Friendship is Card Games: 2013 Annual: Equestria Girls · 12:51pm Nov 26th, 2017
Well, this has certainly been a hectic week. I help host Thanksgiving, which means that this week has seen me chop, mince, crush, zest, sauté, and otherwise act as kitchen underling for my father. Good news is, I have a mountain of leftovers to enjoy.
In any case, I don't have enough unreviewed pony video to work with, which means that it's time to head back to the IDW comics. And how better to transition between technicolor balding apes and sequential art than the first appearance of the former in the latter?
The Fall of Sunset Shimmer
First up is the most information we have to work with with regards to Sunset's origins. Until and unless the current vignette series or a future movie tackles it, this is the party line.
Huh. Sunset was literally herding cats back when she was Celestia's student. No wonder she had an entire high school wrapped around her little finger once she got one.
I imagine unicorn growth have some issues that earth pony magic doesn't. That tremendous vine may be impressive, but let's see how long it lives. To say nothing of Juniper Berry's attempt...
Cute as it is to see a young, unmarked Twilight in the background—along with Cadence casually being an alicorn in the middle of Canterlot—her friends trying to bring Sunset into their circle raises some chronological issues. To say nothing of Moondancer being the Fluttershy analogue. Sure, both are introverted shut-ins with volatile tempers, but the similarities stop there.
Meanwhile, I can't help but wonder what Sunset will be summoning in that exam. Possibly elementals.
Very interesting to see the level of respect Sunset has for Celestia. Mostly in how low it is. Sunset only sees competition and power, turning a deaf ear to any lessons that diverge from her established worldview, even when they come from the highest authority in the land. It gives a fantastic look at who she is at this point in her life.
As for what she saw in the mirror... I'm really not sure what to think there. Especially since in the next panel, Sunset's reflection is reaching out to her with a hand.
I can't help but see shades of Princess Amore in Celestia's refusla to tell Sunset anything about the mirror, though to be fair, Celestia does have her own track record of not giving her students what some might see as critical information. (Indeed, I've hypothesized that Sunset rebelled because Celestia told her too much, believing that Celestia would discard her once she brought Luna back from the darkness.) Still, the least Sunbutt could do would be to explain what she means by "ready." Though given the nature of the montage, it's entirely possible that she does off-camera.
Also, it is really weird to see Celestia's mane get ruffled by wind.
I'm with Sunset. If the Star Swirl the Bearded Wing has armed guards, you'd think the Dark Magic section would have similar security. Of course, this might be what spurred Celestia to assign those guards in the first place.
And wow, some of those titles. No fewer than two on hippophagy (Condestoga Cannibalism and Soylent Green Recipes,) callbacks to other comic lines and G1 (Who Was Megan?) several origins of peoples and places whose shelving in the Dark Magic section raises some uncomfortable questions (including the Everfree and the Diamond Dogs,) oh, and the freaking Necronomicon ex Mortis. Which Sunset says has some useful ideas. 
Of course, given how a history of the castle somehow found its way into this section, maybe some of those tomes aren't as dangerous as one might think. That dissertation on quantum physics by one S. Beckett could be a way to set right what once went wrong, to say nothing of the bottled city of Kandor.
Now we get to a curious point: Why does Celestia want to keep any knowledge of the other world from Sunset? Moreover, why does Canterlot Castle: A History, Vol. II make mention of alicorn ascension? (If nothing else, I suppose that does explain why it's in a restricted section, but I'm surprised that got past the editor.)
Still, this does show Sunset's biggest failing at this point. Her talent, work ethic, and position have made her feel disproportionately entitled. She doesn't understand what it truly takes to earn her wings, and as long as she thinks they're just something Celestia can hand out on a whim, she never will. And if she thinks Tia will do it after throwing a book at her and saying to her face that she deserves to be her better... Yeah. No. Bad Sunhorse Jr.
Very lucky for Sunset that the mirror was open. And that the route out of the castle just happened to take her past it. Aside from those coincidences, Celestia leaving the mirror in her throne room is tragic on several levels, not least is that by the time she sends Twilight to Ponyville, it's no longer there. On some level, taking Twilight as her student was Celestia giving up any hope of Sunset having second thoughts.
