Friendship is Card Games: Sounds of Silence · 11:38am Sep 30th, 2018
I cannot at this time confirm or deny that I went 4-0 in the Guilds of Ravnica prerelease yesterday, nor can I confirm the existence of Guilds of Ravnica, House Dimir, Magic: the Gathering, or FanOfMostEverything. Also, I can see your browser history, and you should be ashamed of yourself.
Surveil shenanigans aside, let’s say hello to darkness, my old friend take a look at some deer-dragon-horses.
Darn it, Twilight, how am I supposed to comment on interesting anomalies in the Map’s behavior if you beat me to it?
That said, drawing a connection between this mission and the one in Las Pegasus isn’t hard. The intersection of Honesty and Kindness seems to be open communication, clearing up misunderstandings and restoring fractious communities.
Fluttershy has a point; many Equestrian place names have some meaning to them, especially if they don’t contain horse puns. Though I wonder if the Peaks of Peril have any Cliffs of Insanity.
Ooh, kirin. And… nirik, apparently. Still, awesome to add another fantasy race to the local roster. I might expect Mistmane to speak of them, but Rockhoof is the one who was the member of a legion of explorers. Explorers who certainly didn’t raid or pillage any of the coastal towns they discovered, no sir. 
“Flanks don’t lie.” I’m sure that won’t ever be taken out of context. Almost as bad as Celestia saying there’s no wrong way to fantasize…
Ah, another fine example of Plot Convenience Railways offering stops wherever the main characters need to be, regardless of such minor concerns as why anyone in their right mind would build a station or tracks that far.
The spooky ticket seller’s laugh went from amusing to cliche to eye-rolling to strangely hilarious in roughly that order.
Oh dear, more flyders.
Applejack, I appreciate your focus on the matter at hand, but—
Oh. Uh, well… Yes. Thank you, Fluttershy. Well done. Though I have to wonder how squirrels shift a stone that size.
Ooh, I love the kirins’ design. Nice blend of elegance, exoticism, and FiM style.
And so Applejack’s attempt to speak Tourist (which is like your own language, but louder and slower) confirms that the name of the pony language is Ponish. I won’t lie; I still prefer Equish.
Gee, Applejack, it’s almost like the kirins’ refusal to talk is the friendship problem.
Ooh, fascinating to see how only sections of the kirins’ horns glow when they’re using magic.
So… Applejack’s cultural insensitivity is a critical part of fulfilling the mission? Yeah, that does make sense.
I like Autumn Blaze. Especially how it’s been so long, she’s actually forgotten how to pronounce some words. Nice touch.
… I know it’s been a long time since she’s had a chance to verbally interact with someone, but I still went “Wait, what?” at the musical number.
Oof. That’s a lot of inanimate objects with faces on them used to deal with social deprivation. Seriously, Autumn’s been living in an extrovert’s hell until now.
Yup, as I suspected. Negative emotion makes the kirin reverse their spelling… and also become senseless beasts of flaming rage. And, ironically, their leader decided on a scorched earth policy to alleviate the problem. Because, you know, that’s a reasonable course of action.
You know, thinking back to “Feeling Pinkie Keen,” I have to wonder if Twilight has kirin ancestors somewhere in her family tree…
Huh. Kirin have sudoku. Okay then.
Citizen Blaze is my favorite work of kirin cinema.
Oh dear. She’s not just kirin Orson Welles, she’s also kirin Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Please tell me someone has a story planned starring Silhouette Gloom of the Sundown Lands.
First Pinkie, now Fluttershy. Applejack is really in sync with Andrea Libman.
The climax was brief, but still fairly tense. Plus, it led to some awesome voice modulation. Still, Applejack and Fluttershy silenced and emotionally deadened does make for a disturbing mental image.
And so we hit the issue that really should’ve been plaguing the kirin from the get go: How have they been communicating at all? Hopefully through writing, as Autumn mentions. Otherwise, the whole scenario has probably been more than a little absurd.
“Oh no, somekirin trapped in a well?” When in doubt, go with the classics.
Hadn’t noticed the fangs at first. They really add an extra layer of creepy to Autumn’s partial transformation.
“Feel free to add complicated descriptions and comedic tangents.” Good to know Autumn would enjoy my stories. 
In all, this was a great introduction to a new species. Hopefully one that will embrace the wider world now that they’ve had Harmony-mandated anger management training. Now, let’s see what I can make out of this excuse to use one of Magic’s less utilized creature types:
Vow of Silence 1WW
Enchantment
You can’t cast spells.
