Friendship is Card Games: Better Together, Part 3 · 1:21pm Jan 28th, 2018
We’re not quite through with the Better Together backlog yet. This week, we’ll be looking at the shorts’ school play storyline from start to finish. Places, people!
Important to note that this is the fall play. We’re definitely in another school year than the first movie, and by my math, it pretty much has to be the Humane Seven’s senior year… assuming a sane and reasonable continuity, which is admittedly asking a lot of this multiverse.
“I was born for the lead,” says Rarity, who then imitates Applejack’s accent.
So, is Dazzle based on any specific real world play? The plot certainly hits some familiar tropes, but I’m drawing a blank on specifics.
I do like the brief dotted outline. A bit cartoony, yes, but still amusing.
Yeah, Fluttershy and audiences don’t seem like a winning combination. Honestly, I’m surprised she’s willing to try out for any part in the actual play as opposed to part of the stage crew. Nice work by the short in noting that this Fluttershy does perform more than her equine analogue… but only as part of a band. And really, who pays attention to the tambourine player of all people?
The instrumental leitmotifs are great. Gradual banjos for Applejack leading into her suggestion, eager electric guitar for Dash poised to outdo her. I know this kind of thing is fairly common, but I still love it. And that Applejack is sure she’d win the non-competition.
Okay, so the Apples do do some farming despite their suburban location. Maybe they’re on one edge of a neighborhood and own a sizable swath of land next to it.
I suppose they couldn’t get away with “imagine everyone in their underwear” given the ratings. Chickens it is, then… though I don’t see how chickens imagining everyone as chickens would help with stage…
I was about to complete a very silly sentence there.
I’m not sure what I love more, Pinkie’s foam finger or AJ’s chicken impression.
Nice touch with the hoarse voice during the actual line read. Got to make sure you capture that developing black lung.
Fluttershy’s spin on the chicken trick really is quite sweet… though that one Applejack on the far right concerns me. 
I guess AJ’s backup plan really… laid an—
Pinkie, get away from that keyboard or I’m cutting off sugar for month.
Ah yes, the Rainbow Dash school of education. Throw them off a cloud and trust that they’ll start flapping before it’s too late.
Wow. Did not peg Scribble Dee as the intermural sports type.
“Um… Help me somebody.” Don’t ask me why that’s hilarious, but it is. I’m imagining Fluttershy delivering the sports news on a segment of Welcome to Night Vale.
Andesite passes to Chrysoprase, Chrysoprase back to Andesite, over to Shale. Shale coming up the right, they can’t touch her, she shoots—
COOOOOAAAAAL!
Heh. Troll soccer. Oh, right, the card blog!
In the end, thanks to the magic of viewing parallel timelines, turns out this non-competition’s a tie… though there is one more not-competitor.
Interesting how this one actually adds a bit to the pre-choice animation. I think. I’ll have to see how it translates to YouTube… in a couple months. Thanks, Hasbro. 
Remember, Fluttershy and Vinyl shared a tent at Camp Everfree, to say nothing of Vinyl’s instrumental aid in thwarting the sirens. I can certainly believe that she’d be happy to lend Shy this level of assistance.
This may be the only school play audition that comes with an epilepsy warning.
The holoprojection is a very clever way for Fluttershy to audition without actually having to look at the audience. Won’t be as much help come the play itself, but still a clever use of the technology. All she has to do is not slip up and say “Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You’re my only hope.”
I do love how both Dash and AJ have absolutely no idea what to make of this. Just straight up does not compute for them, and who can blame them?
A nice start to the blog. Different friends helping in their own ways, the crux of the CYOA shorts.
I take it Sunset is the director. Makes sense.
Seriously, what is that accent?
Welp. Twilight’s about half a nervous breakdown away from building a flux capacitor from shoelaces and a chunk of plutonium that totally fell of a truck.
Pinkie heard someone needed to have fun. That was enough to summon her.
Fluttershy apparently has access to Disney princess-level glens, dales, and grottoes… and doesn’t expect them to be muddy. Okay then.
