The Last Crusade/A Friendship is Magic Season 9 Review

GOOD AFTERNOON, FIMFICTION FANATICS!!! This is the Dramamaster829; Critic, Actor, Writer, Motivational Speaker, and Occasional Singer, keeping you up to date with the latest news for the final season of MLP! As I was celebrating ‘Father’s Day’ with my father the other day, I look back on the show and what it stands for over the years. While the series in general relied heavily on the importance of friendship, we’ve come to learn that there is not just one form but rather ‘friendship’ in general exists in a multitude. One of those friendships in general, which is often overlooked but should never be forgotten, is something that we can find rather relative in our everyday lives: Family.

Now when it comes to ‘family’, as ‘Mrs. Doubtfire’ quoted in one of my favorite movies, ‘There are all sorts of different families’. Some families have one mother or one daddy, some even have ‘two’ families. In this show, we see some foals and fillies living with their uncle or aunt, grandparents, and (Though often in Fanfiction) some even live with foster parents. As the cast continues to evolve over time, we can imagine the ponies living in separate homes, separate neighborhoods, different areas of the country and often they may not see each other for days, weeks, months, or even years at a time. I emphasize on the aspect of family because as a season all about ‘endings’, when there’s a possibility that we may see the last of an ongoing friendship among three fillies all because of an unsuspecting source it connects to the aspect of ‘family’ which we prepare to dive further into during the episode appropriately titled:

The Last Crusade

NO! Not ‘that’ crusade! But this ‘was’ a good movie.

Warning: The following review contains spoilers. If you haven’t seen the episode, please skip now!

The Story:

That moment when an excited fan meets their idols at a convention.

The episode begins by making it clear it’s a ‘Cutie Mark Crusaders’ episode, when Skeedaddle comes by to announce to the trio he’s found his cutie mark… In knot-tying.

Well, at least Captain Celaeno knows who to ask for sailing knots.

For those who don’t remember who Skedaddle is he was one of the kids who went to that camp made by the Cutie Mark Crusaders to help ‘blank flanks’ find their cutie marks through various activities. Although it’s a little tough to swallow when the three refer to them as ‘blank flanks’ considering how they used to be teased by Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, who quietly disappeared from the show and have rarely been seen. But all talks about fillies aside, it’s at this moment where we get a brief glimpse into Scootaloo’s home-life as we are introduced to two members of her family:

They are not sisters, they are not roommates, this is REALLY a thing people.

The arrival of the two aunt characters, Holiday and Lofty, as confirmed by members of the staff make it clear that they are the ‘first’ Lesbian couple introduced into the ‘Friendship is Magic’ universe. Their arrival since the comics (Which their designs are COMPLETELY different) have caused quite a stir among the community, many of whom open-minded and embracing while others have made controversial, rude remarks in terms of how ‘It’s not what God intended’ and all that junk (I may go to church, but I value ALL human beings no matter who they love). On one side, we have Aunt Holiday, the sweet-natured Aunt with the Australian accent (Kind of makes me think of Olivia Newton-John for some reason) and on the other side we have Auntie Lofty, who some fans say are based off a G1 character and you can tell she’s the ‘cool’ aunt of the duo. For them to appear in both a comic book and last weekend’s episode was such a big deal knowing that Hasbro approved of these two lovely ponies being a married couple and, in this critic’s opinion, … They are pretty cute together and I wouldn’t want it any other way. Course, that would also make me picture the aunts in ‘Sabrina the Teenage Witch’ and ‘Laverne and Shirley’ going through a bit of a reboot on that scale, but I’ll deal with those thoughts later.

I envy Scootaloo sometimes, I hardly ever see most of my aunts except on special occasions.

As Holiday and Lofty catch the train home (Which according to them are just ‘a few stops from Ponyville’), all the while Lofty seeks a theme for her new quilt (Which will come into play later) we learn from Scootaloo how her aunts have been watching over her while her parents are away.

