn. The flashback cost is equal to its mana cost. (You may cast that card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Each creature you tap while doing so pays for 1 or one mana of that creature’s color. Then exile the spell.)
Bear Market 1WU
Instant
Counter target spell. That spell’s controller can’t cast spells that share a card type with that spell this turn.
After his last seminar barely pulled in a dozen ponies, Iron Will decided to look for a different line of work.
Historical Inaccuracy 2UB
Sorcery
Exile all cards from target player’s graveyard. That player puts that many cards from the top of his or her library into his or her graveyard.
”We are now passing Appleoosa, where Princess Twilight fought the vicious yak prince Grogar!”
—Iron Will, cruise director
Question 2RW//Answer 2WB
Sorcery//Sorcery
Question: Each player chooses a creature he or she controls. Question deals 3 damage to each other creature.
Answer: Destroy target permanent.
Oh shit, it's right there in his name even! :D You blew this wide open!
Prologue Spike and the Jenga Foal Tower were my favorite parts of the episode. The part of me that enjoys luxury airships would have been intensely disappointed had the ship not had a lido deck at all, but thank goodness it did; it was just temporarily converted into a pedalboat track.
Needed more princesses in hot tubs, of which there were zero.
4691089
That was my takeaway too. Sure, he's awkward and annoying and honestly a total creeper but, man, that's his special talent. What else are you gonna do when destiny tells you that?
I really want the picture on "Disciple of Love" to be the filly in the intensely creepy Cadance mask.
And then Flurry Heart grows to be a mad despot who treats her fellow ponies as mere puppets of her will.
I have complicated feelings about this episode. It wasn't bad, but it had this angle of emotional manipulation that I do not like one bit. Not just from Iron Will, but the fact that Twilight's entire family went along with her being manipulated and extorted makes the whole damn family feel like a den of dysfunctional abusers.
I semi-honestly believe the real reason they made Shining Armor sick is because if he had been able to think clearly nothing would have stopped him from kicking Iron Will's skull in
Well, the episode definitely managed to present a more believably villainous Iron Will than the comics did.
I still haven't watched this episode, but now that I know Flurry Heart is in this one, I'm a lot less excited about it. Maybe I'll watch it and just skip Flurry Heart's scenes. I don't like the infernal spawn of OP alicorns at all. I am intrigued by Twilight's parents and Iron Will getting some much needed characterization, however.
I think Barrel Rammer should have an "Unless that creature's controller sacrifices an artifact" clause. I'd like to hope the barrel exists for a reason.
So, are they going to adopt Star Tracker?
I found Iron Will's role as an antagonist in this episode pretty interesting, especially since it contrasts with previous small-time villains. What I mean is, if you tried to bring the Flim-Flam brothers to court for something they did, you would likely have decent grounds to sue -- pretty much everything they do involves scamming, grifting or false advertising in some way. Same with the other villains around their level -- Wind Rider? Framing of an innocent. Suri Polomare? There might be a way to make intellectual theft charges stick. Lighting Dust? Reckless endargement of others. Gilda? Some form of assault, public disturbance or whatever you'd get charged with for screaming in a random stranger's face on the street, plus shoplifting.
But from a purely legal point of view, Iron Will was the one in the right here -- he stated everything and every clause about the cruise in the contracts, and stuck to them. If you don't read what you sign, well... legally, that's your fault.
Now, of course, Iron Will was morally in the wrong, even if he was in the legal right -- he was pushy, overbearing, manipulative and kind of a jackass. But it's still a distinction to make, which you don't get that often with MLP antagonists, and thought that was interesting.
Plus, between this and his confrontation with Fluttershy in "Putting Your Hoof Down", I'm definitely getting a Lawful Neutral vibe from him. He honors his contracts, he's upfront about everything he does and he doesn't go back on his word. It just doesn't seem to occur to him that there's more to being honest and trustworthy than sticking obsessively to the letter of the law, or that there something beyond the letter of the law.
