Some things from Rainbow Roadtrip. [spoilers]

Just some... random things.
1) Twilight hot air balloon actually have a rather modern-looking burner inside. And judging by the flame color - it works on propane. Although it lacks propane tanks so maybe it works on magic.
2) It looks like Hope Hollow rainbow billboard made from gas-discharge tubes.
3) Hope Hollow street (and home) light obviously electrically-powered. You can even hear when Petunia Petals hit the power switch. Yes, it's nothing new but there are still people who refuse to acknowledge that ponies have electricity.
4) And now we have a welding pony. With blowtorch (i don't remember - do we see them before?). Hard to say what fuel this blowtorch use. As far as I remember, early blowtorches used liquid fuel.
5) Pinkie has a "karaoke party" which is a small portable amplifier with mic. It had to be a battery-powered.
6) Blue Big Mac clone!
7) How the hell this "Rainbow Generator" even works? Some sorts of mechanical magic bullshit?... Ok, if definitely magic. So this is a second... third? obviously technomagical device in the show?
8) And now rainbow billboard pieces look like painted wood. Strange.
9) Pegasus mare with the prosthetic hind leg. It looks a little bit more complex that peg leg but hard to say for sure. Hope for a better look at it.
10) Like I asked - better look on prosthetic. It has at least one joint and mare don't have any problems with walking on it. Perks of having four legs? But it obviously far simpler than Rainbow prosthetic wing from "Re-mark".
11) Twilight tries to do some area of effect magic cancelation or something?
12) And how I said many times before - equestrian ponies flexibility more suited for cats rather than equines.
13) So ponied do have elemental magic? And there a difference between "arcane" and "elemental" magic.
14) So there at least two spells that can erase colors from the world?
15) Another mixed couple (pegasus mare and unicorn stallion). With foal.
16) So this "Rainbow generator" actually amplify magic that used on it. Isn't' it... like... a big deal? It's also full of some sorts of crystals. Crystals in Equestria really important, isn't it?
17) So lack of hope could drain colors from the world?
18) And another fresh mixed couple :).

Comments

[howard035]

I enjoyed the special. It was a lot of cute, meaningless fluff, sort of what the movie would have been if it had been slice of life and only 60 minutes.

But one question still eats at me: What was the underlying cause of everyone greying out?

At first you kind of think the mayor may be some kind of villain, because small-town mayors who get outsiders to come visit their towns often turn out evil in these kinds of stories.

Then it turns out no, the Mayor is nice. And he, his father and his grandfather have all been mayor, and have all been running these rainbow celebrations every year to make people happy. So for second half of the movie you assume the faulty rainbow generator caused the greying.

Then at the end, Twilight figures out it wasn't the generator, it was actually the entire town becoming so depressed and isolated that they spontaneously generated "hopeless magic" and greyed out the town.

Fine, so mass depression was the cause. But what caused the mass depression? From the Mayor's description, everyone in town loved each other and got along well. Outsiders immigrated to Rainbows End and fit in with their neighbors. The Mayors threw an annual festival just to help keep everyone loving each other and fired off a rainbow generator. Everyone was happy with this arrangement for enough decades for the Mayorship to pass from Sunny Sky's grandfather to his father to him.

Then somehow the entire town became so hopeless, depressed and withdrawn that they magically turned grey without any kind of economic or sociological explanation?

If the ponies of Rainbows End could become depressed and greyed out for no reason at all, even with the annual festival, what's to stop this from just happening again in a year or two?

[Comnislasher]

5084852
I think that they kinda... caught in everyday life and drifted apart little by little? This whole "do you even say "hello" to him?". When they start to cooperate again colors begin to return.

[howard035]

5084995 So if the town just got depressed without any real cause, people just naturally drifted apart, even though they had a mayor actively working to keep everyone invested in their community with annual festivals and rainbow fireworks etc., then that sort of thing should happen in a lot more small towns.

Also, doesn't that mean the town will just get grayed out again unless six national heroes return to town every year to cheer people up?

[Comnislasher]

5085284

even though they had a mayor actively working to keep everyone invested in their community with annual festivals and rainbow fireworks etc

It's obvious that Sunny Sky effort just not enough - when they already drifted apart you cant just mend it together just by throwing a festival or two. You need to find the root cause and work with it. But Sunny tried to do the same thing that his father and grandfather did. And after it failed he started to blame himself and confused cause with effect.

then that sort of thing should happen in a lot more small towns.

Maybe it happens. We don't know really.

[howard035]

5085491

It's obvious that Sunny Sky effort just not enough - when they already drifted apart you cant just mend it together just by throwing a festival or two.

Sure, but they were throwing those festivals since the time of Sunny's grandfather, and the greying didn't occur until after Sunny became the mayor. So those festivals aren't enough to stave off the depression. I agree they didn't really find the root cause, but after this movie how are Sunny and Petunia going to work with it to prevent more greying in the future? It seems like he was trying his hardest to get everyone to care about each other all along, and it made no difference until 6 famous friendship warriors showed up and did it better. But unless the Mane 6 come back each year, what's going to prevent a relapse?

Maybe it happens. We don't know really.

True. Maybe that explains the Rock Farm a bit.

[Comnislasher]

5085616

Sure, but they were throwing those festivals since the time of Sunny's grandfather, and the greying didn't occur until after Sunny became the mayor.

I have strong suspicions that Sunny became mayor "on shoulders" of his father and grandfather and don't really know what exactly he should do as mayor. IMO his knowledge of dealing with problems boiled down to "let's make a Rainbow Festival!". His solution to problems that even he noticed? Make bigger rainbow.

but after this movie how are Sunny and Petunia going to work with it to prevent more greying in the future

Again, hard to say. But IMO there a big chance that sage graying could happen again.

[howard035]

5085933
That's a really good point. Sunny's more a beneficiary of nepotism than competent.