Fans: *Cry out, burns fanfics of ‘Scootaloo’s an orphan’, smashing sound effects*

Yeah… I will admit when examining Scootaloo throughout the show, up till now we never knew she had a family much less even talked about them. Even when she ‘possibly’ had parents, I for one assumed they were the ‘Father’s very business and mother’s very social’ kind of ponies, always away doing other things even on holidays and Scootaloo rarely sees them. Then I think back to some lines she said how ‘No pony ever told her she could do anything’ which made me think she either had ‘neglectful’ parents or she typically lived in foster homes. But we slowly start to see all those theories tossed in the shredder when a very important message confirms… Yes, Scootaloo’s parents are ‘real’ and they are coming home!

This would be me when my Grandfather finally sends me a response to my letters.

It’s later during the day, while Scootaloo is constantly looking out the window and door for her parents’ arrival and too busy to pay attention to Cheerilee’s session on the Rainbow Factory.

But it’s nice to see she’s still involved in the show during its last legs.

It’s only when show-and-tell commences that we have a rough idea on Scootaloo’s parents… After 9 seasons. Turns out the reason we don’t see or hear about her folks is that they are world travelers/adventurers, studying exotic plants and creatures for advancement in science and medicine. *Pause* So… Are they botanists? Zoologists? I don’t know I admit it was very vague as to how Scootaloo described them, but boy is she really into their escapades.

*Pause* Maybe a little “too” into it.

Now I would get why students like Snips of all ponies would initially be skeptical about such fanciful tales, it’s like telling your class that your mother is a super-spy and your father is a daredevil dude.

Very underrated/underappreciated show by the way.

But you know, it’s no secret that children love to brag about their parents at this age. I’m sure deep down her parents are just your average run of the mill…

CRAGADILE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HOLY APPLESNACKS BATMAN!!! Oh wait… Wrong show.

Just when it seems that the terrible beasty is about to make a meal out of poor Cheerilee and students, good thing the Mane Six are around to handle this kind of…

Oh… Uh… Well that’s different.

Though not as believable as this guy being called ‘Marshmallow’.

Jane Goodall and Steve Irwin in pony-form, complete with a Crocodile Dundee hat.

All kidding aside faithful readers, after a nine-season absentee we finally get to meet Mane Allgood and Snap Shutter a.k.a. ‘mom and dad’. Specifically, Scootaloo’s mom and dad.

Fans: *Cry out, smashes a vase*

COME ON, PEOPLE!!! WE ALL KNEW THIS WAS COMING!!!

*Takes a deep breath* If the reference to their apparel and accent wasn’t clear enough, Jim Miller based these two off the most famous animal experts of all time (God rest your soul, Mr. Irwin) although that raises the question if Scootaloo was ‘Australian’ the whole time. But still, after all the years of speculating and questioning her upbringing, I admit this is a very touching scene to see a family reunited.

Aw... It’s like those surprises when military soldiers reunite with their kids.

Apparently, this little scare was meant to demonstrate their line-of-work, like throwing in an impromptu show-and-tell presentation. Least no pony got severely hurt in the process…

Though I think Cheerilee is going to need therapy after this.

You talk about bringing your work with you on the row, apparently Mr. Marshmallow is not the only beasty Snap Shutter and Mane Allgood brought along as the kids see during an early dismissal.

Let’s see we got a Bugbear, a cockatrice, and…

*Insert heavy CROAK here*

YIKES!!! THE BUFO TOADS ARE BACK!!!

Oww… Too, too loud!

*Whispers* Sorry…

*Clears throat* Anyways, you can just see how happy Scootaloo is to see her parents again. After all the nonsense we’ve seen her go through in the previous episodes, like that time she tried to join a ‘Daredevil’ team, it’s just heartwarming when we acknowledge Scootaloo has a ‘family’ and not ‘honorary’ family like Rainbow Dash (Whom we’ll get into later). Their warm reunion takes their celebration toward the local dessert shop for some ice cream sundaes.

Ice cream before lunch? Dang her parents are awesome!