You have hexproof.
At the beginning of your upkeep, you gain 2 life.
3W: Destroy Vow of Silence.
Kirin Merchant 2W
Creature — Kirin Citizen
Lifelink
4R: Transform Kirin Merchant. This ability costs 1 less to activate for each 1 damage dealt to Kirin Merchant this turn.
”Cash only. All sales final.”
2/3
Nirik of Retribution
(R) Creature — Kirin Berserker
Whenever Nirik of Retribution is dealt damage, it deals that much damage to each player.
At the beginning of your upkeep, if you have 10 or less life, you may transform Nirik of Retribution.
A kirin always pays his debts.
4/5
Hair-Trigger Kirin 3W
Creature — Kirin Citizen
Whenever Hair-Trigger Kirin is dealt damage, you may pay R. If you do, transform it.
Before they found internal balance, every kirin lived on the edge of blind, destructive rage.
2/4
Raging Nirik
(R) Creature — Kirin Berserker
Trample
Raging Nirik attacks each combat if able.
At the beginning of your upkeep, transform Raging Nirik unless you sacrifice a land.
The nirik feel no pain from fire. Their homes aren’t so lucky.
5/4
Silent Dignity 3W
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature can’t attack or block, and its activated abilities can’t be activated.
At the beginning of your upkeep, you gain 1 life.
The Stream of Silence washes away all passion.
Squirrely Shortcut 2U
Enchantment
1U: Target creature you control with power 2 or less can’t be blocked this turn.
”I knew varmints can find ways to get into anything. Never thought it’d be a good thing.”
—Applejack, Bearer of Honesty
Bog Flyders 2B
Creature — Spider
Flying, deathtouch
”The official explanation is that they’re clouds of swamp gas. It’s not too far from the truth.”
—Sweetie Drops, anti-monster operative
1/2
Phantom Kirin 2B
Creature — Kirin Spirit
Whenever you cast a Spirit or Arcane spell, you may put a -1/-1 counter on target creature.
Undeath warps kirins’ souls in strange ways as their magic tries to burn death itself.
2/2
End of the Line 2BB
Instant
Destroy target creature. If that creature was a Vehicle, destroy each creature that crewed it this turn.
”Due to unscheduled monster attacks, we are experiencing some delays. We thank you for your patience.”
—Announcement at Canterlot Terminal
Sundown Shade 3B
Creature — Shade
Undergrowth — 3B: Sundown Shade gets +X/+X until end of turn, where X is the number of creature cards in your graveyard.
Old regrets take form in the Sundown Lands, eager to resolve themselves.
1/1
Morbid Railworker 5B
Creature — Pony Artificer
Improvise (Your artifacts can help cast this spell. Each artifact you tap after you’re done activating mana abilities pays for 1.)
Whenever an artifact you control is put into a graveyard from the battlefield, each opponent sacrifices an artifact or creature.
3/3
Peril of the Peaks RR
Sorcery
Choose one —
• Peril of the Peaks deals 2 damage to each non-Kirin creature.
• Peril of the Peaks deals 2 damage to each Kirin creature.
The explorer Literal Minded made sure everyone knew what to expect from places he discovered.
“A Kirin Tale” 2R
Enchantment — Song
At the beginning of your upkeep, put a verse counter on “A Kirin Tale”.
1R, Sacrifice “A Kirin Tale”: “A Kirin Tale” deals 3 damage to each of up to X target creatures and/or planeswalkers, where X is the number of verse counters on “A Kirin Tale”.
Guardian Flames 2R
Creature — Wall
Defender
Whenever you’re dealt damage, you may have Guardian Flames deal 1 damage to each opponent.
”Fire’s a tool like any other. Just because t can be misused doesn’t mean you stop using it.”
—Autumn Blaze, kirin rageguide
1/4
Hurtful Words 2R
Sorcery
Target creature you control fights target creature you don’t control.
Retrace (You may cast this card from your graveyard by discarding a land card in addition to paying its other costs.)
Flame War 3R
Enchantment
Flash
2, Discard a card: Flame War deals 2 damage to any target. Any player may activate this ability.
When Sunset learned of the kirin, she found their internecine arguments terribly familiar.
Kirin Rageguide 3R
Creature — Kirin Shaman
Mentor (Whenever this creature attacks, put a +1/+1 counter on target attacking creature with lesser power.)
