Friendship is Card Games: Friends Forever #21 & #22 · 12:30pm Dec 17th, 2017
This week, we’re focusing on some of the more unusual characters. Whether through species, tribe, or humor, these characters are far from the average pony.
Friends Forever #21: Zecora & Spike
Good to see actual wood be involved in heating a cauldron rather than those weird heat crystals. Maybe they’re a Crystal Empire export?
Everypony’s too tired to get out of bed, so here’s a picture of all of the diseased walking about town.
The mask makes sense, but I’m not sure how the cloak can help keep Zecora healthy. Stylish, yes, but not healthy.
The “Canterlot Disease Corps”? Huh. First I’ve heard of them. Still, makes sense that Equestria’s armed forces would have a lot of divisions devoted to disaster relief.
A lot to take in with the two-page spread, from zombie Flitter to a pony sneezing herself through a wall to Best Pony on aerial tissue distribution. Also, apparently both Cheese Sandwich and Ms. Harshwhinny live in Ponyville for the purposes of this comic, or at least have houses there. Make of that what you will.
Also, sorry Minuette, but asking the fourth wall for aid won’t get you much help.
I do like the detail of Zecora picking up her flying sneeze guard technique from Fluttershy. Good to see those two interact… though disease and injury seems to come into the picture a lot when they do.
Apparently zebra magic includes hammerspace that Pinkie would envy.
Burdock, for those wondering, is the plant whose seeds inspired Velcro. Its roots and seeds are used in several folk medicine traditions. I suppose it can be made into a broth, but given enough time, what can’t?
Very interesting that out of all ponies, the Cake twins appear to be unaffected. Infant immune systems aren’t exactly known for their robusticity.
Also, why do cartoonists always show the thermometer bulb outside of the patient’s mouth? 
Yeah, Equestrian dragon biology is bizarre enough that most of their diseases are too extremophilic to survive in other organisms. And I do like the moment of introspection.
Blanket-cocooned Apple Bloom is quite cute, but I have no idea what’s going on with Granny Smith. Did she sneeze on something? Bite something? I’m not sure what Spike’s holding, so I’m not sure overall.
Credit to Ted Anderson. Not only is this a great heart-to-heart between Ponyville’s more unique residents, but the Zecora dialogue in general has been crafted well. Spike’s attempt at a couplet and Zecora’s response are especially nice.
I could’ve done without the reference to Fillydelphia’s “civilized dragons,” but c’est la vie.
I’m not in the least bit surprised that Angel knows the biohazard symbol. It’d explain those canisters in Fluttershy’s basement…
I don’t know why I find the “Emergency eye wash!” panel so funny, but I do.
Lab coat montage! A bit odd, but quite fun.
I do like how Zecora’s rhythm subtly goes more and more off as the disease progresses. Between this and swamp fever, it’s clear that her capacity to rhyme acts as an excellent measurement of her health.
I do like the twist with the hay fungus. Especially the yellow tongue symptom. I honestly hadn’t noticed, but looking back, the infected do indeed show lingual discoloration. Plus, it even explains why the Cake twins haven’t been affected; they haven’t eaten any of the moldy hay! (Also, given that this is a grain-borne fungus that can cause delirium, I’m extremely grateful that this didn’t result in witch trials.)
Also, I have to wonder why there was a picture of a crystal in a mycology book. What fungi grow on gems?
In all, this was everything a Friends Forever issue should be. An engaging adventure and great interactions between two characters who hardly even show up at the same time on the show.
Friends Forever #22: Princess Celestia and Pinkie Pie
Well, the cover's certainly promising. Today’s theme ingredient is… a wrench, apparently. Or possibly Celestia’s mane.
The thing that really gets me about Jay Fosgitt isn’t the proportions. It’s how obviously the cutie marks are pasted on after the fact. And how he barely acknowledges that ponies are normally quadrupedal.
When has Pinkie ever been nervous around royalty because it’s royalty? Heck, she was the one pony who treated Celestia like an equine being back in “A Bird in the Hoof.” I feel like Twilight’s talking to herself on this first page.
Hmm. Is Pinkie’s bow deeper because she’s not a princess or because she’s nervous?
Okay, I do like the cannoli cigar.
Huh. How many calendar systems do you think the sisters have outlived? Keeping track of their birthdays can’t have been easy, especially during Discord’s reign.
Again, huh. Most of Luna’s accomplishments are more than a millennium old; are there any details about them… well, anywhere? History forgot her; why would it remember what she did? Twilight may have to parse through Celestia’s exploits and find the misattributed ones.
Asking Pinkie to handle the cake when Celestia has personally met her mentors in the baking arts and tasted the MMMM… Yeah, this feels off.