Turns out Scootaloo has been keeping her parents caught up on everything she and her friends accomplished, including being friendship tutors at Twilight’s school (Which REALLY would’ve spared Starlight the trouble of overworking her counseling duties, just saying!). Amazingly her parents have read her letters at least 20 times which leads to a big announcement. Since the return of King Sombra and the destruction of the Tree of Harmony, they’ve decided to take a new job assignment that’ll allow them and Scootaloo to live together.

*Pause* So… NOT Chrysalis’ multiple appearances? Not Discord? Scootaloo’s wanderings in the Everfree forest? Not Tirek or a castle springing out of nowhere?! Okay, I hate to rant but dude your kid’s been through hell and those two major events are the ONLY things that concern you?

Snap Shutter: Well there was Scootaloo wanting to be our little ‘Daredevil’.
Mane Allgood: Honey, we agreed not to encourage it.

*Pause* Parents of the Year, readers! That’s really all I got to say.

But in any case, you’d think ‘Hey, the parents want to be close to their daughter so let’s have them move to Ponyville!’ I mean sure the Everfree Forest is loaded with exotic plants and animals plus it be great for Scootaloo to be with her parents. All hopes of flying aside, this is the best news Scootaloo can ever hear…

Until they reveal their new job is at a distant land called Shire Lanka, with limited travel from there to Ponyville.

Yep… There’s the mood-killer.

Now I barely had much to work with looking up Shire Lanka, only that it’s partly based off ‘Sri Lanka’ where 3,000 years of history are supposedly documented (Probably a thousand years of pony history there too). Apart from that, any praise that I had for Scootaloo’s parents at this point diminished when they fell into the old, “You’re just a kid and we know what’s based” parent-trap (No pun intended). The parents may think this will be a good thing for Scootaloo, but all this suddenly implicates is the potential and permanent end of the ‘Cutie Mark Crusaders’.

Like everyone when they heard this would be the show’s last season.

This despairing news moves the Crusaders to tears that they are just barely holding it together.

GUESS WHO FINALLY BOOKED HOOFINGTON TICKETS?!?!!

WAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!

Okay… Not the reaction I was expecting.

A bit late to the party, Rainbow Dash is informed of what’s going on and potentially not seeing her ‘honorary’ sister forever… And she just encourages them to come up with a solution as they always do. *Pause* That’s it? I mean I know this isn’t your episode and most of your ideas are bad… But you’d think Rainbow Dash would at least try to help out.

Well, I could make some changes to the climate to delay the train…

NOPE!!! Never mind! The kids can totally handle this on their own; thanks anyway.

Killjoy…

Even though the girls explore the ‘Everfree Forest’ where it’s loaded with danger, Snap Shutter and Mane Allgood don’t bother with cockatrices and bugbears… Except the ones they carry in ‘cages’. *Pause* Are we really going to forget that one thing? Like it’s no big deal? Huh? *Frowns* Fine…

Anyways, since it stands to reason the parents only want to relocate is to hunt for rare and dangerous creatures, our favorite fillies embark on their ‘Last Crusade’ (See what I did there) to either find such a creature to convince the ponies to stay in town… Or at least make one up on the fly. I mean after all, they may not be solving a ‘Cutie Mark’ problem, but since their job does involve finding ponies a purpose it does make sense. You have to imagine how much of an effort Scootaloo took to convince the folks to stop packing just to hunt this monster like it’s some ‘turn on’ (I immediately regret saying that).

I’ve seen this happen on ‘Madagascar 3’ and they still look crazy.

Still, we got to admire how dedicated they are to assume that this Everfree ‘Banshee Beast’ is worth studying. I mean I know Apple Bloom can ‘possibly’ work on a potion to alter some beast. Or perhaps they could borrow one of Twilight’s book of spells to put a monster together…

Or they can do this… This has ‘Sweetie Belle’ written all over it.

We all pretty much know the formula to this ‘plot’: Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle dress up as the beast hoping Snap and Mane will take their picture, they trip and fall out of the costume, and their ruse is revealed… In the words of the mayor from that ‘Meatballs’ movie, ‘This was not well thought out.’ I’m not even going to use the ‘They’re just kids’ excuse.

