Friendship is Card Games: Fluttershy and the Fine Furry Friends Fair · 12:32pm Feb 27th, 2022
Strictly speaking, the Daring Do trilogy came out before this, but I’d like to close out the Mane Six’s novels before moving on to Yearling’s semi-defictionalized adventures. So, let’s see how Fluttershy rounds out this part of the Berrow canon.
The very first chapter is entitled “The Top Hat Bunny Cabaret.” I’d say we’re off to a promising start.
Interesting point: In Equestria (or at least in proximity to Cloudsdale,) cloud watching is less about seeing what shapes are formed by wind and moisture and more about appreciating the work of pegasus sculptors.
Fluttershy’s job is explicitly “a caretaker of animals, big and small.” This works just fine with my interpretation of her, though I call the position “ecosystem manager.”
I still don’t understand why G. M. Berrow insists on spelling “Froggy Bottom Bogg” with four Gs. Does she not know what a bog is?
Apparently, even when she’s taking a walk through the park to clear her head and take a break from looking after Ponyville’s wildlife, Fluttershy still brings Angel along. Or he invited himself. Equally if not more possible.
“Angel Bunny had Fluttershy wrapped around his furry little paw. It was hard for her to say no to such an adorable face.”
Also because he may slap her if she doesn’t, depending on the writer.
Angel is apparently still a young bunny who wants and needs plenty of new experiences… though I’m not sure how well that excuse works later in the series.
“Fluttershy had noticed that lately Angel had been very curious about all the ‘hoppenings’ in Ponyville.”
Boo this woman.
It is always neat to see how writers interpret Fluttershy’s talent. With Angel in this story, it borders on telepathy. One look in his eyes and Fluttershy knows what he’s asking… usually.
Huh. A character spotted the Flimflam brothers immediately. And just from the iconography of their circus tent, no less. That’s more cognizance than we usually see when dealing with those two.
Oh, excuse me, this is “Farnum and Failey.” Completely different stallions who have flags emblazoned with a pair of boater hats on said tent.
“[The Flimflams] were always looking for the next cheap way to make a 'bit' off unsuspecting ponies.”
I’m not sure why “bit” is in quotes here. This isn’t some quaint idiom; that’s the name of the local currency.
Aaaand Fluttershy goes in anyway given both Angel’s insistence and the promise of cute bunnies. 
Well, I suppose the story can’t happen otherwise.
… Okay, so there’s a bunny marching band, and one of them is playing a tuba. Given the necessary size of the thing to get those bass notes, the mental image boggles my mind.
And, because this is the Flimflam brothers we’re talking about, there’s a song. One of the better attempts to render a pony musical number in text that I’ve seen.
I know the Himalayan is a breed of rabbit, but it raises questions about this world’s mountain ranges.
Some very talented bunnies here, performing impossible feats of strength and skill. Which makes me wonder where the con is.
“Plus frogs!” croaked Flam.
“Croaaak,” said his toad.
Throwing that in at the end is a nice touch. It’s like the frogs’ lawyers insisted they get some degree of billing in the opening number,
Ah. Angel wants to join the show… but he doesn’t have any especially spectacular talents. This may be what inspires his passion for parkour at the start of “Fluttershy Leans In.” (Likely, given that it’s a Berrow episode.) The Flimflams reject him, not least because it helps emphasize how special their bunnies are to the adoring onlookers, and it breaks his little heart. And so Fluttershy is determined to prove how special he is, and we have our plot. Presumably.
“As sweet as Angel Bunny was, he was prone to pouting when he didn’t get his way.”
We have seen a little of what Angel gives back—he makes an excellent secretary, though I dare not ask where he’s keeping that pocket watch—but the sheer quantity of “No, really, he’s a real sweetheart when you get to know him” in the narration so far feels like Fluttershy trying to assure her friends that she’s not in an abusive relationship with her pet.
Huh. Unexpected comic reference with Whinnyland. That’s where they’re holding the titular fair.
Wow. Angel’s going full Rarity, complete with dramatic swoon and sighing into one of Fluttershy’s wings.
Heh. Fluttershy organizing a show for Angel with Rarity doing costumes…
Oh, this book actually came out after “Testing Testing 1-2-3.” Huh.
“The sheep remained where they were, blank looks on their faces.”
This competitive herding practice only raises more question about the position of sheep in Equestrian society. Especially since they appear to be nonverbal in this story, but that could just be maintaining kayfabe.
After a few failed attempts at communication…
“Angel sighed. He pulled out a tiny cowpony hat and lasso and began to act like Applejack. I want to do what Winona does!”
