Friendship is Card Games: Assorted Shorts, Part 1 · 12:58pm Feb 10th, 2019
We interrupt your regularly scheduled ancient legends to look into something a bit more contemporary. Namely, the latest batch of YouTube shorts… most of which are EweTube shorts. Let’s just hope the next one isn’t a live reaction of My Tiny Gecko or the whole franchise might slip into the collective unconscious.
At first, I thought the design of Twilight’s room had changed. Then I realized we'd just never seen it in the light. Or from that angle. And now I wonder what’s in that terrarium. (Aquarium? It’s not clear. Either way, there doesn’t seem to be any sign of animal life.)
Also, good to see a periodic table that’s actually the periodic table.
So, not only does Spike have his own EweTube channel, he has enough of a following to refer to them as “paw pals,” to say nothing of regular monthly features. How long has this been going on, and why does no one think the talking dog is the least bit strange? That was literally the one thing someone questioned in the first movie.
Also, who’s doing the editing for this? It’s not clear if Twilight knew about the channel before now—though if it’s been going on for months, then she may have to—so has Spike been doing all of this himself? The only other viable alternative would be Fluttershy… which actually does make a degree of sense.
I see Rarity has an influence on Spike regardless of the universe.
I have questions about that sock, but I think I’m happier not knowing the answers.
See, Twilight? This is why you don’t give your dog access to your debit card.
I like Applejack’s channel icon.
So, is Rarity usually AJ’s camerawoman, or is this a special occasion? If Applejack’s usually this meticulous, I’d assume the latter.
Wow. I knew Applejack was all about self-sufficiency, but cutting down one of the trees in her orchard rather than, you know, going to Home Depot or something seems a bit much. Especially since it’s going to be a lot less applicable for the viewers at home.
I do wonder who’s watching this and skipping ahead.
The room’s for Rarity, AJ. She gets to pick the color scheme.
Seriously, you two, just kiss already. You’ve literally built a closet for you to be in together.
Once more, it seems like we have a case of a room that we’ve only seen in shadows before. Pinkie’s filming this in her kitchen from Rainbow Rocks. Though I’m honestly shocked by how much pink is in the room. I suppose her parents let her decorate the place given how much time she’s spent in it.
When Gummy’s a plushie, Pinkie needs some manner of living reptilian baking assistant. Thus, Tank.
I’m vaguely disappointed that human Pinkie doesn’t have a song to go with her baking. Not this recipe, anyway.
I… really hope the kisses’ effects were added in post. Pinkie being able to synthesize love into a pink substance raises some worrisome questions about her true nature. You know, beyond the ones that always float around Pinkie Pie.
Dragon Spike would sympathize with Pinkie eating most of the chocolate before actually putting it in the batter. Good thing she prepared so many chips that not even her stomach could handle it all.
Don’t feel bad, Tank. Theobromine is not your friend. Though him struggling to reach that cupcake is heart-rending.
Looks like Pinkie can control the yield of her explosions enough to make them purely cosmetic… or at least shape the blast such that it doesn’t affect the cookies. Probably not the first time she’s covered the kitchen in batter.
Sophistication and being covered in cookie batter do not mix well, Pinkie.
The first Equestrian short of the bunch. Didn’t expect to see more of these after the Best Gift Ever follow-ups, but here we are. (Though that BestGiftEver hashtag on the video itself raises some questions.)
Huh. Have we ever gotten confirmation of Aloe’s name before now? I can’t recall.
I definitely feel like Twilight’s manestyle has been a point of contention between her and Rarity for most if not all of their friendship.
Oh hey, Fluttershy poster. Probably a relic from her modeling days… though going by that expression, Photo Finish slipped her something to keep her calm for the shoot.
Poor Lotus, trying to keep up with Rarity’s gestures. Honestly, Clotheshorse, I expect better spa etiquette from you.
I have the distinct sense that Twilight did once make her mane scream through an ill-advised spell.
Apparently Rarity’s curls are either so natural or so habitual that they’ll spring into shape the moment she takes off a towel.