As for Sunset emerging from the portal... Yeah, I have a few issues with this. One I'll bring up in a bit, but there's also the matter of her having literally nothing but the clothes that have appeared on her back. A lot of people hypothesized that she took some gems with her to fund things like room, board, and fake documentation. But here? Not so much. And that leaves the question of how she established herself hanging in the air.
Still, this is an eight-page origin story. They can only cover so much. I might as well grouse about Megan, Molly, and Danny's names not fitting the local conventions... unless they're named after iconic religious or historical figures, which just adds more questions...
Yeah, I'm going to cut myself off before I dig this rabbit hole any deeper. Suffice to say, great characterization for pre-Fall Formal Sunset, even if the storytelling shows sign of the space constraints at times.
Equestria Girls
Heh. This did the interview montage years before "The Saddle Row Review." (Yes, I know it's been done bunches of time outside of pony, but the in-house parallels still amuse me.)
The Freshman Fair is certainly impressive. Looks more like something I'd expect from a college rather than a high school.
Also, Cloudsdale Junior High is apparently a thing.
Trixie in Glee Club. Huh. Not sure if I can see it.
So... if Applejack's accent is odd enough in this area to be mocked, did she just move here, or what?
I do like Pinkie as the unstoppable force that brought together all these moveable objects.
Also, it's equal parts appropriate and bizarre to see more senior Wonderbolts as part of CHS's soccer team. Though at least they demonstrate that people do eventually graduate from the place.
By "splendid new outfit," Rarity apparently means "exact same thing I wear every day." Heck, Applejack shows more sartorial variety than she does.
Pinkie's face on that umbrella panel is... certainly a face. I get the feelng that she knows she's trying too hard to be funny, yet she's still trying.
Okay, let's review: There's a fellow who looks remarkably ike Big Macintosh in Dash's homeroom, only with red hair. Apple Bloom appears to be in her chemistry class. How old are the Apple siblings in relation to one another again?
That being said, great use of a monochrome palette during that montage to drive home Dash's obsessive focus.
Aaaand Babs Seed appears to be older than Applejack in this world. What the actual crap?
What exactly is "a Canterlot High girl" supposed to even mean? What reputation does this school have that Sunflower is trying to enforce on Applejack? And with this family, how have these cousins not met during holidays? I can only assume that some siblings haven't been talking to one another for the better part of a decade.
Yeah, yeah, bitchy high school girl trope is bitchy. I suppose I lucked out in being both male and completely indifferent to my school's social hierarchy, to say nothing of my sister placing sleeper agents throughout the school to ensure that I had an easy time of things during my freshman year.
While I rather regret that Rarity doesn't have this pop-out closet in "Monday Blues," I have to question how she got it installed on her first day at CHS.
I assume that the face Fluttershy is making when she hears the coughing chihuahua is supposed to be concern, but... yeah, that's not how it comes across.
I do love Pinkie's reason for not joining any club in particular. None of them maximized total net fun. (Also, I approve of her playing trombone.)
Also, I wonder if Fluttershy ever ended up joining the Knitting Club.
It wouldn't be a Tony Fleecs comic if the gremlins didn't show up somehow.
Oh dear. Applejack went and poked the Pinkie nest. Never a wise decision.
Aaand now Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon are here. Why does neither writer nor artist seem to understand what "freshman" entails?
Ah, societal pressure. Though given how the group only met on the first day of school, it's not quite as tragic as it could be, save for Dash and Fluttershy. And the fact that the ferret teatime didn't happen. That and Pinkie in the Goth Club really undercut the ongoing tragedy, though not in an unwelcome way.
Very interesting to see mention of the Shadowbolts. This came out only a few months after the first movie aired, and may have been planned around the same time. (That'd certainly explain some of the temporal nonsense.) Of course, it could've just been drawing from an obvious choice, and the Shadowbolt uniforms aren't quite Crystal Prep's colors, but it's still neat to see.
Wow. Luna is just done in that first panel she's in. It's only been a month. She is all too aware of how she's going to have to deal with Pinkie's shenanigans for the better part of four years. And she has no idea just how ridiculous those shenanigans will get.
"But after the game, you, me, and Principal Celestia will talk about what comes next." Firstly, it's "you, Principal Celestia, and I." Secondly, this seems like needlessly ominious phrasing... but this is Luna we're talking about. Either one of them can make a burnt bagel sound like a herald of the end times if she's in a sour enough mood.
"Gnerp." Yes, that definitely sounds like a noise a human has made. Ever.
