Friendship is Card Games: Pie in the Sky and The Stars on Our Ponies · 1:16pm Dec 16th, 2018
Rather sidereal theme in the titles this week, huh? In any case, we’re looking at the last of the main line Season 7 follow-ups and an issue that I had honestly forgotten about between its release and now.
Pie in the Sky
Granny Smith claiming Apple apple pies are better than any other makes Applejack asking Pinkie to do her baking for her in “Secrets and Pies” even stranger.
Speaking of which, nice going, Granny. You’ve started that mess all over again.
Pinkie having a tab at Sugarcube Corner may explain how she got hired in the first place. She offered to wash dishes a few hours after she arrived in Ponyville and has yet to work off her debt.
Pinkie, this isn’t a choice. There’s nothing “wrong” with Dash, she’s not waiting for the right pie, she wasn’t “turned” pie-phobic by a bad pie, and pastry conversion therapy is not going to help matters. She just doesn’t like pie.
It is entirely possible that I am reading too much into this.
That said, I do love Pinkie bouncing off the borders of the panel. Not sure how much of that is her and how much is residual chaos from a few issues ago.
Huh. Not only are snozzberries a thing in Equestria (or at least in Pinkie’s mind,) Boston cream calls Fillydelphia home there. Understandable; Boston’s not the easiest city to make into a horse pun. Hosston could just as easily be Houston.
Dash goes along with the taste trials for the same reason she perpetuated the lie for as long as she did; she can’t bear to upset Pinkie, regardless of the long-term consequences.
That said, after said episode she really should’ve known better than to underestimate Pinkie’s pie making prowess.
I know I scratched my head about this when “Secrets and Pies” aired, but Dash’s blanket dislike of pie is strange. Maybe it’s crust. Maybe it’s a texture thing. Maybe, parallels to more serious preferences aside, she really did have an early negative experience with pie and has a psychosomatic aversion to them as a result. (That’s my hypothesis with Twilight and quesadillas.)
I’m am far more surprised by Dash actually having an oven than any other part of Pinkie sneaking into her house. I figured traditional pegasus cuisine had two settings, raw and lightning-charred. Granted, her parents’ kitchen has the appliances you'd expect, but those aren't made of clouds.
Heh. Pie-in-the-sky thinking with actual sky pie.
Making Pinkie Pie sit still is its own form of punishment.
A mystery of a lost arc instead of raiding one. Neat. Though given the spelling, it's possible that this is some manner of semicircular artifact rather than the container of the Commandments. (And if Celestia’s involved, they're really more the Ten Polite Suggestions.)
Heh. Daring in a cafe with a monkey. That sounds familiar.
It’s funny. I don’t think of Rainbow Dash as especially patient, but she can devote hours of time to what truly interests her, whether it’s relaxation, reading, or refining her craft. Pinkie is the same way—just think about how long it took her to make all of those pies—which makes this object lesson especially effective.
Dash’s smirk as she watches Pinkie recognize the lesson is fantastic
Giving away all those pies makes me wonder how much Pinkie spent on the ingredients. Of course, it’s Pinkie, so the answer is somewhere between “The expense is immaterial” and “That, man was not meant to know.”
This one is just an extension of a gag that the episode already overplayed, with Pinkie at her most obnoxious. A few fun bits, but far from my favorite flavor.
The Stars on Our Ponies
Ponyville contributing supplies for a Crusader-run event? Really goes to show how they’ve become a positive fixture of the community.
Yeah, bungee jumping probably won’t work out well. It’ll end in tree sap if they’re lucky.
Fancy Pants apparently has a niece. And a sibling. Or Fleur does, but that assumes they’re actually married. And that Lily isn’t actually Fancy’s, ahem, “niece,” if you catch my meaning.
Also, nice to see Rarity speaking with Sweetie as a cutie mark consultant and not just as a little sister. Good to see the lessons of some episodes stick.
Heh. Good try, Scootaloo, but the others probably have some memories and/or nightmares involving bungee jumping.
The exchange on panel 2 of this page is a beautiful bit of Rarity/Applejack interaction.
Wow. Between Fancy and Rarity, there’s enough pressure on all four foals to turn them to diamond.
Yeah, expecting tweenagers to understand the finer points of high society might be a bit much when they haven’t been steeped in it their whole lives. There’s a chance Sweetie could have a grasp on such matters by osmosing information from Rarity, but I’m not surprised to see that isn’t the case here.
Wow, Scootaloo’s really getting marginalized in this comic. Unnaturally so. Just saying, the shipping manifesto on this manufactured drama’s sticking out.
Oh. And the next chance they get to confer, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle go along with her suggestion. 
“Looks like Luna is on our side tonight.” Not necessarily confirmation that Luna puts the stars in the sky, but definitely a sign that ponies believe she does.