Put it another way: the "Good" lesson to learn from his experience with Fluttershy would have been finding a way to ensure your costumers are satisfied. The "Lawful" lesson, which was the one he did learn, was to find and close the legal loophole.
Star Tracker should learn from this guy.
Well hot damn. I wanna see this episode now. So Twilight’s mom is cannononically names Twilight Velvet, eh?
Obsessive Stalker’s hilarious, especially the flavour text. It’s like saying in a normal tone of voice like it wasn’t a big deal, “Oh, hey. I’m back.” I wonder if it would throw off balance if it could recur on a Planeswalker. Didn’t the legendary rule recently get changed to apply to ‘Walkers?
If there were some sort of Yandere creature, pretty sure they’d have that stalker recursion ability tagged on, along with creature removal or some form of disruption.
Clearly she is just salty about missing the barrel jump. Velvet gets to have all the fun.
4691109
Here you go!
https://derpibooru.org/1555916
4691321
Iron Will's role seems partially inspired by the IDF comic, where another minotaur runs an "above board, ethically and morally bankrupt" style of business... mostly, anyway. I won't spoil it, but suffice it to say that it reminded me of that comic plot.
4691853
At least Iron Will didn't do something that really ought to have been an act of war.
4691884
But indeed worthy of landing himself in a banishment prison.
4691973
Actually, he's legally in the right as far as we can tell. Morally, not so much.
4691109
4691836
Oh my lord. There is already fan art for this pony and it is awesomely unnerving.
derpicdn.net/img/view/2017/10/8/1554866__safe_artist-colon-assasinmonkey_once+upon+a+zeppelin_spoiler-colon-s07e22_cadance+mask_female_filly_grin_hoof+hold_horseshoes_mask_nightmare+f.png
4691089
Given that name and a cutie mark of a trail of hoofprints leading to a Walk of Fame star, what else could it be?
4691090
"The second I get back, I'm getting a hot tub installed in the castle. I don't care if Spike has to eat room for the pipes, it's happening."
4691182
You make it sound like that wasn't going to happen anyway.
4691197
Twilight's early belief that one wrong move could destroy Celestia's respect for her could imply a less than healthy emotional environment at home.
4691205
Flurry plays an exceedingly minor role. The episode focuses on her for less than a minute, and it's for a rather funny gag.
4691214
The falls that cushion the blow, strangely enough. That goat would happily ram barrels off of any cliff. He's a loose cannon, that one.
4691252
"Honorary family member for a day." This will probably be one of the best days of Star Tracker's life, but I think he already has a family.
4691321
Sounds about right. Good analysis.
4691588
It is a shame that they didn't get to do some kind of mother-daughter-in-law thrill-bonding.
4691524
All planeswalkers are now legendary permanents, yes, but most of them don't leave enough of an impact on a given plane to build up a dedicated fanbase.
Also, funny you should mention yanderes, because I made something the other day...
Ayano, the Stalker 2UB
Legendary Creature — Human Assassin
When Ayano, the Stalker enters the battlefield, put a senpai counter on target creature an opponent controls.
Ayano has hexproof as long as it's untapped.
3UB, T: Destroy target creature with no senpai counters on it. Then, if all creatures that creature's controller controls have senpai counters on them, gain control of those creatures.
2/2
4691853
Oh, believe me, you do not want to get me started on Well-To-Do. I'll just leave a link to the FiCG entry for that storyline and note that Iron Will never ran afoul of not one but two sovereign nations. At the same time.
4692251
I finally watched the episode and thought it was solid. I think this episode's writer was smart about having Cadence and Shining Armor actually keep Flurry under control during most of her screen time.
4692251
I don't think I recognized the star for what it was. We see so many star-themed cutie marks that are either astronomical or magical in nature, they're kind of a dime a dozen these days.
4691836
4692047
why did i ask for this
seriously why
4692280
As always, be careful what you wish for.
Another good one for me. Iron Will's return was unexpected, but welcome, and his final scene made me laugh like a maniac.
Fun episode. I got goofy Shining Armor instead of awesome Shining Armor, but best prince is best prince.