Tia, the cake is shaped like Luna’s cutie mark. If a crescent shape might remind her of being banished, she’d get flashbacks every time she looked at her own hindquarters.
I won’t lie, a cherumple sounds overwhelmingly delicious. Even if that’s not what apple pie looks like. And I can’t tell where the pie ends and the cake begins, much less the frosting.
As it turns out, cherumples actually exist and there are copious images of it online. It would’ve taken Fosgitt five seconds to look up an image of one as a reference. This isn’t the last time we’ll see this level of laziness out of him. (Greta, I am so sorry…)
Wow. We make jokes about how unhelpful Celestia is during season-capstone crises, but I don’t think she’s ever been this infuriatingly vague. You’d think she’d have some idea of what she’s talking about when it comes to cake.
So… have Pinkie and Chase Palomino met before? I didn’t think she’d had the time or opportunity to befriend everypony in Canterlot.
Credit to Fosgitt, he’s doing a good job with making Pinkie’s mane deflate as she stresses out over the cake conundrum.
And, of course, a few pages after I praise him, Fosgitt demonstrates that he has literally never seen anything in real life. Ever. Those are clearly pink sprinkles and popcorn rather than anything Pinkie mentions.
Celestia, don’t you have a country to run?
Some of the rejected concepts look like they’d be up Luna’s alley. Too Crooked has the right aesthetic, and Luna would likely attack Too Creepy with a joyous battlecry and a healthy appetite.
Poor Pinkie…
In the end, when you’re given excessively vague requirements, the right thing to do is to ask for clarification to make sure you don’t waste everyone’s time and your effort by going through rejected iteration after rejected iteration. Huh. I didn’t expect a pony comic to have bearing on my job.
There have been a lot of dubious character moments in this issue, but Pinkie perfectly stating what Celestia struggles to? That feels right.
So… what exactly is that blender full of Kirby Krackle meant to be?
And, of course, we don’t get to hear any of the accomplishments Twilight uncovered. That might be interesting.
Okay, that’s unfair, but this issue spends a lot of real estate on giant panels where not much happens.
“I don’t need to be the center of attention,” says the pony who went mad because no one paid attention to her.
Yes, that is definitely a marble cake. Just look at the swirling interplay of blue and identical blue. 
I wouldn’t mind this as much if the white and black swirls weren’t a clear part of the intended symbolism of the cake.
I do love Luna's last line for the sheer absurdity of it.
In all, this one feels… misguided. The characterization is off, the character interaction is wonky, and the art is Fosgitt’s. Put together, especially after the last one, it leaves a lot to be desired. It gets the job done much in the same way that store-bought sheet cake is technically edible.
Still, one out of two ain’t bad, and I can at least work with what I’ve been served. Especially since it'll include my five thousandth FiCG card. (Thanks to hawthornbunny for keeping track and maintaining PonyMTG.)
Diarchial Dessert 2W
Enchantment — Cake
1W, Sacrifice Diarchial Dessert: Creatures you control get +1/+2 and gain vigilance until end of turn.
”A curious medium, sister, but the message is clear.”
—Luna, to Celestia
Sneeze Guard 2W
Creature — Bird
Flying, vigilance
T: Target creature can’t have counters put on it this turn.
Not every winged savior is an angel.
1/2
Canterlot Disease Corps 4W
Creature — Pony Soldier
Canterlot Disease Corps can’t have -1/-1 counters put on it.
3W: You lose a poison counter.
The disease corps had dealt with everything from cutie pox to gorgon flu. Phyresis was merely an interesting challenge.
3/4
Celestia’s Summons 4W
Sorcery
Search your library for up to two creature cards with converted mana cost 2 or less, reveal them, and put them into your hand. Then shuffle your library.
When the sun calls, even the humblest are quick to answer.
Curse of Micromanagement 1U
Enchantment — Aura Curse
Enchant opponent
You may stand behind enchanted player during his or her turn. (While doing so, you can see everything that player looks at.)
“Need any help?”
Sapphire Flu 1U
Instant
Tap up to two target creatures. Dragons tapped this way don’t untap during their controllers’ next untap steps.
”It’s like every gem I ever ate is trying to get revenge.”
—Spike
Vague Requirements 1U
Instant
Roll a six-sided die. Counter target spell unless its controller pays X, where X is the result.
”It has to be bold, but not too loud. Elegant, without being fussy. And if you could do something in a nice subtle paisley, that would be perfect.”
Pastry Welder 1UU
Creature — Pony Rigger
When Pastry Welder enters the battlefield, you may sacrifice an artifact. If you do, finagle 2, then Pastry Welder assembles a Contraption. (To finagle 2, look at the top two cards of your Contraption deck, then put any number of them on the bottom of your Contraption deck and the rest on top in any order. To assemble a Contraption, put the top card of your Contraption deck face up onto one of your sprockets.)