So... has no one on the team pulled Dash aside and explained that this is a team sport? And that jumping onto other players' heads like they're so many Goombas is frowned upon? (Of course, the head of the team also appears to be the coach, so it's anyone's guess how the thing is supposed to work.)
I won't lie, it is tremendously staisfying to see everyone tell off Babs and Sunflower. That said, the filler crowd is obviously copied from one wide shot to the other. Just because one of the copied kids is Best Human doesn't mean I'm letting Fleecs off the hook.
So... no designated cheerleaders. In high school. Seriously? (Also, what's up with the eyelashes on Vinyl's shades?)
Very nice to see Fluttershy volunteering at a veterinary clinic... though I doubt she's going to be doing much beyond acting as a receptionist.
The reveal certainly works well. Sunset couldn't let such a potent unifying force remain to challenge her ascendance.
I love finding parallels between the worlds, and this? This was "The Cutie Mark Chronicles." As Applejack says at the start, "None of us really knew what kinda person we were yet." That soccer game helped each of the girls recognize her greatest virtue and put it into practice. In an amusing reversal, Dash was actually the last one to recieve her personal epiphany on the human side.
There's just one little issue. Namely, the fact that humans age. We see a picture of the five girls as freshman in the first movie, and sure enough, they are visibly younger. The comic presents them as eternal sixteen year-olds, complete with contemporary underclassmen with them in their first year. It's the same issue I have with Sunset emerging from the portal as though the first movie was going to start a week later. I know demanding new character designs might be a bit much, but it still bothers me.
Still, all told, this is some fascinating data to work with. I may overlook some or all of it depending on the needs of a given story, but I'm glad it's there. Now, let’s see what I can do given all of it:
Tea Party Specialist 1W
Creature — Ferret Advisor
Whenever you activate a loyalty ability of a Pinkie planeswalker, you gain 3 life.
Natives of Bablovia who find themselves on more sensible planes seek out those silly enough to feel familiar.
2/2
Glee Club Member 3W
Creature — Human Citizen
At the beginning of your upkeep, bolster 1. (Choose a creature with the least toughness among creatures you control and put a +1/+1 counter on it.)
“Adults always say these are the best years of our lives. Let’s make sure of it.”
2/2
Escort from the Premises 5W
Tribal Sorcery — Soldier
Affinity for Soldiers (This spell costs 1 less to cast for each Soldier you control.)
Exile target creature.
”Some former students bring me pride as they leave. Others, only sorrow.”
—Princess Celestia
Chain of Epiphanies U
Sorcery
Draw a card. Target opponent may exile the top two cards of his or her library. If he or she does, he or she copies this spell and may choose a new target for the copy.
Flashes of insight and icons bounced from one girl to another along the paths of their friendship.
Freshman Fair 2UU
Enchantment
2U, Reveal a creature card from your hand: Create a token that’s a copy of the revealed card, except it has base power and toughness 1/1. Exile that token at the beginning of the next end step.
”Ah, to be young again.”
—Principal Celestia
Brain Dump 3UU
Sorcery
Each player with fewer than seven cards in his or her hand draws cards equal to the difference.
Asking Pinkie what’s on her mind is asking her to borrow yours.
Secret History 3UU
Sorcery
You may cast target instant or sorcery card from an opponent’s graveyard without paying its mana cost. If that card would be put into a graveyard this turn, exile it instead.
Cipher (Then you may exile this spell card encoded on a creature you control. Whenever that creature deals combat damage to a player, its controller may cast a copy of the encoded card without paying its mana cost.)
Vision of Potential 4U
Sorcery
Scry 2, then reveal the top card of your library. Draw cards equal to the revealed card’s converted mana cost.
By glimpsing what might be, Sunset forever changed what would.
Cheerful Nihilist 1B
Creature — Human Rogue
Whenever you discard a card, you gain 3 life.
”There’s nothing after death, so I’ll make the most of life.”
1/2
Dark Magic Librarian 2B
Creature — Unicorn Wizard
T, Pay 1 life: Draw a card. Activate this ability only if you have one or fewer cards in your hand.
The graveyard shift at Castle Canterlot is as long as anywhere else, but at least there’s plenty of reading material.