Whenever Kirin Rageguide mentors a creature, you may transform that creature.
4RR: Transform Kirin Rageguide. This ability costs 1 less to activate for each attacking creature you control.
3/2
Nirik Pyromancer
(R) Creature — Kirin Shaman
Mentor
Menace
Whenever Nirik Pyromancer mentors a creature, you may transform that creature.
1R: Target creature gets +1/+0 until end of turn.
5/3
Kirin Cultivator 1G
Creature — Kirin Druid
When Kirin Cultivator enters the battlefield, you may put a land card from your hand onto the battlefield tapped.
3RG: Transform Kirin Cultivator.
For silenced kirin, watching grass grow is fun.
1/1
Nirik Devastator
(R) Creature — Kirin Berserker
1R, Sacrifice a land: Nirik Devastator gets +2/+0 and gains trample until end of turn.
If feral nirik could be said to enjoy anything, they enjoyed destroying everything they’d built as kirin.
4/4
Stoic Kirin 2G
Creature — Kirin Monk
Spells your opponent cast that target Stoic Kirin cost 2 more to cast.
Abilities your opponents activate that target Stoic Kirin cost 2 more to activate.
A silenced kirin is so impassive, it’s hard to tell if magic has done anything to one.
2/3
Holistic Kirin 4G
Creature — Kirin Shaman
Whenever Holistic Kirin is dealt damage, return target card from your graveyard to your hand.
”Everything is connected. Everything is one. Harming me has only begun the chain of events that will lead to you regretting your actions.”
3/2
Shield of Duality 2
Enchantment — Aura
As long as it’s your turn, equipped creature gets +3/+1. Otherwise, it gets +1/+3.
Equip 3
As in a kirin’s heart, rage and joy intertwine on the shield’s surface.
Autumn’s Companions 4
Artifact Creature — Construct
When Autumn’s Companions enters the battlefield, draw a card.
Exiled from her village, Autumn Blaze did whatever she had to to satisfy her need for social interaction.
2/2
Banished Kirin 2(rw)
Creature — Kirin Rebel
Banished Kirin can’t attack or block alone.
Those kirin who would not join their fellows in silence were not permitted to join them at all.
3/3
Restrained Transitionist 2RW
Creature — Kirin Shaman
Menace, vigilance
RW: Restrained Transitionist gets +1/+1 until end of turn.
”Keeping the balance isn’t easy, but I can do things like this that I could never do in either form.”
2/3
Rain Shine, Enlightened 1RGW
Legendary Creature — Kirin Shaman
Lifelink
Whenever one or more creatures you control are dealt damage, put a +1/+1 counter on each of those creatures. (The damage is dealt before the counters are put on.)
2R: Rain Shine, Enlightened deals 1 damage to each other creature.
2/4
Uncharted Terrain
Land
T: Add C.
1, T, Sacrifice Uncharted Terrain: Search your library for a basic land card, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle your library.
The problem with unexplored lands is that by the time you find what you’re looking for, you’re too tired to care.
You think they may have a Darkest Dungeon somewhere? That might create... issues.
Raised this point with Moth's blog, but I'll repeat it here: Applejack's involvement isn't quite clear to me. Fluttershy, sure, let her talk to the all-knowing squirrels, why are you not putting that at first order already? But AJ? Closest I get is the Kirin were denying parts of themselves, and Applejack was the one honest enough (and stubborn enough) to fight all that peer pressure to get through to them that they were being immature with their problems. To put it lightly. Although... it was Autum Blaze who showed them in the end, not Applejack. Hum.
Lastly... how many Kirin boys were there? They look almost exactly like the Kirin girls, and even so, it seemed like there were three or more to one guy. Their village is a total clamfest.
Let's face it: Right now, everyone's browser history is a Bowser history. :B
I like how everyone I've seen has been all, "Why call it Ponish? Equish is clearly better," like, c'mon, they used the word "Pony Latin", you can't expect more creativity out of the show at this point. >:B
Also, isn't it odd how AJ and Fluttershy argued over different approaches to solving a friendship problem in both episodes they've done now? AJ doesn't even argue with Rarity that much...
I like the Kirin, even if they went a little too extreme with the whole 'vow of silence' thing. Hopefully we'll get to see them some more next season
Probably one of the best episodes in the season, to be honest. Been a while since it's been this fun
Edit:
The Sideshow Bob effect, where stepping on a rake for over 40 seconds makes you run through a gauntlet of emotions.