Twilight apparently forgot about Mistmane’s mane. Heck, so did Rarity, and Mistmane is the subject of her favorite legend. Asking her is on the table, as is asking the princesses via Spike. But no, apparently the name of the game is pure trial and error.
Wow. Seriously, what’s the tensile strength of those curls? Are we sure Rarity's mane isn’t actually a shape memory polymer? And here we always thought Sweetie was the robot...
Rarity, you’ve been down this road. Magic and manes don’t mix well. Unless that particular law of magic only applied for the one episode. 
One wonders what Lyra and Bonbon were up to. Recital? Business expansion? Princess-level classified information?
I suspect Twilight has some vested interest in figuring out how to get the full “princess mane” effect, but a combination of reverence for Celestia and shame at her own vanity kept her from ever asking the primary source.
(Plus I just like the idea that she has a tremendous case of repressed mane envy, right up there with her resentment of Celestia’s perfect complexion.)
Yeah, this is one of the more blatant cases of Rarity exploiting Spike’s crush. He’d better be getting something incredible in exchange for this labor. (Though I can’t help but wonder if part of Rarity’s motivation is the same sort of husband husbandry as in this comic…)
Street Magic with Trixie!
This is an interesting case. We actually have access to the storyboard for this one and can thus see how half of it ended up on the proverbial cutting room floor. (The second link in the title; credit to Nico-Stone Rupan for alerting me to the discrepancy.) It’s a shame, because that’s a good half. I’m reviewing said storyboard given the greater content, especially since the finished product is less than a minute when you discount the intro and credits.
Seriously, why would you cut that opening bit with Trixie checking herself in the shop window? Also, I do have to wonder how she talked Microchips into recording this. Makes me wonder whatever happened to Fuchsia Blush and Lavender Lace.
Pinkie loving stage magic when she’s employed the actual stuff multiple times is honestly kind of perfect, as is Trixie feeling the need to explain one of the fundamental tricks to her.
Poor Trixie. She truly is starved for attention. Probably feels like she has to prove herself against the genuine magical girls, even after Forgotten Friendship.
That box looks like it’s big enough to contain Spike in the front half.
Heh. Twilight should let her pony counterpart know about this. She’ll get a real kick out of hearing about screwing with a Trixie, whether or not she’ll admit it. Though this does raise the question of how and when people notice magic.
That inflamed horn just looks wrong. Reminds me of the image where Twilight gets infected by an L. paradoxum. (Link deliberately omitted.)
I’m not sure what’s worse, the wrong end of that thermometer stuck in Twilight’s mouth or the way she so casually spits the mercury-filled glass tube onto her hard crystal floor.
Alicorn-specific autoimmune issues seem like a fascinating topic of pony immunology. I can only imagine how Flurry Heart deals with hay fever…
Yeah, touching the thaumoactive mucus crystals that just came rocketing out of your demigod friend’s nose seems like a very bad idea indeed.
I do like the “fifth strangest thing I’ve ever seen” line. Really emphasizes what bizarre lives these mares have led since Twilight came to town.
Wait, there are books on alicorn allergies? Given the track record with Twilight’s post-ascension experiences, I figured this subject would be a complete unknown.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what a natural 1 on a Reflex save looks like.
You know, given the sound effects, I find myself wondering if Discord is watching this and being thoroughly amused by the antics on display (though if that were the case, he’d probably give Fluttershy a blanket and some hot tea.)
Also, I get the feeling that those sounds translate to some decidedly non-TV-Y dialogue.
It’s always nice to see the ponies remember that Zecora exists. It’s even more nice to see that she’s really upped her label game.
Given baby Twilight’s appearance, we have confirmation that Flurry Heart is a hideous, goggle-eyed mutant.
Wow, you guys. Just leave Spike with the baby. Not cool… though arguably karma for that one comic, assuming that it’s canon. (I really hope that comic isn’t canon.)
I’m not sure about the pun here. If it’s a typo, would it be sic (sic)?
It feels wrong to see Dash make a skating video with no Scootaloo in sight. Though it is neat to see human analogues of some of the other Ponyville foals… who are clearly several years younger than human Scootaloo. 