Good God, Angel! Fluttershy said cute, not Margaret Keane’s anime fan art!
And then Cartoon Horse Program became ever so slightly more canon…
Woodpecker massage seems like it’d be more painful than relaxing, but what do I know?
Okay, that ending is unfairly adorable. I wonder if pony Fluttershy ever had to use this level of aggressive natural relaxation on that world’s Twilight.
Hmm. Both Bulks are masseurs. I can believe it.
Also, Pinkie, maybe don’t flagrantly violate spacetime around the nervous nelly?
I am rather impressed that Twilight’s able to slip away from Pinkie so stealthily, though Pinkie’s doing a fantastic job of distracting herself.
Pinkie’s strategy is pretty brilliant, if in a terribly obnoxious way. It didn’t get Twilight to relax, but it certainly got her mind off of what was bothering her before.
I know some people have expressed concern that the shorts paint Sunset as this flawless figure who can do anything and has no faults. Well, we’ve got one: Girl still can’t run that well on two legs. Remember, she was on a motorcycle during the athletic part of the Friendship Games. (Of course, so was Dash, but you see what I mean.)
No matter the Twilight, human Dash still hands her behind to her in athletic matters… at least, at first.
Dash has a point; with her speed, she has to let others win. Still, good on her for doing so… though some of that praise gets taken away for her need to point out that she did. Still, it wouldn’t be Rainbow Dash if she didn’t have an excuse for not being the best at everything always.
Poor Sunset. Don’t worry, dear. I’m sure you can do just as well if you get a montage of your own.
Rarity Investigates: The Case of the Bedazzled Boot
Huh. Usually they’re at least a little subtle with the narrative reflections.
Twilight and Flash play a married couple. I have to admit, this amuses me, though I’m not entirely sure why.
So, how long until human Snails reaches an age where the story takes him seriously?
Bam. Instant noir filter. Though I do have to wonder what cases the human Rarity has solved before.
Huh. A mystery with three choices. I’m getting a Carmen Sandiego vibe, even if there’s no geographical knowledge required.
Rarity’s instincts are apparently named “Applejack.” This doesn’t actually come as a surprise to me.
The shot of Maud stroking the boot like Blofeld’s cat is amazing. You know it, I know it. I don’t know why she’s there, but I frankly don’t care, because the shot is that fantastic. Especially how only the boot is in color. Very Sin City.
Also, credit to Snips and Snails on providing atmosphere for the dramatic reveal. Good work, you two.
“You might have thought this one was rose quartz, but it’s actually amethyst.” Insert Steven Universe joke here.
Seriously, you're going to need to insert your own SU joke. I’ve watched less than an hour of that show, mostly in the form of clip anthologies.
The world’s largest amethyst geode, the Empress of Uruguay, does indeed weigh 2.5 tons. Or it did before someone stole a chunk in 2011. This is why we can’t have nice things.
I love how the two gemophiles are sharing the same imagine spot.
Rarity may need a moment in this timeline…
I think Pinkie legitimately spent a moment making sure that “Miss Pie” is her real name.
Brilliant deductive reasoning, Rarity. And I do love how any Pinkie crumbles under pressure, so long as she’s not keeping a secret for a friend.
“I watched them eat my yogurt germs!” That was certainly a sentence.
Ah, Pinkie. Seeing what everyone else misses, and vice versa.
And yeah, if her pony counterpart is any indication, Pinkie has a lot of lesser sins to confess. One can only imagine how many corncakes this one has eaten.
“That’s a guilty person’s strut.” This short is just full of these amazing quotables.
I love how Trixie acknowledges that she was strutting. Really, the dueling monologues here are amazing. I wish these two interacted more often, whether human or unicorn. The ham-to-ham combat could be legendary.
The Great and Powerful Tripsie, everyone.
Interesting to note that not only does each ending have a different culprit, Rarity’s wearing a different outfit in each one, as seen when it goes from black and white back to color. The AJ ending has a blue outfit, the Pinkie one is green, and this one is red. (Insert Mass Effect 3 joke here.) I have to appreciate the effort that went into the variety.