I liked this one. Autumn Blaze is a riot! I almost wish Pinkie had been on the mission instead of AJ just to watch the madness. And I don't think there's been a mission with PP and FS, has there? But I don't think the climax would have worked - can't really see them getting in a fight.
apparently it also lets them grow
https://derpicdn.net/img/view/2018/9/29/1844120.jpeg
really though, I think this may be my fave episode of the season. Autumn Blaze is such a sweetheart and the amount of fanart she's gotten so far confirms that the overall fandom feels the same way!
4945890
so just like ponyville, then?
but yeah, the only difference is the girls have eyelashes and the boys don't
How does one transform from Nirik Pyromancer to Kirin Rageguide?
Excuse me that is IMPORTANT RESEARCH into stuff
I think someone on the design team is a loupgarou fan, with the kirin designs.
4945915
It doesn't have to. Though I suppose if you had two one could mentor the other.
I’ve noticed the general rule of (ahem) thumb for Ponish place names seems to be that puns are reserved for pony-made locations such as municipalities, while natural features aren’t pun-named. And I confess I prefer “Ponish” as being more euphonious.
4945892
"Pony Latin" is a (obviously failed and slightly awkward) attempt at a riff on "Pig Latin"
The kirin need Somnambula's motivational speaking!
Also of course they have sudoku, kirin are Asiatic creatures traditionally.
Yeah, this was a very fun episode, and I really like the kirin / nirik designs. And speaking of the cards, the "rageguide" is a great title.
4945920
He did a really nice pic of Rain Shine.
I really enjoyed this episode. Good worldbuilding, Autumn Blaze was wonderful, kirin are finally canon, and finally we get a new species that's not portrayed as a terminally friendship-impaired and in need of being taught how to get along by the ponies.
... that last bit's been bugging me for a while, I'll be frank.
Speaking of worldbuilding: I can't help but wonder if Autumn Blaze's ponderings about the oneness of the universe might not be the beginning of future kirin religious beliefs. It certainly sounded a great deal like pantheism.
"I have to wonder if Twilight has kirin ancestors somewhere in her family tree"
I have already seen at least one story use that idea, so apparently you're not the only one. :)
"Please tell me someone has a story planned starring Silhouette Gloom of the Sundown Lands."
Haven't seen that one, though. :D
4945890
In order to find Autumn Blaze though is if someone was abrasive and hardheaded enough as Applejack to end up leaving the Kirin's village in the first place though. I suppose Rainbow Dash, or maybe even Rarity could have ended up travelling down that path. But AJ was needed because this is an issue relating to Honesty.
4945892
It's a pleasant surprise to see that the characters who most often slide into the background are so opinionated!
4946110
How dare you call Fluttershy a background pony! >:V
I’m also wondering if Kirin have interbred with ponies in the far past, in a similar way to how Homo sapiens and Neanderthals are supposed to have interbred. (iirc, we get most of our immune system from them)
Mostly because of King Sombra’s suspiciously similar design and the curved horns of unicorns in Mistmane’s time.
The fragile mental state and alternate rage-forms of Twilight and Luna could also be strong throwbacks to the Nirik-form from Kirin ancestry.
Kirin also share some abilities with ponies such as growing plants, telekinetic horns, and possibly walking on water. (do clouds count as water?)
The ponies might even have gotten those abilities from interbreeding with Kirin in the past. at this point after who knows how many generations everyone probably has a little Kirin blood in them.
Imma cast Indestructibility on my opponent's Vow of Silence just to be a jerk.
4945953
Hmm... What if "Pony Latin" were actually a designation of Latin, like Vulgar Latin or something...
Then what other types of Latin would there be?
Ponish is the language of the Ponies, while Zebras, Donkeys, etc, have their own language, and any hypothetical Equish would only be the language of a unified Equestria?
Although, I gotta refresh on what Equestria actually designates...
4946318
Those designs are inspired by "classical" unicorns.
4946474
Given that there is reference to "the Kingdom of Canterlot" and the multi-starred design of thr modern flag, Equestria probably covers a confederation of semi self-governed city-states or other polities under the aegis of the Princess(es).
My favorite:
gatherer.wizards.com/Handlers/Image.ashx?multiverseid=89399&type=card
I love the MLP kirin art style.
I've heard some say that this is actually a Hamilton reference. I can't be sure, because I've only ever listened to the soundtrack, not actually watched a performance, but it looks plausible to me.