Yeah, this doesn’t work on multiple levels. One, it’s a sight gag in text. Two, Angel can’t get away with this thing the way Pinkie can. If he’d just mimed the lasso, it could work, but this not so much.
And Fluttershy goes along with Angel’s idea, because it’ll make him happy. I can’t say I see this ending well. Neither does she. But as the story said earlier, “Whatever he needed, she would give him. It was a vow that she made to all her pets and creatures.” Which is certainly an interesting take on Fluttershy. I’ve seen her associated with sacred oaths to nature before, but not often.
A key part of herding is being able to shout commands, and so the pair immediately hit some snags. (Yes, Fluttershy might be able to just ask the sheep to cooperate depending on how the story handles their sapience, but that wouldn’t help Angel.)
Angel tried to learn how to surf during a vacation to Horseshoe Bay, and I’d love to hear more about that. I wonder if it has any relation to the time the Bearers got conscripted by that pirate captain…
Rather annoying bit of lolrandom Pinkie as the rest of the cast wander in, aside from Rainbow Dash. And even Pinkie pulling props out of nowhere falls flat after a flop of a joke.
“‘Fluttershy, darling.’ Rarity stuck out her tongue in disgust. ‘Why ever would you want to herd sheep? I know you love animals, but sheep are by far the smelliest of the lot.’”
That’s racist?
Continued ovine issues aside, I do like Rarity’s botanical hat, adorned with fresh flowers to counteract objectionable odors.
The macaroni-making rabbit from the cabaret apparently trained at “Le Fleur Garland—the best culinary academy in the world,” and I have many questions.
Okay, Gummy retelling a joke Angel came up with (through complete silence, of course,) is amusing, I’ll give Berrow that.
“Is a bunny even allowed to enter the competition? I thought it was just for Earth ponies and their dogs.”
More casual tribalism from earth ponies. Though in this case the rules are actually “No flying” and “Use the herding commands.” I assume “No spellcasting” is also in the rules, just inapplicable to Fluttershy. And I think I already see how they’re going to work around the issues at hoof.
“Chapter 6: The Warm, Fuzzy Truth”
Well, that doesn’t sound so bad.
“Fluttershy was terrible at telling ponies the truth, especially if there was the slightest chance that she might hurt their feelings.”
That tracks on the surface… but I do have to wonder how she handles it when she sees that she can’t save an animal.
“I can’t wait to ride the new roller coaster, the Radical Rainboom. Lightning Dust said it’s even better than the Dizzitron.”
One, I do like the idea of Dash and Lightning Dust staying in touch after the debacle at the Academy, which only makes “The Washouts” even more bittersweet. Two, I wonder if Dash get royalties from other ponies using the term “Rainboom.” (Definitely not; it was a piece of folklore before she pulled off even her first one and almost definitely in the public domain. But it’s fun to imagine her trying to claim the rights.)
Hmm. I’m not sure if I like this. On the one hand, Dash helping coach Fluttershy in an athletic endeavor is nice. On the other, it would’ve been even nicer if the rest of her friends hadn’t just stood by and fretted over how poorly the herding attempts were going. Especially Applejack swilling cider and offering unhelpful suggestions.
Ah. Excellent point I hadn’t considered; not only does Fluttershy have trouble making herself heard, Angel also has to actually listen to her.
And Rarity tries to steer the conversation to her latest idea for a wool outfit, because Berrow has no idea what to do with her.
Fluttershy collapse in tears, and Angel hears her give up. That truth wasn’t warm or fuzzy!
Heh. Just after school lets out, Sugarcube Corner experience Sugar Rush Hour.
“A triple-whipped, seven-flavor, quadruple-whammy-jammy Lickety Split with extra nuts and sprinkles! Oh, and a chimi-cherry on top!”
Wait, she put a whole deep-fried cherry turnover on top? There’s probably room for it, but still.
Yeah, the banter is emphatically not helping Fluttershy. We’re approaching MCU levels of unhelpful quipping.
Hmm. I’d say that the data points to Ponyville having a dry cleaner (and Equestrian chemistry being capable of dry cleaning,) but this is Pinkie we’re talking about.
Ah. Royalty is explicitly barred from competing. Though saying it’d be unfair to the other competitors is assuming a lot about Twilight’s herding capabilities. Yes, the judges might feel compelled to give an alicorn high scores, but even they can only justify so much.
… Huh. Twilight has a plan, and it begins with Crystal Empire dwarf sheep. Which also raise some unsettling questions. That one line from “Sisterhooves Social” has caused so much trouble down the line.