Speaking of threequels, I didn’t know Spike liked Super Mario Bros. 3 that much. 
Apparently talking dogs have made enough appearances in CHS’s halls that Trixie is inured to them. I'm not that surprised, but it’s still a useful data point.
“Case closed.” “Trixie amazing.” “How come no one’s talking out loud?”
Seriously, this may be the best thing I’ll review this week.
Huh. Discotheque. So was the play written at the height of the disco era, or as a nostalgic throwback to it?
AJ, you could, you know, stop hammering. I assume that’s what Sunset expected to happen.
That said, you’d think super strength would come with toughness… though it’s still Applejack swinging the hammer. Her power going against itself.
Interesting twist on Redheart’s cutie mark. I suppose the Red Cross can’t complain if the cross isn’t red.
Normally, I’d raise an eyebrow at Sunset not being one of the options when she’s the cause of this mess, but as noted earlier, she’s directing the play. Kind of has a lot on her plate as it is.
Nice touch with Photo’s personalized safety goggles.
I love how these two are barely even functioning in the same plane of reality. It’s amazing for precisely the opposite reason as the Rarity-Trixie conflict.
Was that giant disco ball there the whole time?
The laser disco is amazing, don’t get me wrong, but the actors are going to block some of the beams from the projectors mounted on the floor in front of the stage. Still, Photo Finish at her eccentric best.
I don’t think this is what they mean by industrial music, but you can’t argue with the results.
Also, Pinkie can apparently perform a drumroll on her own thigh. And a rimshot on her skirt and Applejack’s hat. Clearly, we are not meant to understand the entity that has chosen to wear a teenage girl’s skin.
Of course, I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know. 
Huh. Good thing Dash apparently knows her way around a power drill.
“Vision board” and “power color” seem like phrases that should never leave the mouth of any instance of Applejack. Also, she apparently sketched the Crystal Empire, which makes me wonder if there’s an analogue to that in this world beyond Crystal Prep. (Of course, with a name like Shiny City…) That or she heard about it from either pony Twilight or Sunset. More likely the former; the latter only spent a few minutes there, so most of her accounts would ultimately come from Twilight anyway.
Also, bit of an unfortunate lesson: You can achieve all of your dreams if you rush through them and never bother to check for mistakes.
Okay, Dash? Why did you run to Applejack’s house while you were building?
Dash totally read Applejack’s—
Yup, there we have it. Appledashers, have at it.
Wow. Underage coal miners. I know it’s for a play, but it’s still a little disturbing to see the Crusaders as not-quite-child laborers. Cue Dr. Dissonance?
You’d think they’d have found the weight problem before the dress rehearsal.
Yes, Microchips, because Twilight Sparkle and Pinkie Pie volunteering means that only brute force options are currently on the table. Also, how’d he arrange that spotlight?
On an unrelated note, how badly do you think Moore’s Law affects naming conventions in this world? Do you think there’s a stretch of people named after various obsolete peripherals and storage media? For their sake, I hope it’s as easy to change a name in this world as it is in Equestria.
I do appreciate Sunset’s exasperation with Microchips’s sesquipedalian loquaciousness. “I too understand basic physics. The problem’s obvious, and you aren’t cute enough for me to put up with your rambling. Fix it.”
That said, I also appreciate the sick biology burn. I used to do that kind of thing myself before I realized what an ass it made me look like.
Also, calling his brain a muscle a few moments later kind of undercuts it.
Oh, Bulk. You are, in your own overbuilt way, adorable.
Yes, Microchips. Ride your bulging steed to brief relevance and victory!
Huh. Weaponized academic dishonesty. I’m really not sure how to feel about that. :ajunsure: Still, nice demonstration of pretty much everything blue stands for in Magic: Deception, brains over brawn, intellectual arrogance, making others fulfill their potential, elaborate plans…
Long story short, if you’re playing against Microchips, expect Islands.
You will make time for the balloons, or the balloons will not make time for you.
Huh. Globophobia. Okay, then. Maybe Snails saw It recently.
I told you, bro! I warned you about the balloons.