Ha! Nerd rage is certainly one way to trigger a cutie mark. I imagine it works especially well for unicorns. “No, you’re doing it wrong, stop being stupid and learn something!” It may not be what Lily hoped for, but that authoritative attitude will serve her well in Canterlot. Especially if she tries to work her way into Luna’s good graces.
Of course, she doesn’t see that after months if not years of her family expecting her to get something like her uncle’s triple crown.
Also, another reference to a trio of sirens in Equestria. Folklore certainly remembers them.
Yup, Scootaloo’s high octane suggestions got shot down so she could share a moment with Lily. It still rings false to me.
Good to see that Scootaloo didn’t let the miscommunication hang. And that Lily helped guide the conversation to something constructive. Who says she can’t make it among the movers and shakers?
There we go. Would’ve been nice if Fancy could’ve assured Lily that there’s more than way to be influential earlier, but still, good to see him take it in stride.
(Also, just wait until Spoiled Rich hears about the Crusaders’ latest client…)
And the Crusaders remain together.
This was much better than its predecessor. It’s not quite enough plot for an episode, but still works well and leaves less of a poor taste in my mouth than “Marks and Recreation.” At least Lily wasn’t ruining the camp for everypony else. (Indeed, one could see this as a follow-up to “Marks and Rec,” but it doesn’t have the same “next scene” feeling as the other follow-ups.)
Now, time to see if these cards are stars among my work, or just half-baked:
Gourmet Prodigy 1W
Creature — Pony Child
If you would gain life, you gain that much life plus 2 instead.
Unicorns have laboratories. Earth ponies have kitchens.
1/3
Wall of Pie 1W
Creature — Wall
Defender
When Wall of Pie dies, you gain 5 life.
”Mom always said idle hooves were Discord’s playthings.”
—Pinkie Pie, Bearer of Laughter
0/5
Mystery of the Lost Arc 2W
Enchantment — Saga
(As this Saga enters and after your draw step, add a lore counter. Sacrifice after III.)
I — Return target artifact card from your graveyard to your hand.
II — The next artifact spell you cast this turn costs 2 less to cast.
III — Until end of turn, artifacts you control gain “1W, T: Exile target nonland permanent.”
Uncharted Jack 2W
Enchantment Creature — Donkey
Constellation — Whenever Uncharted Jack or another enchantment enters the battlefield under your control, you may destroy target enchantment.
Some stars resent pony attempts to control them.
2/2
Disciplined Wonderbolt 2WW
Creature — Pegasus Soldier
Flying
Whenever Disciplined Wonderbolt attacks, you may pay 2. If you do, put a +1/+1 counter on Disciplined Wonderbolt.
”Practice makes perfect, and that’s an acceptable starting point.”
—Spitfire, Wonderbolt captain
2/2
Pastry Researcher 3W
Creature — Pony Scientist
Whenever a player gains life, you may pay 2. If you do, draw a card.
The definition of science is doing the same thing over and over again with slight tweaks to see the different results.
2/3
Pegasus Rereader 1UU
Creature — Pegasus Wizard
Flying
Whenever Pegasus Rereader deals combat damage to a player, you may cast target instant or sorcery card from a graveyard and may spend mana as though it were mana of any type to cast that spell. If that card would be put into a graveyard this turn, exile it instead.
2/1
Conflict of Interests 2U
Instant
Tap any number of target creatures that share no colors.
“Part of me is still amazed that ponies so different can grow so close.”
—Starlight Glimmer
Musicians of the Spheres 4U
Enchantment Creature — Siren
Constellation — Whenever Musicians of the Spheres or another enchantment enters the battlefield under your control, goad target creature. (Until your next turn, that creature attacks each combat if able and attacks a player other than you if able.)
3/4
Bungee Botch 3B
Instant
You may pay 1G rather than pay this spell’s mana cost if it targets a creature with flying.
Destroy target creature.
Thinking back, Scootaloo had to admit that the others had a point when rejecting some of her suggestions.
Extreme Feat 1R
Instant
Tap and exert target attacking creature you control. It gets +4/+4 and gains trample until end of turn. (An exerted creature won’t untap during your next untap step.)
“Adrenaline lets you know you’re still alive.”
—Scootaloo
Starhorn Mauler 3R
Enchantment Creature — Minotaur
Constellation — Whenever Starhorn Mauler or another enchantment enters the battlefield under your control, target creature can’t block this turn.
It doesn’t matter if the minotaur charging at you is made of flesh or starlight. You still get out of its way.
3/2
Athletic Trainer 4R
Creature — Pegasus Warrior
Whenever Athletic Trainer attacks, it gets +1/+1 until end of turn for each opponent you attacked with a creature this combat. When it does, put a +1/+1 counter on target attacking creature with power less than its power.