The rapid angle changes have me wondering about camerapeople again. Did Twilight repurpose her selfie drone for her friends’ channels or what?
The fact that that lettuce isn’t actually shredded bothers me more than it probably should.
Seeing Dash train Tank to ride a skateboard makes me think of how Usain Bolt races tortoises.
Dash is so proud. She takes after her parents more than she’ll ever admit.
To be fair, that is very impressive for a tortoise, even before the effects.
In all, this is animated popcorn, but for the most part it’s fun animated popcorn. Now to see what I’ve made from the kernels.
Vlogging Baker 1W
Creature — Human Citizen
Whenever another creature enters the battlefield under your control, you gain 1 life.
As he fanbase grows, so does her waistline.
1/3
Disappearing Cupcake 1U
Enchantment — Cake
When one or more creatures deal combat damage to you, sacrifice Disappearing Cupcake. If you do, return those creatures to their owners’ hand.
Most Trixies must learn many ways to escape retribution.
Patient Craftsmanship 1U
Sorcery
Search your library for an artifact card and exile it with three time counters on it. If it doesn’t have suspend, it gains suspend. Then shuffle your library. (At the beginning of your upkeep, remove a time counter from that card. When the last is removed, cast it without paying its mana cost. If it's a creature, it has haste.)
Desperate Performer 2U
Creature — Human Wizard
When your opponents control no creatures, sacrifice Desperate Performer.
“How can I prove I’m better than you if you’re not there to watch?”
3/3
Arctic Infusion 3U
Snow Enchantment — Aura
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature is snow and gets +2/+2.
Whenever enchanted creature blocks or becomes blocked by a creature, tap that creature. It doesn’t untap during its controller’s next untap step.
Vlogging Engineer 3U
Creature — Human Artificer
Whenever another creature enters the battlefield under your control, scry 1.
As her fanbase grows, so does her budget.
2/3
Vlogging Charlatan B
Creature — Human Rogue
Whenever another creature enters the battlefield under your control, you may have each player put the top card of their library into their graveyard.
As her fanbase grows, so does her ego.
1/1
Mental Meltdown 1BB
Sorcery
Target player discards two cards. If that player is poisoned, they discard three cards instead.
“This book’s pages are a little greasy, but these tricks sound amazing!”
—Trixie Lulamoon
Magical Allergy 2B
Instant
Choose one —
• Target creature gets -3/-3 until end of turn.
• Exile target creature with alicorn.
Even the mightiest can be brought low by those beneath their notice.
Chocolate Overdose 3BB
Sorcery
If target player’s life total is greater than their starting life total, they lose life equal to their starting life total.
Pinkie soon learned that “too much of a good thing” wasn’t just an expression.
Scathing Comment R
Instant
Target attacking creature you control deals damage equal to its power to another target creature.
Rarity’s muttered asides have more stopping power than most battlemages’ horn blasts.
Aftereffects 1R
Instant
Target instant or sorcery card in your graveyard gains flashback until end of turn. The flashback cost is equal to its mana cost. (You may cast that card from your graveyard for its flashback cost. Then exile it.)
“Told you we’d fix it in post.”
Exploding Sprinkles 1R
Instant
Exploding Sprinkles deals X damage to target creature, where X is 2 plus 2 for each counter on that creature.
“If Pinkie went mad with power, how could we tell?”
—Sunset Shimmer
Vlogging Athlete 2R
Creature — Human Warrior
Whenever another creature enters the battlefield under your control, target creature can’t block this turn.
As her fanbase grows, so does her recklessness.
2/1
Magic Sneeze 3RR
Sorcery
Exile the top card of each player’s library. You may cast any number of nonland cards exiled this way without paying their mana costs. If no cards were cast this way, return Magic Sneeze to its owner’s hand.
Discord wasn’t sure if he felt jealous or proud.
Shell Grinder 2G
Creature — Turtle
Riot (This creature enters the battlefield with your choice of a +1/+1 counter or haste.)
Shell Grinder can’t be blocked by creatures with power 2 or less.