The lengthy pause and that second “Nope” get me every time. Pinkie does not explain. Pinkie does.
In this case, Pinkie does Party Favor proud, wherever and whoever he is in this world.
Hmm. Another extension of the decision scene. Curious.
I do love how this showcases the key differences between Sunset and Twilight. Sunset, at her core, is still a unicorn, and an arcane scholar besides. If anything, the scarcity of magic in this world makes her even more eager to jump onto magical solutions when they’re available. And, as she notes, Twilight’s telekinesis is perfect for this task.
Meanwhile, Twilight is first and foremost a scientist and an inventor. Her telekinesis is a useful tool, yes, but merely one of many, and a well-tested one at that. Better to use the opportunity to do live testing of something less well-documented, especially since anyone can use the robot.
Snips apparently listens to talk radio.
Oh, Twilight. I’m actually not sure if she’s aware of how goofy she’s being. That smile could just as easily be pride as smugness.
A name like “Club Amethyst” does make it seem like Shiny City is the human answer to the Crystal Empire, assuming it’s not an in-universe fictional location.
… Is Twilight literally serving coal for supper? I have so many questions there. Maybe Sweetie Belle provided the food props.
Also, I do love the costuming. You can tell they’re miners because they wear headlamps everywhere!
I imagine it would be hard to break into the disco scene when coal can only dance ballet.
Best casting and costuming for the fairy bootmother. 10/10. Precisely enough water. The audience’s reaction only makes it better.
Disclaimer: Not all coal turns to diamonds.
Huh. Looks like the Twilight ending to “All the World’s Off Stage” is canon. At least, it is for this short.
Meanwhile, it’s possible the Vinyl ending of “Fluttershy’s Butterflies” happened. Fluttershy doesn’t seem to have a coping mechanism ready for the audience, be it Appleclones or announcing.
Also, AJ, you may want to lower your voice a touch when you’re barely off-stage.
Nice work, dunderheads.
And so Applejack gets to fulfill her greatest dream.
I have to say, this is some impressive improvisation on AJ’s part.
Uh, guys? That’s the end of Scene 2, give or take. Don’t go launching bouquets just yet. Even if it’s a breakout performance that makes the magic, talking apple tree into the rich character she always could be.
Ah. Assistant director. Not that you could tell, given how little we’ve seen of whoever the primary director is. Cheerilee, maybe? She was overseeing auditions.
Also, Sunset leaps into action and finds herself the overseer of the universe. I admit, I’m a bit tickled.
Not only is that some world-class bullshitting, it’s also uncanny sleight of hand. I have to assume that the diamond in the coal was a prop prepared for later in the play. It’s either that or Sunset’s body is actually Kryptonian. And given how she never pulled a General Zod before the Fall Formal, I’m going to say she doesn’t draw power from any yellow sun other than her cutie mark.
And so we see just how Sunset wrapped the school around her finger. Girl has more charisma than the rest of the student body put together. Also, this reminds me of a one-act play my sister wrote in high school. She, as the playwright, would often interrupt the scene, apologize for how terrible it was, and start a different play in its stead. This may explain something about my own sense of humor.
See, that’s an appropriate reason for premature bouquet tossing.
Good to see Twilight go for the quick and easy solution when needed… eventually.
Yeah, Dash, preserve that immersion!
Well, good thing Fluttershy was wearing a helmet.
Hmm. Maybe this is the end of the play. Heck if I know.
Huh. Seems like Applejack’s ending was canon. A shame; I liked Sunset’s.
Oh, wow. Between the dress and the earrings, I’m surprised Rarity hasn’t burst into flames from being a mobile fashion disaster area.
Dash, turning a heart of coal into a diamond would only make it harder.
That whole exchange is pure fun, not least given the covert ops going on in the background.
Those are some imposingly large cupcakes. They’re like pintcakes.
Dare I ask how the Crusaders got photos of the performance as it was happening? The slides are all stills from “Opening Night.”
Human Cranky’s quest for his flashlight has been nearly as long and heartbreaking as his analogue’s quest for Matilda.
“A mathmergency!?” He’s clearly prepared for this day for a long time.