Congrats on your prerelease! Dimir definitely seem like the most interesting guild to play, whether or not they're the best.
I have a feeling that retrace Prey Upon is too good even at 3 mana. I fear it leads to just fundamentally unfun gameplay patterns no matter what its cost is. Things that warp limited to that extent are normally mythic, but I can't see a staple common spell + keyword ability being mythic.
Nice use of DFCs for the kirin / nirik. I'm wondering whether all the nirik should automatically transform back into kirin form; I guess we didn't really see enough of the society to know. (The one green mana in the cultivator's transform cost bugs me though. It's already needed green mana to cast: why need red and green both to enrage?)
It was a delightful episode, especially the introduction of a new and fascinating society.
4947068
There are actually separate Hamilton and Citizen Kane references in the song. I'll add "kirin Lin-Manuel Miranda" to the list.
4947449
Ah, I missed that on first watch.
Warning: Long wall of text.
Actually, I got more of an impression Applejack was talking to the Kirin like... well, "criters".
They didn't talk. They excibited heightened animal-like behavior. I guess the fact they had buildings sort-of didn't register with Applejack, which should've been a bit of a giveaway they weren't simple-minded badly trained animals that were just being difficult and not following her commands.
Which really really really makes you wonder about animal intelligence in MLP, how far it could go, and how ... normal it seems to ponies to see racoons working at a fashion boutique.
On Earth, this would be worth at least a couple dozen million views on youtube.
Human Fluttershy could become very, very famous on the internet if she tried.
)
("It's a racoon! Wearing glasses and a tuxedo! Tallying business profits! OMG!"
Really, if these critters could speak Equestrian - and, come to think of it, how come every sapient species we've come across so far does speak the same language? Even across countries? Might be some inherent translation magic going on, which doesn't extend to animals - despite the fact some individual animals are interlectually at least on par with the Diamond Dogs pack from season 1.
(Really, imagine a buddy comedy with Snips and/or Snails adopting an extremly intelligent mouse that ends up in charge in the pet-owner relationship. Basically "Snips and the Brain".
)
So, err, anyway, if these critters could speak Equestrian, then ----- things would probably stay pretty much the same for the most part.
Sheeps and cows can talk. Sheeps still get shorn for their wool, and locked up in fenced-in pins. We know that cows have purchasing power and a more civil arrangement than being locked up in a pin, though they still live on Applejack's farm (milk in exchange for shelter?); Where are all the cow-protagonists in this fandom? When has a cow ever saved Equestria? That'd be interesting to see.
I am reminded of your old planeswalker fanfic in which Derpy saves the Mane 6 from their Elements going out of control, in which it is revealed Angel Bunny is part of a larger rabbit society which is hesitant to interact with ponies for fear of becoming too dependant on them.
Lets not forget, that in canon, Fluttershy's animals have a bookclub. They read and discuss literature. One of the mice even has a smaller copy of the book, which raises further questions.
Really, if you left these critters to their own devices for a bit, we'd have a "planet of the animals" setup within a very short timeframe. Combine that with the "life without ponies" idea, and you've got a quite interesting premise.
No ponies, and animals working together to build a society.
Pre-s1e1-Fluttershy's perfect timeline.
And there are so many other things one could write to adress the subject of animal intelligence;
Or: Seeking to prove a point, Angel Bunny moves out and gets a job.
I can already picture the cover: Angel Bunny in a tiny black suit with an equally tiny suit-case and a hat, walking out of Fluttershy's cottage.
Or, come to think of it: Why aren't there any calves or lambs in Miss Cheerilee's class?
Imagine this scenario: Applebloom, after leaving her school bag near where the cows/sheep were grazing, discovers one of the young ones looking through her text books - and solving math equations. Turns out, she discovered a math savant!
Or... how about them species-transformation spells? Let's say a pony is turned into an animal, forced to see things from their perspective for a few days - and it turns out there's this whole hidden society and rules the pony didn't have the faintest idea about? And they end up as some sort of ambassador afterwards.
And... well... Ehem.
You remember how the mirror turns dragons into dogs and ponies into humans? Well, what if its criteria... got a little mixed up.
pre00.deviantart.net/1a7b/th/pre/f/2013/189/9/e/sunset_shimmer_dog_vector_by_destinyshirshuxd-d6ci4sf.png
[source]
Yeah, I imagine her plans of world conquest would've gotten derailed quite a bit. Also, her relationship with Flash Sentry would have been ... different.