2/1
Cooked Books 2U
Enchantment — Cake
1U, Sacrifice Cooked Books: Scry 2, then draw two cards.
”Technically, they’re baked, but they taste good enough that I can let it go.”
—Princess Twilight Sparkle
Beseech the Watchers 1BB
Sorcery
A person outside the game searches your library for a card and puts it into your hand. Then shuffle your library.
Beyond demons, beyond gods, the greatest power of all is the guy who drove you to the game store.
Consuming Consumable 2B
Enchantment Creature — Cake Horror
B, Sacrifice another creature or Cake: Consuming Consumable gains indestructible until end of turn.
Some desserts bite back.
4/1
Rampant Epidemic 2BB
Sorcery
Distribute X -1/-1 counters among creatures target player controls, where X is the number of -1/-1 counters on those creatures.
The illness did more damage to Ponyville in an afternoon than most villains managed in a week.
Hay Blight 3B
Sorcery
Destroy target land. That land’s controller gets a poison counter.
”They put so much importance on fueling their hungry flesh. We will show the folly of such thinking.”
—Elesh Norn, Grand Cenobite
Delayed Onset
(B) Sorcery
Suspend 1 — 1BB (Rather than cast this cards from your hand, pay 1BB and exile it with a time counter on it. At the beginning of your upkeep, remove a time counter. When the last is removed, cast it without paying its mana cost.)
Target creature’s controller sacrifices it.
Tissue Shortage 1R
Instant
Damage can’t be prevented this turn. Proliferate. (You choose any number of permanents and/or players with counters on them, then give each another counter of a kind already there.)
A haze of mucus filled the air.
Magical Mystery Torte 2R
Enchantment — Cake
2R, Sacrifice Magical Mystery Torte: Each player discards his or her hand, then draws seven cards.
Madness 1R (If you discard this card, discard it into exile. When you do, cast it for its madness cost or put it into your graveyard.)
The secret ingredient is glass onion.
Fluttershy’s Attendants 2G
Creature — Beast
When Fluttershy’s Attendants enters the battlefield, you gain 1 life for each creature you control.
1W, Exile Fluttershy’s Attendants from your graveyard: You gain 1 life for each creature you control.
Sometimes the caretakers need care.
2/2
Towering Cherumple 2G
Enchantment — Cake
G, Sacrifice Towering Cherumple: Put three +1/+1 counters on target creature.
”I never studied the math that would tell me how many dress sizes you’ll gain from that.”
—Rarity, Bearer of Generosity
Portable Pathology Lab
Artifact — Contraption
Whenever you crank Portable Pathology Lab, prevent all damage that would be dealt to creatures you control this turn.
Sprinkle Cannon
Artifact — Contraption
Whenever you crank Sprinkle Cannon, proliferate.
Royal Pantry
Land
T: Add C to your mana pool.
T: Add one mana of any color to your mana pool. Spend this mana only to cast an enchantment spell. If it’s spent on a Cake spell, that spell can’t be countered by spells or abilities.
Having watched Beat Bugs (Every episode is based on a song by the Beatles), this got a chuckle...
5017.
If someone sneezes then it'll be on the cloak and not her?
Yeah, I'm not a fan of Jay Fosgitt's artwork either.
4750985
And what a long, strange trip it's been. Thanks again for your continued work in cataloguing them. And that glorious blog of yours.
As an added bonus, going by display order, card #5,000 is Celestia's Summons. Sun horse demands more horse cards!
4751069
I guess, but the snot's still there.
4751088
The style doesn't bother me nearly as much as the lack of effort. It took me less than ten seconds to find a reference image for a cherumple, but he still drew something that loosely resembled one at best. And that's saying nothing of the times when the art barely resembles the dialogue. I would have no quarrel with Fosgitt's unique take on Equestrian anatomy if the man gave any sense that he actually cared about his work.
Wow, a lot more complaining about Fosgitt this time than I'm used to seeing from you, FOME. I mean, don't get me wrong, I agree with all of it, it's just unusual for you is all. Also, I don't have my copy on hand right now to check, but I believe this was the issue where Fosgitt's copy-pasting first got him into trouble with the fandom. He used a picture of a whisk swiped from the first page of a Google image search for a chef's cutie mark.
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As I said before, I could live with the style if there was a sense of effort and care put into it. This felt phoned in in almost every panel.
4759813
Just wait until you get to the comic where he copy-pastes the same ball of animals about three times in the course of two pages. I've always thought Fosgitt was an extremely lazy artist, but he somehow got even worse over time. These days he just doesn't try at all, and I think he doesn't care who knows it.