Huh. She is Sweetie Drops in this universe. (And looking back at the Lyrabon Friendship Games short, no one actually says their names.) There goes that headcanon… in the main timeline, anyway.
Darn it, Cranky, you had a good math pun going there, and then you had to ruin it by explaining the joke.
That is a lot of non-cubic dice. Does the RPG club meet in this room, or did Cranky confiscate those? What cause would he have to confiscate them? Was someone playing a game in class?
Hmm. Balloon Shiny City seems to introduce a paradox, given how we saw Twilight’s robot in action. Perhaps Pinkie presented her proposal regardless.
Also, looks like Applejack went with Dash for help with the set design.
Look, building continuity off of multiple-choice videos leads to some interesting interactions and I want to document them.
… like the picture of Applejack in the middle of the laser disco.
Poor Crusaders. At least they got away.
Wait. Now they are the Cutie Mark Crusaders? That raises a whole mountain of questions regarding personal icons in this world. Not least whether or not those three are actively looking for theirs.
Oh dang. Rarity has a legitimate point.
Wait, AJ and Rarity pay taxes? This offshoot raises so many questions about how this world works.
Cranky also has a point. At no point was he sworn in.
Dang, Cranky has moves. And Pinkie apparently helped with set construction in this worldline.
In all, these are a lot of fun, with some truly standout moments like Trixie vs. Rarity and the Assistant Director of the Play of Life. A bit shaky in parts, especially when trying to make sense of the 2,187 different possible ways the whole scenario could’ve played out, but still greatly enjoyable.
Now, time for Act 2:
Director of the Universe 5WW
Creature — Avatar
As long as you control more creatures than each other player, you choose which creatures attack each combat and who those creatures attack.
All the world’s a stage, and she’s the one who cues the fight scenes.
4/4
Holoprojection 2UU
Artifact Creature — Illusion
As Holoprojection enters the battlefield, you may reveal an artifact or creature card from your hand. If you do, Holoprojection enters the battlefield as a copy of that card, except it’s an artifact in addition to its other types.
0/0
Erudite Insult 3U
Instant
Draw a card. Creatures target opponent controls get -X/-0 until end of turn, where X is the number of cards in your hand.
Those who won’t be emotionally crushed will still be busy trying to figure out whether they should be.
Prop Jockeys 3U
Creature — Human Artificer
When Prop Jockeys enters the battlefield, you may discard a card. If you do, search your library for an artifact card, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle your library.
”Sorry about the mess. We keep meaning to organize this place.”
2/2
Poultrymorph XU
Instant
Up to X target creatures have base power and toughness 1/1 until end of turn.
Applejack tried not to laugh. Really, she did. But between Rainbow Dash’s comb and Rarity’s expression, she was rolling on the floor in seconds.
Shameless Strut 1B
Sorcery
Target creature gets +2/+2 and gains menace until end of turn.
”Modesty? Modesty is for people who aren’t Trixie.”
—Trixie Lulamoon
Violation of Privacy 2B
Sorcery
Target player reveals his or her hand. You choose a card from it. That player puts that card on the bottom of his or her library.
”If you didn’t want me to read your diary, you should’ve put a better lock on it.”
—Rainbow Dash
Pilfering Puppy 1R
Creature — Hound
Haste
When Pilfering Puppy enters the battlefield, you may attach target Equipment to it. (Control of the Equipment doesn’t change.)
“Who needs thumbs? They say ponies manage with hooves.”
1/1
Slapdash Rigger 1RR
Creature — Human Rigger
Haste
When Slapdash Rigger enters the battlefield, it assembles a Contraption. (Put the top card of your Contraption deck face up onto one of your sprockets.)
T: Crank target Contraption you control, then sacrifice it.
2/1
The Crowd Goes Wild 3R
Instant
Attacking creatures get +1/+0 and gain trample until end of turn. If an opponent was dealt damage this turn, those creatures get an additional +2/+0 until end of turn.
Some cities riot no matter how well their team does.