Fluttershy is currently housing forty-two animals. I’m sure Discord would agree she’s the answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything. (Actually, where is Discord in all of this? Twilight has her wings; he’s definitely coming by for Tuesday Tea by now.)
“If the two of them had gone out onto the field at the fair, they would have become a laughingstock! A livestock laughingstock. And that would have been much worse for Angel’s confidence. Really, Fluttershy was just protecting him and his delicate little soul.”
Hmm. This definitely feels like Fluttershy falling into the trap of smothering her charges. You’d think a pegasus would appreciate that into every life, a little rain must fall. On the other hand, she could definitely be projecting her own fears and anxieties onto Angel. This isn’t a good side of Fluttershy, but it’s definitely a believable one.
Huh. I’d expected Angel and Fluttershy to change places. Granted, it would be a bit hard to prove he was using the appropriate commands, but I’m sure they could’ve hashed out something with the judges ahead of time. But using sheep that are more Angel’s size can certainly work.
Apparently Manehattan lies between Ponyville and Whinnyland? I have several questions regarding Berrow’s understanding of both Equestrian and American geography. Given all the talk of rabbits, maybe she thinks it’s Coney Island…
Rainbow Dash incredibly excited for a roller coaster. And she’s not even in Las Pegasus! Though she is apparently hanging out with Lightning Dust. Seriously, there’s a beautiful friendship that could have been. (Though given how Trixie and Gilda are treated in Twilight’s book, I’m surprised by Lightning’s sympathetic presentation here.)
… Wait, Dash got Spitfire to coach Fluttershy? I have many questions. Especially regarding the last time Spitfire worked with livestock.
“‘Oh, I knew he would love velvet,’ Rarity gushed. ‘Just the right fabric to make a rabbit look dapper.’”
I see what she did there.
And then Angel and the ewes both vanish while Fluttershy’s getting into her own shepherd girl costume.
Yeah, all of her friends chipped in offscreen. Other than Twilight’s explicitly shown acquisition of the crystal sheep.
Asking for help just makes ponies think Fluttershy’s playing the part of Little Bo Pony Peep. Dang it, Rarity.
It takes Pinkie’s chicken burlesque show for Fluttershy to realize that the event is meant to be fun. Though I can’t completely approve of a moral that boils down to “Hey, people with anxiety, just relax.” I truly wish it were that easy.
(Okay, it’s not necessarily chicken burlesque, but Elizabeak has a sparkling feather boa on.)
And Rarity realizes the subconscious nursery rhyme influence on the outfit and tells Fluttershy not to wear it. Great. Outstanding contribution there, Clotheshorse.
Trotland and Bales are reasonable additions to the Equestrian atlas. Though “Belsh” has some issues as a demonym.
The announcers are apparently astonished that the competitor Angel Bunny is, in fact, a rabbit. The crowd thinks it’s hilarious, and the laughter is almost enough to shatter Fluttershy’s confidence. But as ever, she’s at her strongest when doing something for someone else. In this case, Angel.
Berrow’s attempt to write an a capella number for the Ponytones is… less successful than the one for the Flimflams. But hey, at least Fluttershy actually joined them on stage for a bit.
“When the song ended, two tall ponies with red manes made their way to the front. One of them had a mustache. The residents of Ponyville knew that neither of them was to be trusted.”
Yes, as demonstrated by all of Ponyville happily attending their cabaret a few weeks earlier. (Granted, there is the idea presented by that one holiday comic: Ponyvillians know the brothers are scam artists, but they come to see the theatrics anyway.)
In any case, Fluttershy turns down the Flimflams’ offer to add Angel to the lineup—and I guess their cabaret was legitimate the whole time?—and Angel hops over to Vinyl’s booth and starts mixing songs with aplomb. Shy’s happy that he’s happy, and…
“‘That’ll do, Fluttershy,’ said Applejack with a smirk. ‘That’ll do.’”
A Babe joke. And this was published in 2015. Not exactly ending things with a timely reference.
This isn’t bad. Certainly better than some of Berrow’s other work. But the internal logic never quite gels into a single, cohesive plotline. There are little mini-arcs throughout, some resolved, others not, that leave the bigger picture feeling disorganized and disconnected. Some good moments—the show wouldn’t give us this kind of deep look at Fluttershy and Angel’s relationship until “She Talks to Angel” in the last season—but it’s held back by Berrow’s stranger tendencies as a writer.