Their next plan involves using photos of their matching cutie marks to convince Snap Shutter, the ‘crickey’ dad, that they represent how inseparable they are and bound together by the same Cutie Mark. Unfortunately, apparently Snap has an eye for detail remarking that the one element separating their ‘similar’ designs is the rather distinguishing attributes. This is coming from a guy who spends years studying details on ‘plants’ with his devoted wife, so of course he was bound to have some attention to detail.

I mean, you can’t really argue with this logic.

Note how the wall of photos is shown during the episode, this comes into play later.

By this point, you know the fillies are just desperate to prevent Scootaloo from leaving when they decide to use ‘magic’ to solve their problems. Such as using a ‘magic potion’ to bind their hooves together so ‘physically’ that can’t be separated. Sounds great on paper, but…

Yeah, they’d never win the ‘three-legged’ hoof race at the next Apple Reunion.

It gets to a point that they are SO desperate that they resort to the one thing that most people would do to send a message:

Fillies for sale! Extras, backgrounds, spin-off stars! Three for the price of one!

But alas, everything the CMC does is in vein and the inevitable seems close to becoming what most fans were fearing. With only one day left before the move and with the house for sale, it seems the reality that the CMC are truly over are about as real as this season being the final run. To be fair, for all the gripe I give to Scoot’s parents, they are sympathetic of Scootaloo’s difficulty facing a big change… I should know I ‘dread’ the day of moving from my hometown (Yet I still want my own house… So complicated). At the very least, they were nice enough to allow her to spend the night with her best friends so they can say a proper goodbye. Sadly, this only makes Scootaloo very upset…

YOU’RE NOT IN MY LIFE FOR 9 SEASONS AND YOU’RE RUINING EVERYTHING!!!

To be fair, Scootaloo has every right to be mad at her parents for almost ‘any’ kid would be upset especially when the thought of ‘moving’ comes up. Even though it took her awhile to find her cutie mark and though she still can’t fly, Scootaloo had a great life and now it’s suddenly changing without taking her feelings into account. And sometimes this is what bugs me whenever parents try to make their kids do something even though they’d say otherwise, the parents mainly doing it because they ‘assume’ it’s best for the kids and the only reason they’d go along with it is mainly begrudgingly. But in this case, Scootaloo really doesn’t want to ‘leave’ her friends even if it meant spending more time with her parents. You can just feel the ‘conflict’ going on in her head, with seemingly no opportunity to choose for herself.

And yet I’d like to think she’s not the only pony having conflicts:

The worried mother and the confused father… Makes sense to me.

As it appears, Snap and Mane have already made up their minds and commit to this move… But they must feel sorry knowing that Scootaloo is hurt even when it doesn’t make sense. To be fair, this almost justifies Scoot’s argument to Dash about having families who cheer for her because the more I think about it… How ‘thoroughly’ did her parents read her letters? Did they truly think Scootaloo has had some amazing adventures or did they just read between the lines that she was just having fun with her friends? For me, they are really cool parents who know a thing about adventures… But are clueless when it comes to communicating with their own daughter. She’s not a ‘cragadile’ people; she’s a person with FEELINGS!!!

‘Technically’ she’s a Pegasus…

I DON’T CARE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

*Takes a deep breath* Eventually Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle find Scootaloo at the Ponyville Train Station, having decided to run away from home to stay with her aunts so her parents can’t force her to go. Course Twilight Sparkle would argue that ‘Choosing not to make a choice ISN’T really a choice’… But she’s not actively involved in this episode, so…

One of these days… One of these days… POW!!! Right in the kisser!

Anyways, you’d think her friends would tell Scootaloo running away isn’t the right thing to do and the responsible thing would be to just go home and face the music. But… Since this ‘is’ their last season together and quite possibly their last ‘CMC’ episode ever, they decide to accompany Scootaloo to her aunts because their sisters would do the same for Rainbow Dash.

I hoped my ex-best friends were like this… They’re dead to me now.

Anyways, they arrive at the house where they are given a very bittersweet picture:

It’s the CMC and ALL the ponies they’ve ever helped… Even their former rivals.