Coal Elemental 4RR
Creature — Elemental
Whenever Coal Elemental or another nontoken Elemental enters the battlefield under your control, add RRR to your mana pool.
Its massive bulk could burn for years before even feeling warm.
3/3
Macrobiotic Ooze 1G
Creature — Ooze
Whenever a player gains life, put a +1/+1 counter on Macrobiotic Ooze.
”Note to self: Add yogurt to the list of things that are dangerous when infused with magic.”
—Twilight Sparkle
2/2
Amateur Announcer 2G
Creature — Human Advisor
Level up 2G (2G: Put a level counter on this. Level up only as a sorcery.)
2/2
Level 1-3: Each other creature you control enters the battlefield with an additional +1/+1 counter on it.
3/4
Level 4+: Each other creature you control enters the battlefield with an additional three +1/+1 counters on it.
5/7
Bushelbough Shaman 2GG
Creature — Treefolk Shaman
Kinship — At the beginning of your upkeep, you may look at the top card of your library. If it shares a creature type with Bushelbough Shaman, you may reveal it. If you do, put a +1/+1 counter on each creature you control.
2/4
Persistent Menace 3G
Creature — Human Rogue
While you’re searching your library, you may cast Persistent Menace from your library.
When Persistent Menace dies, put it on the bottom of your library.
She hates long goodbyes. And short goodbyes. And medium-length ones.
3/2
Bedazzled Boots 2
Artifact — Equipment
Equipped creature has haste.
As long as Bedazzled Boots is fabulous, it and equipped creature have hexproof.
Fabulosity 4 (4: If this artifact isn’t fabulous, put a gem counter and it becomes fabulous.)
Equip 1
Industrial Grab-o-Tron
Artifact — Contraption
Whenever you crank Industrial Grab-o-Tron, return target creature you control and target creature you don’t control to their owners’ hands.
Counterstress UR
Instant
Counter target spell. Counterstress deals 4 damage to you.
It helps you forget all your worries by giving you new ones.
Bootmother’s Blessing GU
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant artifact or land
Enchanted permanent is a creature with base power and toughness 4/4 in addition to its other types. If enchanted permanent is an Equipment, change its text by replacing all instances of “equipped creature” with “this creature.”
Faerie Bootmother 2WU
Creature — Faerie Artificer Wizard
Flying
You may cast Equipment spells as though they had flash.
1(wu), T: Attach target Equipment to target creature with the same controller.
No other species can hope to understand what passes for faerie logic.
2/3
Coal 2R
Sorcery
Coal deals 2 damage to each creature.
Diamond 2W
Instant
Aftermath (Cast this spell only from your graveyard. Then exile it.)
Return to the battlefield target creature card in your graveyard that was put there from the battlefield this turn.
Coal Seam
Land
T: Add C to your mana pool.
T: Add B to your mana pool. Activate this ability only if you control a Mountain.
T: Add R to your mana pool. Activate this ability only if you control a Swamp.
Shiny City
Land
When Shiny City enters the battlefield, you gain 1 life.
T: Add C to your mana pool.
1, T: Add W, U, or B to your mana pool.
Where all dreams gather, and some even come true.
She was definitely referred to as Sweetie Drops in one of the movie shorts but I don't remember which one. I always thought that was a fun detail since obviously human Sweetie Drops never had to change her name.
As for what the play is referencing, I would guess it's an amalgamation of various plays but doubt I would be able out to figure out which ones. Though the title immediately has me thinking of "Wicked".
The Rarity Investigates Applejack short was easily the best of the entire bunch. Because Maud. But Rarity Investigates Trixie was an amazingly close second. Unfortunately, those two are so far ahead of all the others that it's almost unfair.
I thought AJ was just regular-hammering here.
I loved all of these shorts and I thought they were all funny and well-executed... but this gaffe still really bugged me. I mean, it's been established since film one that calling them the Cutie Mark Crusaders is a no-no, and they even playfully nodded to it as recently as the summertime shorts... so how did this slip-up happen?
Unless Bulk and Bulk have had matching sex-change operations recently, they are masseurs, not masseuses.