”Try to keep up.”
3/3
Simian Informant 1G
Creature — Monkey Advisor
Whenever an artifact enters the battlefield under an opponent’s control for the first time each turn, draw a card.
“Pony did not get relic? No matter. Grooms-the-Horse has new lead.”
2/1
Survey Scout 1G
Creature — Pony Scout
T: Your opponents and creatures they control lose hexproof until end of turn.
“No form of stealth is perfect, no magical shield flawless. You just have to know what to look for.”
2/2
Feathered Priestess 2G
Creature — Pony Cleric
When Feathered Priestess enters the battlefield, if you control no untapped lands, search your library for a Dinosaur card, reveal it, and put it into your hand. Then shuffle your library.
Suspend 2 — 2G (Rather than cast this card from your hand, you may pay 2G and exile it with two time counters on it. At the beginning of your upkeep, remove a time counter. When the last is removed, cast it without paying its mana cost. It has haste.)
2/3
Community Contribution 2GG
Sorcery
Distribute X +1/+1 counters among creatures you control, where X is the number of creatures you control as you cast this spell.
Now that the Crusaders are contributing members of society, all of Ponyville supports their work in the hopes that they’ll stay that way.
Canterlot Stargazer 4G
Creature — Unicorn Wizard
Reach
Creature spells you cast cost 1 less to cast.
Enchantment spells you cast cost 1 less to cast.
”Being above other ponies doesn’t make me better than them. I’m just closer to the heavens.”
2/3
Force Feed WB
Sorcery
Target player gains 5 life and discards two cards.
That night, Rainbow Dash’s nightmares were full of pie as she was.
Chillaxation 1WU
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature doesn’t untap during its controller’s untap step.
At the beginning of your upkeep, you gain 1 life.
After five minutes, Pinkie was ready to gnaw off her own hooves.
Off-the-Wall Tactics 2RW
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant creature you control
Enchanted creature has vigilance.
You can attack with enchanted creature once each combat during each opponent’s turn.
Pinkie thinks outside the panel.
So we get a bit of insight in Ungula's constellations. Interesting.
Chillaxation: I've got a feeling this would be more true to flavour (and more interesting to build around) if it had "Enchant creature you control" instead.
Yeah, "Pie in the Sky" did feel like it was stretching quite a bit to justify why Pinkie tries to get Dash to eat pie again. Saying that she just hated one kind of pie when she explicitly said she didn't like any pie in the original episode feels like a major hand wave to justify this issue's existence. A shame, because I do like the lesson about everybody having things they like to do that others don't; it just takes such weird logic to get there that I'm not sure it entirely sticks.
"The Stars on Our Ponies" was better, even if Sweetie and Bloom seemed a little uncharacteristically dismissive of Scootaloo. But this narrative stretch is easier to swallow than "Pie in the Sky", because at least this one doesn't use the inconsistency to justify the issue's existence. This story's situation (Cutie Mark Camp-Out) could've easily existed with or without the 'ignoring Scootaloo' aspect. I think the story just needed a little bit of a rewrite to make the other Crusaders' attitude towards Scoots more believable (i.e. maybe emphasize more they're stressed out from running the camp and just ignore her for brevity's sake).
As an autistic astrophysicist, I relate to this SO FREAKING MUCH. You know that one guy in the classroom or planetarium who keeps piping up to correct every third sentence from the "expert"? Yeah, that's me.
4981857
Though if you do that it should be cheaper and/or gain more life.
Maybe have it so the creatures controller gains the life?
In any case, I like that the natural resulting mental image is a lot of the MOST chill, relaxed walls you've ever seem. Imagine the Night Watch, but with sunglasses and tanning beds...
I find it kind of amusing that conflict of interests is most powerful against things like non-coloured artifact creatures or eldrazi. Still like it thematically though.
4981857
Think of it along the lines of Compulsory Rest, but with more sunbathing and less getting dragged by mummies.
4981987
Fun fact: I once accidentally derailed my third-grade math class because the teacher was trying to frame a subtraction problem by saying Mercury was hotter than Venus. I objected, and the entire class started debating the matter.
4982613
In the Eldrazi's case, I imagine it's an argument over who gets to eat what first.
4983989
Your third grade math teacher needs to study the greenhouse effect.
These two I don't remember all that well, aside from the fact that they were the last two I read before I stopped following the series. Mostly just out of boredom rather than frustration, though I think it was just as much to avoid future frustration, considering what the previews of the next major arc looked like. I did read a later arc about the return of Tempest, however, and found it decent enough. I guess now I'm more of a selective comic reader, picking up the only the issues that look interesting and aren't illustrated by Fosgitt. Though, using these blogs as a measuring stick, maybe they might help point out any good ones I've missed going forward.