Remember how Lofty was mentioning how she needed a theme for her quilt? Turns out, the CMC have indirectly inspired her with the concept especially for all they’ve done to the town for all these years. Too bad this is the moment they learn of Scootaloo’s situation and even selling the house just to make it official.

Aunt Holiday: I hope you took the ‘brownies’ out of the medicine cabinet.
Auntie Lofty: Shh! Don’t blow our cover!

Still, it looks like this is the moment after all the denials, after all the anger, and after all the desperation and despair, Scootaloo is accepting the terms of her situation that this is truly her last night in town. That she has to say goodbye to her best friends, she has to leave town with minimal visits (If any at all), her parents’ jobs are too important to stay, and…

Wait a minute, she’s amazing!

The next time ‘CMC Day’ is on Equestria Daily, they definitely need to use this.

Nearly the whole town has come to celebrate Scootaloo and her friends as Mayor Mare (Yes, she still runs the town despite having a princess) declares this day ‘Cutie Mark Crusader Appreciation Day’ (Say that five times fast). This moment definitely gives the feels for everyone who’s grown attached to these three since the first time they came together. It’s not even a bunch of random ponies with the same design, it’s legitimately ‘every’ character the CMC were involved with. Whether it’s friends, family, or just some strangers who needed help finding or rediscovering their destiny. And boy did they pull off all the stops to make their day special:

I won’t be surprised if this inspires a new ‘keyblade’ design.

It takes this moment to spell it out to Scootaloo’s parents that the Cutie Mark Crusaders is not a normal club, in Ponyville they are a big deal! The type of pony the whole town knows about and all the work Scootaloo’s done with her friends has not gone unnoticed. I mean all the characters assembled just to convince the folks to let her stay.

Hey, it’s those kids from the camp… Though interesting choice of cutie marks for two.

Oh great, another ship.

Hi Gene Kelly Jr! Yes, I watch ‘Singing in the Rain’ more than once.

What do you know? Diamond Tiara ‘is’ still relevant in the series.

Pipsqueak, check. Troubleshoes, check. Zippoorwhill, check. Feather Bangs… Check. Oh, hey Twist!

Yes, you too Rainbow Dash.

You can’t see her clearly in the episode, but this is Babs with her cutie mark… Though her mane is not as different as implied.

So, all issues about communication with the parents and their kids aside, the parents finally realize just how special their daughter is and admit they were wrong to do what they did. Just as their parents couldn’t afford to quit their work because it’s vital for all of Equestria (Though where we they during all the invasions with the villains and junk) it would be wrong to ask Scootaloo to leave her friends because it be like giving up her own work and contribution to the ponies. Not only do they agree to let Scootaloo stay in Ponyville promising to visit often, but Holiday and Lofty decide to buy back the house so she can live with them permanently. So, in a way, it all works out proving that near or far, related or not, family bond is just as strong as any friendship.

The passing of the hat… Oh god, someone’s peeling onions again!

The Characters

Pros:

CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS, FOREVER!

Even though these three spent most of the episode crying at the thought of their friendship being over, this episode goes on to prove how important their friendship is to the show. I admit they were an annoying trio when they started off in the early seasons, but the bond they’ve kept tight, all the contributions they gave to the town later, and how they rely on each other for support, after all that they’ve grown on me. The conflict with Scootaloo having to choose between the parents she never sees and the friends she’s known for so long is a realistic issue among children, she wants to be with her parents but seeing it at the cost of not seeing her friends is a tough pill to swallow. I’ll admit their attempts to prevent the move from happening were funny and cute, but in the end the show knew when to get serious in keeping to the theme of all possible things ended. Sure if the story had ended with Scootaloo’s move promising she’d visit her friends would’ve added some growth to their characters, but honestly these three were meant to be a team together and since we can’t have the ‘Three Stooges’ with only ‘two’ we can’t have the ‘CMC’ without our favorite non-flying Pegasus (I mean there could’ve been ‘other’ candidates, but that’s beside the point).

I’d make a ‘Laverne and Shirley’ joke, but it only works if there’s a ‘L’ on the sweater.