These were a lot of fun! That Rarity / Trixie scene may be my favorite EqG thing ever!
Oddly enough tho, the thing that worked the least for me in this series was the Sunset ending for Opening Night. It's almost impossible to get me to cringe, but that did for some reason.
And the play itself is almost certainly a direct takeoff on the 1980 movie Coal Miner's Daughter which is about Loretta Lynne's journey from being a (surprise!) coal miner's daughter in a small KY town to country music superstar.
4783586
Thanks. I had no idea that was gender-specific.
For the most part, it's loosely based on the movie Flashdance, with elements of Cinderella and Coal Miner's Daughter thrown in.
Pinkie's thing she did is like when your nuts are itching like crazy and it just won't stop so you set your arm on fire. The pain of second-degree burns on your arm totally distracts you from your jock itch.
I pulled a legit spittake at that whole bit. For a second I wondered if I was watching a reading of a Justice3442 fanfic. O_o;;
Depending on how accurate we can take this (simplified) map, yeah Applejack does live on the district's outskirts.
4783551
I like to think that her family was relocated by Witness Protection, or a similar process for those who work in the paranormal defense agencies of that world. I do need to work on that story...
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I'm going to have to put Trixie ahead of Maud there, but those two were easily the best shorts in the bunch.
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Or that.
As for the Crusaders, I can only guess that it fell through the cracks. Though if they ever get outfit redesigns with their respective shields on them, that's going to raise even further questions...
4783592
Fair enough. I can certainly see how that wouldn't appeal to everyone.
4783638
Hmm. Seems legit. Thanks for the influence rundown.
I see what you did there
4783592
I see what you mean - it was a little too much grandstanding and ended up overshadowing Flutter's big line. At least AJ tried to work her intrusion into the narrative without breaking the forth wall.
I love birds. I volunteer at a wildlife rehabilitation center where I've cared for orphaned woodpecker fledglings. And I can tell you that those sharp beaks hurt like mofos even when they're not trying to drill into a tree. So, I'd have to take a hard pass on the woodpecker massage.
I enjoyed “Rarity Investigates” far more than I expected; it's probably my favorite of the choose-your-own-ending shorts. It also made me like Trixie better – Human Trixie, at least. I still think Pony Trixie is obnoxious.
Yeah, she's too pragmatic for that kind of thing.
Right? I had to pause the video to process what I'd heard. Does this mean that these humans have magical tattoos that appear when they discover their special talent?
I started thinking about this way too much. Rarity specifically mentions herself and AJ, but not RD or any of their other friends. This could mean that they are property owners and pay property taxes that go toward public education. It's possible that Rarity owns her shop and AJ owns a portion of SAA. Not bad for 17 or 18 years old. Not bad at all.
Ugh. I really need to catch up.
Ah well.
All I can say is "Coal Elemental"? Pony!Twilight's gonna freak!
While I appreciate the multi-branch storytelling, the format for watching it bugged me. Seven stories, requiring twenty-one videos, each of which I needed to change the quality on, and two-thirds of which I needed to skip partially through. Yeesh.
That said, moments like the humanverse's version of Rarity Investigates make it all worth it.
4808044
It works a lot better on YouTube. You can see for yourself; there's a link to Fluttershy's Butterflies at the top of the blog.
4808080
Are the others on YouTube now as well?
4808085
Hasbro has them on a slow drip. A new one comes out every Friday, and it looks they will for most of 2018. I'm updating this or FiCG: Better Together, Part 2 each time they do, since they're alternating between the school play storyline and other multiple-choice shorts. Thank goodness for Dailymotion, that's all I have to say.
4808087
Glad to see you're on top of things, in any case. Thanks.
What's wrong with slow-clapping Applejack?
Rarity's line, "Somebody pilfered my bedazzled boot, eh?" sounds a lot like "Somebody pilfered my bedazzled bootaayy!" and I'm having trouble stopping snickering.
I especially like the Ooze, and Persistent Menace is a really cool idea.
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It's the eyes combined with the furtive motions. Most concerning.
Especially given how the outtakes taught us that Rarity has quite the potty mouth off camera.