Good or bad, Rainbow Dash is undeniably an influence.
3/1
Vlogging Puppy 2G
Creature — Hound
Whenever another creature enters the battlefield under your control, put a +1/+1 counter on Vlogging Puppy.
As his fanbase grows, so does he.
1/1
Illusionist’s Athame 3
Artifact — Equipment
Whenever you cast an instant or sorcery spell, equipped creature gets +2/+2 until end of turn.
Equip 2
”It’s not meant for cutting. It’s basically a wand you can use as a letter opener.”
—Trixie Lulamoon
Uncontrolled Flight UR
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets +2/+0, has flying, and attacks each turn if able.
“I want more of my friends in the air, but this isn’t what I had in mind.”
—Rainbow Dash, Bearer of Loyalty
Compulsive Crafter RG
Creature — Human Artificer
When Compulsive Crafter enters the battlefield, add one mana of any color.
Delirium — At the beginning of each upkeep, if there are four or more card types among cards in your graveyard, add one mana of any color. Until end of turn, you don’t lose this mana as steps and phases end.
2/2
Apple Family Lumberjack 1BG
Creature — Human Rogue
T, Sacrifice a land: Draw a card.
“You have to clear out the old growth if you want any new.”
2/3
Screaming Mane 2(br)
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets +2/+2 and has menace.
“Starlight hears figures of speech and interprets them as challenges.”
—Princess Twilight Sparkle
Trendy Haruspex 2UB
Creature — Unicorn Wizard
Exploit (When this creature enters the battlefield, you may sacrifice a creature.)
When Trendy Haruspex exploits a creature, surveil 3. (Look at the top three cards of your library, then put any number of them into your graveyard and the rest on top of your library in any order.)
3/2
Unbox 3GU
Sorcery
Manifest the top card of your library. You may turn a face-down creature you control face up. (To manifest a card, put it onto the battlefield face down as a 2/2 creature. Turn it face up any time for its mana cost if it's a creature card. Instants and sorceries can’t be turned face up.)
Self-Care XGW
Instant
You gain twice X life.
Draw a card.
“If you can’t look after yourself, how can you look after anyone else?”
—Rarity
Academic Refuge
Land
T, Pay 1 life: Add U or B.
1, T, Sacrifice Academic Refuge: Draw a card.
“Sometimes I just need a few minutes to lie down and recover from all this friendship.”
—Twilight Sparkle
I'm going to be honest, one of the main reasons I don't much care for Spike and Rarity's relationship in the show is because it keeps being framed as "Spike has a crush on Rarity and Rarity knowingly uses this to manipulate Spike into doing things for her".
... I'm afraid to ask, but, um, what's L. paradoxum?
Explosively.
5010797
Yeah, Rarity... Rarity is not often at her best when dealing with Spike.
Also, Leucochloridium paradoxum is a parasitic flatworm that infests the eyestalks of gastropods, causing them to bulge out and worsen the vision of the hosts. Between the more easily spotted bits and worse evasive maneuvers, the hosts are more easily eaten by birds, getting the worm to the avian digestive system where it can reproduce.
derpicdn.net/img/2019/1/30/1948512/medium.png
It took a noticeable effort on Starlight's part to magically apply hair gel. BAD hair gel. Starlight banished Discord (kinda). I think we can safely say that hair still has absurd spell resistance.
Spike has CLEARLY been hanging out with Rarity quite a lot. And whether it's good or bad is up for debate, but she definitely is an influence. Much like Dash.
Speaking of Rarity, and how she and Applejack should just kiss already? Couldn't agree more. Which, well, okay cutting down trees to completely From Scratch it is silly BUT think of the significance there. Apple trees to make Rarity a special room. Really that's halfway to an engagement present.
I think that Twilight did NOT know about Spike's blog, and that most of the world assumes that she's been making gag videos with her dog. I like to think she's even been asked about it a few times and was completely confused. The questioners took it as her keeping kayfabe :p
Nice to see that they're easing up on the No Trivial Magic rule. If the real problem isn't power but control then they really should have been working a slow steady increase to up their power while getting used to it anyway. For emergencies of course. Like bugging Trixie :p
5010805
Don't they also mess with their brains so they go on the top sides of the leaves instead of the undersides?