Now they are not the stars of the episode despite all the hub-bub since their announced presence, but for me it’s not the fact they are ‘Lesbians’ or that they are ‘married’ that drew my attention. For me, the fact they play off each other despite their differences, from Holiday promoting ‘nutritious’ meals as opposed to snacks or Lofty being more outspoken than Holiday, it’s just perfect to see how their personalities blend together. Now I get why there are some fans out on the web who not comfortable taking in the idea that they are not ‘sisters’ or ‘best friends’ like in other shows, I once had to block a former follower because he kept referring to the bible and not his own concerns (Hence why I refuse to incorporate a ton of religion in my discussions). But for open-minded critics like myself, I find the ‘same-sex’ plot to be small compared to the ‘big picture’ of what makes the two such engaging characters like I would when watching ‘Glee’ or ‘Steven Universe’ which has CRITICAL ACCLAIM for promoting the LGBTQ community on a positive scale (Suffice to say, I’ve grown used to this). They may have the shortest screen time on the episode and we don’t see them again till the ‘end’ of the episode, but I think with the quilt and ultimately offering Scootaloo a permanent place to stay in town it really ties this touching story together when it comes to promoting family.

Cons:

Least we know where Scootaloo gets her sense of adventure.

Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t think they are ‘terrible’ ponies. What they do as adventurers/explorers I’ll admit it’s pretty cool and the times they spend together when Scootaloo reunites with them does give the feels like a large stone has shifted off our backs. But what really crushes the moment for me is falling into the ‘You’re moving with us because we know best’ trope that parents often portray in any media (Even Goofy fell into this trap in one of his movies). I’m thinking there’s continuity issues involved, but you’d think for all the times they claimed to have read Scootaloo’s letters it didn’t dawn on them how important she is to the town until they had to spell it out for them (Although to be fair, it’s hard to find an emotional value in a wall of text… I should know). Their communication skills are lackluster I will admit, but I do think it was cool the show decided to make it clear Scootaloo is not an orphan and there are a few takeaways worth noting (Whether it’s their accents, their designs, their quirks, etc.).

Oooh… This is awkward.

Yes, I know this wasn’t a Rainbow Dash episode so she couldn’t be the star. But you walk into your honorary sister’s clubhouse and see how depressed she is having to leave her friends, you’d think if you were Dash this would be a concern for you. Now I will admit Dash had to learn she can’t always be around in Scootaloo’s life and she’s entitled to make her own decisions, but still I think she was just thrown in just for appearances. I don’t know, if Rainbow Dash wasn’t included in this episode, I don’t think it would be such a huge loss even if they kept her appearance for the very end. Though to be fair, it’s not like any of her ideas would be better than when she tried to help Quibble Pants… Yeah, those were really ‘bad’.

Overall, just as ‘Common Ground’ was a touching episode about blended families, the strongest aspect for ‘The Last Crusade’ wasn’t so much the possible end of a friendship but rather the variety of family comes into play. Even though some fans would see a negative portrayal on Scootaloo’s parents in forcing her to move to Shire Lanka with them, even if they didn’t mean to hurt their daughter, it was a long time coming to know if Scoots has family or not and I think their adventurous nature does show where Scootaloo gets her daredevil nature from. The addition of the married aunts was a nice shoutout to ‘Pride Month’ and giving us a more depth look at Scootaloo’s upbringing and regardless how short their appearances were they were very engaging characters with awesome chemistry. And while the episode would’ve had an effective ending had Scootaloo ultimately moved with her parents, the fact that a true friendship can never truly end no matter how far apart they are it would also prove that the CMC are more than just three fillies randomly paired together but a family that will stick with us for many years to come. It’s going to be sad when this season does eventually reach it’s end, for seeing everything ponies like the CMC go through is like watching a part of the family grow and learn new things enduring all the trails and tribulations knowing that so long as they work together the ties that bind show they remain a family at heart forever.

But the big question remains: What did YOU think? Be sure to leave a comment below at your earliest convenience.

Until next week, this is the Dramamaster829… *Sniffs* And I need to make a phone call to my own parents, to let them know how much they mean to me.

Take care, faithful readers.