Still, plenty to work with. Let’s see what I can do with it:
Crystal Ewes 2W
Enchantment Creature — Sheep
Lifelink
Channel — W, Discard Crystal Ewes: Prevent all damage a source of your choice would deal this turn.
Their wool stores energy from the Crystal Heart, allowing them to soothe troubled minds and bodies.
1/4
Obedient Flock 2W
Creature — Sheep
Whenever Obedient Flock attacks, it gets +1/+1 until end of turn for each other attacking creature.
Whenever Obedient Flock blocks, it gets +1/+1 until end of turn for each other blocking creature.
An army in search of a general.
2/2
Hapless Shepherd 3W
Creature — Pegasus Peasant
Flash
Flying
When Hapless Shepherd enters the battlefield, create a 0/1 white Sheep creature token for each creature attacking you or a planeswalker you control.
Whenever a Sheep you control dies, put a +1/+1 counter on Hapless Shepherd.
1/2
Cloud Sculptor 2U
Creature — Pegasus Spellshaper
Flying
U, T, Discard a card: Put a wind counter on target noncreature land. It becomes a 2/2 blue Elemental creature with flying and “When this land dies, return it to its owner’s hand.” It’s still a land.
Lonely pegasi soon solve that problem.
2/2
Curse of Anxiety 2U
Enchantment — Aura Curse
Enchant player
At the beginning of enchanted player’s upkeep, that player taps an untapped creature they control. It doesn’t untap during their next untap step.
A nervous leader makes for wary followers.
Tangible Absence 4U
Instant
Return target permanent with mana value 1 or greater to its owner’s hand. Create an X/X blue Illusion creature token, where X is that mana value.
Chaotic 2U (You may cast this spell for its chaotic cost. If you do, choose its target at random.)
Crush Dreams 1B
Instant
Target player reveals cards from the top of their library until they reveal a land card, then puts those cards into their graveyard. When they do, up to one target creature gets -1/-1 until end of turn for each card revealed this way.
Ripened Fruitbat 1B
Creature — Plant Bat
Flying
1G, Sacrifice Ripened Fruitbat: Search your library for a basic land card, put that card onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle.
The fruitbat reproductive cycle is equal parts confusing, messy, and delicious.
2/1
Brain Wrack 3B
Sorcery
Choose one —
• Target player discards two cards.
• Target player chooses three cards in their hand and discards the rest.
In times of crisis, it can be hard to focus on anything constructive.
Public Mortification 3BB
Instant
Convoke (Your creatures can help cast this spell. Each creature you tap while casting this spell pays for 1 or one mana of that creature's color.)
Exile target creature.
“Nothing good happens in the center of attention.”
—Fluttershy, Bearer of Kindness
Runcible Gnome 1R
Artifact Creature — Equipment Gnome
First strike
Equipped creature gets +2/+0 and has first strike.
Reconfigure 3 (3: Attach to target creature you control; or unattach from a creature. Reconfigure only as a sorcery. While attached, this isn’t a creature.)
2/1
Crack the Whip 2R
Instant
Creatures target player controls get +1/+0 until end of turn. Goad those creatures. (Until your next turn, those creatures attack each combat if able and attack a player other than you if able.)
Angel knows how to motivate anything.
Lop-Eared Lifter G
Creature — Rabbit
XG: Lop-Eared Lifter gets +X/+X until end of turn. Activate only once each turn.
Adrenaline, green mana, and powerful hind legs make for a formidable combination.
1/1
Bunny Cabaret 1G
Enchantment — Song
At the beginning of your upkeep, put a verse counter on Bunny Cabaret.
3G, Sacrifice Bunny Cabaret: Create X 1/1 green Rabbit creature tokens, then distribute X +1/+1 counters among creatures you control, where X is the number of verse counters on Bunny Cabaret.
Hopping Songspinner 1G
Creature — Rabbit Bard
Whenever an enchantment enters the battlefield under your control, Hopping Songspinner gets +1/+1 until end of turn.
“I can appreciate anyone who makes the crowd bounce like that.”
—Vinyl Scratch
2/2
Lapine Wrangler 1G
Creature — Rabbit Ranger
Whenever Lapine Wrangler attacks, any number of target creatures block it this turn if able.
Herding is ultimately a matter of knowing who to guide and who to avoid.
2/1
Band of Bunnies 2G
Creature — Rabbit Bard
Finale — Whenever you sacrifice a Song, populate. (Create a token that’s a copy of a creature token you control.)
We few, we decreasingly few.