The Adventures of Flash Sentry and his Talking Dog!
Or... the reverse. An animal is turned into a pony.
Only... it never turned back. And it forgot it was an animal.
You know the old "Scootaloo is a chicken" joke? Well, what if she was a chicken?
Born as one, anyway - but turned into a foal shortly after by [magical object/spell/surge].
The truth is revealed only years later, when Twilight is trying to undo some magic mishap with the Crusaders, intending to return them to their "true form"... and Scootaloo has an existential crisis, even as Twilight is working feaverishly to undo her "undo" spell.
She succeeds eventually of course - but the damage is already done. Scootaloo knows she's not a real pony now - and she's beginning to question what that means...
Could be played both for comedy, drama, character bonding (Dash, other CMC), Scootaloo finding her real parents (they live in Fluttershy's chicken coop), questions of the self, identity and potential, examining the place of animals in Equestrian society, equal chance indiscriminate of species, the whole spiel.
Oh, and then there's this old idea of course:
img00.deviantart.net/94ab/i/2014/323/3/a/story_idea__angel_bunny_steals_the_alicorn_amulet_by_ultrathehedgetoaster-d86uuxv.png
[source]
The image says it all.
4956597
At the risk of taking the wind out of your sails, we've seen Applejack talk to animals many a time, and each time it has consisted of yelling at them like they were Strawberry Sunrise. Now, that may say more about how AJ treats berry-loving pegasi, but still, it didn't match her attempt to translate a foreign language by speaking the same language louder.
That said, you do raise a number of intriguing story ideas.
I'm going to say "orc."
I'm surprised nobody has made the comparison to Dwarf Fortress tantrum spirals yet.
4957015
So you're saying the problems actually started when Rain Shine outlawed the production of pickaxes?
Was rewatching the episode tonight and this came to mind:
Flashfire Barrier
(rw)
Instant
You may only cast this spell during an opponent's attack phase.
The attacking player chooses one of the following:
* Flashfire Barrier deals damage to each attacking creature equal to its own power.
* Immediately end the attack phase.
Few nirik give warning shots, but those that do leave little room for misunderstanding.
I was going to give it a higher casting cost, but then I realized it's essentially a flashier but less-reliable substitute for Fog.
An interesting episode that makes me ask one question: Are Kirin a rare pony subrace like Crystal Ponies or a whole different species, like zebras seem to be? They look very pony-like.
Also, you are missing an "i" in Guardian Flames flavour text:
4956597
The comic featuring Angel and the pets illustrated that several animals could teach, learn, plan, remember, process abstract concepts and coordinate as a team. Angel himself can do all of these in addition to a few different forms of acting and emotional manipulation.
However, the sapience of various animals in Equestria and its relation to their roles in society has already been addressed. As shown in "Trade Ya", it's pretty easy for even ponies to accidentally end up in indentured servitude, if not slavery. In the Breezy and animal sanctuary episodes, it's shown that the smaller animals would strongly prefer to be cared for than have personal freedom. After all, the wilds are very dangerous, dirty, and miserable to live in. Better to be regularly fed, bathed, nursed, and generally doted on than be free; at least in the minds of most animals.
[oops, I replied to the wrong comment... namely my own.
]
5053196
Yeargh, that episode always struck me as kinda odd in that regard. Pretty questionable how legal what that Daring Do book salespony did actually was. I mean, she pretty much upped the agreed-upon price right there at the very end when Dash already wasn't paying any attention anymore!
So this scene looked an awful lot like this to me.
Well... that, and also this:
derpicdn.net/img/view/2014/5/9/621581.png
...It's funny how that seems to relate back to something in one of FoME's more recent stories.
)
(@FoME: Hint hint, wink wink, nudge nudge
Well. Clearly Equestria is 'No Country for small Breezies'. Then again, Equestria isn't their country - they have their own place elsewhere. And then there's Seabreeze who was much more vocal about getting back home.
And as for the animals and their "luxurious relaxation resort" - well, yeah. Between getting pampered and scavenging for survival in the wilds, the choice seems obvious. Which was exactly why I said:
...The thing is, the animals have no third option that would seem appealing. There's no option of "work hard and become a full citizen, get your own salary and buy as many carrots as you want, nopony can stop you from getting a bellyache" they even could chose to do instead of living the easy or the wild life. Or... well, I'm not sure what these raccoons in Rarity's Manehatten boutique are up to these days. But I suspect they didn't get any other job-offers to move up in the world.