2/2
Unrelenting Deadites 2BB
Creature — Zombie
Haste
Unrelenting Deadites can’t block
At the beginning of your upkeep, if Unrelenting Deadites is in your graveyard, sacrifice a creature. If you do, return Unrelenting Deadites to the battlefield.
4/1
Drift Apart 3B
Sorcery
Target player sacrifices a creature. Then, if that player controls more creatures than you, he or she sacrifices another creature.
Nothing lasts forever, especially not something as ephemeral as a relationship.
Cheap Shot R
Sorcery
Replicate R (When you cast this spell, copy it for each time you paid its replicate cost. You may choose new targets for the copies.)
Target creature can’t block this turn.
Scorched Student R
Creature — Unicorn Wizard
Whenever you cast an instant or sorcery spell, Scorched Student deals 1 damage to each opponent.
Burnt hair is one of the most common smells at Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns.
1/1
Showboat 1R
Sorcery
Cast Showboat only during your precombat main phase.
Target creature you control gets +4/+0 and gains first strike until end of turn and can only attack alone this turn.
”Check this out!”
Devastating Backhand 2R
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant creature you control
At end of combat on your turn, if enchanted creature attacked this turn, you may have it deal damage equal to its power to target creature defending player controls.
Terror of the Pitch 3R
Creature — Human Warrior
Whenever another creature enters the battlefield, Terror of the Pitch deals 1 damage to that creature.
She sees only the ball, the goal, and a bunch of moving obstacles.
3/3
Savage Sprout 2G
Sorcery
Kicker 2 (You may pay an additional 2 as you cast this spell.)
Search your library for a basic land card, put it onto the battlefield, then shuffle your library. If Savage Sprout was kicked, put three +1/+1 counters on that land. If you do, it becomes a 0/0 Elemental creature with haste that’s still a land.
Bottled Metropolis 3
Artifact
1, T, Sacrifice Bottled Metropolis: Search your library for a land card and put it onto the battlefield tapped. Then shuffle your library.
The residents wait for the day the seal is broken, wondering what world they’ll find.
Spirevine Zendikon 2(rg)
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant land
Enchanted land is a 4/3 red and green Elemental creature with reach. It’s still a land.
When enchanted land dies, return that card to its owner’s hand.
Personal Foul 3(br)
Instant
If B was spent to cast Personal Foul, target creature gains deathtouch until end of turn. If R was spent to cast Personal Foul, target creature you control deals damage equal to its power to another target creature. (Do both if BR was spent.)
Constant Inquiry 3UB
Enchantment
At the beginning of your draw step, draw an additional card.
Discard a card: Constant Inquiry's controller sacrifices it, then searches his or her library for a card, puts it into his or her hand, and shuffles his or her library. Only any opponent may activate this ability.
Sunset, Ambitious Aspirant 3UBR
Legendary Creature — Unicorn Wizard
Lifelink
Whenever you cast an instant or sorcery spell, you may pay X life, where X is that spell’s converted mana cost. If you do, copy that spell and you may choose new targets for the copy.
She won’t rest until even Celestia bows to her.
4/4
Ah yes the Equestria girls Annual, these always seemed pretty low quality compared to the other MLP comics so I suppose it's no surprise they stopped doing these after 2. Which is a shame since I liked the idea of getting a comic to go along the release of a new movie each year.
As a Sunset fan, my opinions on this comic are mixed. On one hand, it's most of what we've seen about Sunny's history in Equestria; on the other, much as Oliver pointed out in his canon-review of the comic, it's been badly jossed and doesn't quite make sense.
I kinda wish someone would write the definitive story showing Sunset's rise and fall as Celestia's student, because it seems incredibly unlikely we're ever going to get a canonical version.
My headcanon also has Sunset rebelling because Celestia told her too much, although mine has Celestia telling Sunset about the EoH, but then telling her she's not ready to use them yet, which makes Sunset impatient. Your version gives Sunset more of a rationale for rebelling.
The human Apple siblings are definitely closer in age than their pony counterparts. Based on some of the new shorts, I'm starting to wonder if Applejack and Big Mac are twins.
But yeah, these comics have even more continuity and chronological issues than the movies and shorts. It's probably best to canonize whatever parts of the comics fit established continuity and disregard the rest.
Supposedly she and Sunflower were originally supposed to be her Uncle and Aunt Orange. It got changed when explaining why they'd be so close in age to Applejack got difficult.
Apparently aging up Babs was just easier.