3/2
Oath of the Ancients GW
Enchantment — Class
(Gain the next level as a sorcery to add its ability.)
Spells your opponents cast that target creatures you control cost 1 more to cast.
1GW: Level 2
Whenever you attack, untap target attacking creature. It gets +2/+2 and gains lifelink until end of turn.
2GW: Level 3
Untapped creatures you control have hexproof.
Curious Rabbit GU
Creature — Rabbit
Play with the top card of your library revealed.
Curious Rabbit has each activated ability of the top card of your library that isn’t a loyalty ability.
“It’s cute… until he casts his first spell.”
—Princess Twilight Sparkle
1/2
Whinnyland Boardwalk 1RW
Enchantment
Whenever one or more creatures attack you or a planeswalker you control, create that many Treasure tokens. (They’re artifacts with “T, Sacrifice this artifact: Add one mana of any color.”)
Abandon all budget, ye who enter here.
Angel, Top Bun 1(gw)(gw)
Legendary Creature — Rabbit
Companion — Each creature card in your starting deck has power and toughness 2 or less. (If this card is your chosen companion, you may put it into your hand from outside the game for 3 any time you could cast a sorcery.)
Whenever another creature with power 2 or less enters the battlefield under your control, put a +1/+1 counter on that creature and on Angel, Top Bun.
2/2
Maybe they're filled with SF6.
Looking forward to the Daring Do! They're among my favorites. (Be sure to queue up the Luna book and the Ponyville Mysteries cycle...)
Given we still presumably see him in the very last episode either all Equestrian bunnies don't, or he specifically doesn't, work like regular real life bunnies in terms of age.
I mean, is she not?
I'd argue that neither did the show for a while, and that's why they went out of their way to fix her in season 5. I'm allowed to share controversial Rarity takes now that Mono isn't here anymore.
Between originally seeing that episode in the dubbed version and rewatching the parody far more than the real one, whatever that line was has been permanently replaced in my memory by the Les Mis joke in FiW5.
I have several questions about Equestrian geography as a whole considering Applejack made it to Manehattan on foot (and presumably back in a day) as a filly. I try not to think about it too hard. Even though I'll be forced to when we get more G5 (which currently largely only makes sense if you assume the writers actually deliberately accounted for the magnetic poles switching).
I was expecting a Rollercoaster of
RarijackFriendship reference from you, honestly.It's Pinkie Pie. Of course it is.
I remember thinking this book was somewhat better than most of the preceding ones (at least the first three, anyway), but not enough to break free of Berrow's writing tendencies with these. I haven't had the chance to read the Daring Do books yet, but everyone does say they are a marked improvement, so quite curious for those.
This talk about Berrow has got me thinking about the forthcoming G5 series again. She's really fallen on her feet as the story editor there, hasn't she? Though I will confess some worry – A New Generation avoided most of her writing tendencies due to all the voices and input that goes into a film (not least the directors, who had enough of an input to get Story By credits), plus the constant iterating over the process. With the special and series, we'll be back to the usual method of the writing being done in relative isolation, then handed off to the studio to storyboard and animate it. Her run on Pony Life is… less than encouraging on that front.
Nothing to do but wait and see now.
Wonder if we'll see any familiar writers for the special and series, either from previous Pony shows or other shows we know them from. Food for thought! 
Inside Baseball Alert: The RWBY character was herself a reference to something much older (much, much older; according to that page this year is its centennial, which I didn't know until I looked it up).
Stupid Complicated Game Alert: The upkeep step happens immediately after the untap step, so they'll need to have at least 3 creatures or haste to get any attacking in. Nothing happens if they only control a single creature for two turns straight, but they'll get to untap it on the third right before it runs into the trigger again... unless it has a tap ability they can activate in response; the ability doesn't target and in fact the enchanted player gets to choose, so they can do that.
Boy, I sure do love Crad Games.
5640072
Ooh, I had that book as a kid. It's good! Sad, but good.
Can somebody remind me?
I believe this is the official, canonical spelling. Probably so it can be trademarked if necessary.
5640171
It doesn't even really matter what the line was, just the fact that a sheep who'd just been herded said it.
static.wikia.nocookie.net/mlp/images/d/d0/Chaos-infused_bunny_S03E10.png
Does this mean that Angel is headed for the incinerator? Because I could get behind that idea.
Depending on which came first, she may just be deferring to the official map, which also spelled it this way in at least the iterations I'm familiar with.
Hmm. I always assumed that the rabbit Fluttershy encountered during her cutie mark story was meant to be Angel, but this doesn't jive with that.