And yeah, parasitology is both incredibly fascinating and something that makes you want to start screaming and never stop.
Speaking of nature, fascinating parasites, and potentially something interesting to do with Changelings? I've always said that the way to write Lovecraftian horror is to take something that really happens to ants and then make the ants people. And then there's this. Not gross, and in the soothing tones of David Attenburough, but think on the possibilities...
Please nobody tell Dash that her pony counterpart's tortoise flies around with a magical drone. At best she would handle the jealousy poorly, at worst she might experiment and endanger someone.
Under the one hoof, all new pony content is good pony content.
Under the other, I find it difficult to really care about a one and a half to two minute episode bite.
It kinda helps to view the content as a whole as the output of a fanfic writer. The series is a main story, EQG is a more experimental thing, the comics exist for usually silly short stories and worldbuilding that doesn't fit in the main story.
And the various shorts are the bits and bobs that end up in the idea box.
5010815
This ends with Twilight and Fluttershy collaborating on a mechanical lifting drone. Which is awesome. The potential hazards to life and property is an acceptable price to pay.
Short 1 –You know, this would probably become totes more popular in the OSverse
Short 2 – AJ the Homemaker. Well, the steps were long and excessive, but just look at that turnout () Rarity'll be in love once she wakes up
Short 3 – Tank stole the show with his smiles
I'd ask about how she got the pink frosting in the bowl but I've learned to stop asking whenever it comes to Pinkie Pie. I'm more surprised that Pinkie actually got queasy from sweets for a change 
But at least Tank finally got his cookie
Short 4 – Seriously, Rares?
Short 5 – D'aw, what a bonding moment between magicians...and a puppy! I do like the extra material version though :3 Wonder why they cut it?
Short 6 – This was actually the super-funnest short yet!
Short 7 – Sweet moves, Dash!
Tank really deserves his own spin-off series: such a sweetie
Y’know man, as I look at all these that you do, and how you do stuff like the Vlogging _____ series of cards...
WoTC is bonkers nuts for not hiring you. Don’t give up trying there if you still want to, man; you’re either a natural or highly practiced (or both).
As if that were ever in doubt!
"and why does no one think the talking dog is the least bit strange"
Maybe people just assume it's all special effects somehow?
5010807
"I think we can safely say that hair still has absurd spell resistance."
Now I'm wondering what anti-magic uses ponyhair fabric might have.
"and that most of the world assumes that she's been making gag videos with her dog"
Right, something like that.
Rule One of Pinkie Pie: You do not question Pinkie Pie.
Rule Two of Pinkie Pie: You do NOT question PINKIE PIE.
5010813
Ichneumon wasps are the real changelings.
5011038
I was more thinking the butterflies are the changelings living among ponies and the wasps are a monster that hunts changelings by magically causing strife. Sort of like an insect siren, but they do it so no one defends the lovebugs while they lay eggs in them.
This worked better before the Great Metamorphosis of course, where the lings are now living openly among ponies...
5010969
Yet another reason The Maneiac is so feared...
5011048
Ooh, good point.
Actually, that bit has kind of been around since season 5, where we learned that in Cranky's decades of traveling all over Equestria looking for Matilda, he never managed to find a single cure for baldness despite also looking for that.
I've mostly been liking the EG shorts (Applejack's being the exception, since she always struck me as a more practical character than this), but the Equestrian ones have been bothering me a lot, particularly Twilight's ones. Am I the only one bothered by the fact that age spells went from something that only "the highest level unicorns" could learn to something that Zecora's potions can do to an alicorn by accident? And that's not even mentioning the thing with the ladybugs.
5022360
It's possible that the de-aging effect only happens to alicorns due to an unforeseen interaction with that highest-level magic. Or these are just Discord's thought exercises.
5022361
I'd say I prefer the latter, since that doesn't make total nonsense of this world's previously established rules of magic like this short otherwise would, but I think that ship sailed with "manes are somehow immune to magic."