I thought I'd just go ahead and post the discussion thread for today's episode, since it isn't up yet.

From the preview screenshots and descriptions, it's sounding like Twilight finally remembered about the party she was invited to way back in the first episode, and wants to make things up to them. Hopefully they'll be lots of hugs in this episode, and maybe we can have Moondancer actually appear on screen.

This'll be the official discussion thread, so don't post others, so things don't get all cluttery and confused about which thread to post in.

There are gonna be lots of spoilers in this thread. If you opened up a thread with the title of the episode, I'd hope you'd expect that, but be warned anyways.

Let the discussion (and hugs) begin!

--Sweetie Belle

4522872
I can't wait till it comes on!

Moondancer hype!

I hope Luna will be in this one.

4522872 Was just about to post it, too. :D

Thanks for doing it for me. I'll add this to the episode thread archive. Anywhoozer, I'll be heading back to my CS:GO session where I try to beat Gold Nova Masters and MGs. =]

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No problem! I was just looking and thought "Isn't there usually a thread up before the episode?" so I decided to make sure there was, since otherwise you get a bunch of threads. I figured you'd see it when you went to unsticky the old one.

Good luck on beating the Gold Nova Masters!

--Sweetie Belle

4522872 This was quite possibly a series best, at least, one of the best non-premiere/finale episodes of the series.

It was emotional, nostalgic, surprisingly nuanced, and featured a lot of restraint I feel is absent from a lot of the more recent episodes. This was just a very sweet, very well-made episode.

MAn this was a dang good heartwarming episode. I kind of related to Twilight a whole bunch here. BAck in high school I was a bit of a lone wolf kind of guy. Always studying and focusing on my school work. I even forgone my school trip to Kings Dominion because I wante to stay home. Twilight is experiencing the same problem. I n the past, she didn't care about making friends or wanting enyhting to do with them, she only wnated to focus on sstudying. In the process, she kept herself away from those who could've made good friends and even fellow bearers (Ps. I think if Twilight stayed in Canterlot, Minuette would've been laughter. HEk, isn't there a fic where Twilight stays in Canterlot when Nightmare moon attacks and becomes magic while Spitfire becomes Loyalty) she feels bad that she could've been a little more friendly and a little more curtious to her old friends.

4522872
I haven't had a chance to watch it yet, but I was told that they actually called her Minuette, so I'm happy.

I honestly loved this episode~

A bit more characterizations and finally a character Twilight can convert to friendship without them having to be a villain.

I give it 9/10. Moondancer did seem a bit weird in a funny way, and her design is too close to Twilight's However, that ponytail was adorable!

Much better than the recent episodes.

4522872 Pretty good, though Moondancer did seem a bit selfish. She had three of her friends show up to her party, and she completely ignored them because one other friend didn't show up.

That very first scene of Twilight in the series throwback tho

DAAAYYUUM. I actually went back and watched S1E1 just to see.

Also I love how S5 is making the world more real by making the background ponies less scenery items and now into the actual "real" world characters they've always been throughout their appearances.

I just binged S5 last night after not watching anything past the season opener and I'm still in overloaded hype mode.

did anyone else catch Honey Lemon from big hero 6 as the book seller?

But wait, if Minuette, Twinkleshine and Lemon Hearts all went to Moondancer's party, then how were they also at Twilight's?

4523341
Minuette is a timelord. That's the only explanation.

Take a look at the pony sitting at the table on the left side of the picture:

That color pattern for a unicorn seems oddly familiar.

Well, that was fun. I liked all the old friends, even if most of them blended together a little aside from Moondancer.

I didn't really expect the episode to take that route, though. I had expected them to have Twilight accept moving on and losing friends, and appreciating that they and her had gone on to other things in life instead of almost 'keeping' them, despite not really ever talking to them.

Not that I'm disappointed, simply surprised. I'm still very happy to see Twilight help other ponies make new friends, which strikes me as the most important thing for her character at this point. Not shooting blasts of magic at monsters, but applying what she's learned to help other ponies who were in her shoes a while back. The others will be doing that too, I reckon, but I think this is especially important for Twilight, and it's nice to see it done in more than a 'organizing meetings' sense.

Learning is only half the journey, after all. Application awaits!

There's a little Moondancer in all of us, I think. It was a good episode.

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Just watched it and it was really really good. We need more episodes like this.

4523196
Well, it kinda seemed to me like Twilight was the one Moondancer had the most in common with. The others were trying, but I don't really think they had enough to talk about with her. Twilight would've been able to argue with her about magical theory an' things, but the others didn't seemed as interested in that sort of thing.

I think Twilight was just the one of them that she really wanted to be friends with an' could have.

--Sweetie Belle

4522872 This was great. I loved it. Get to see more characters, character development for Twilight, and a good story. Really sweet. Honestly, I want to see more of these that focus on one or two of the Mane 6 and build a bit on them an a lot on others. Love seeing more. I loved each character though I wish they had brought Lyra in as well for the full reunion. And Moondancer was really cute. She just needs to let her mane down. Loved Minuette's character. Lot of fun. Overall, I really enjoyed this one. One of the best in the season so far.

And it's officially stated in the show her canon name is Minuette. Enough with Colgate.

4523379 I knew she wasn't gone. Starlight confirmed for Finale.

She's watching you Twilight.

4523426

... even if most of them blended together a little aside from Moondancer.

I thought that was a good decision from a narrative standpoint. With the story being as tight as it is in this episode, giving more time to flesh out their personalities would've bloated the episode a bit too much. Still, there will little details here and there that gave them more depth than the average throwaway pony.

4522872 Holy crap, I just realized all Twilight's old friends are unicorns. Do I sense pony segregation?

The fact they all met in magic kindergarten has no relevance. Earth ponies are magical too!

4523492 Oh, I'm not blaming the ep for that, and I happen to really like Minuette, but considering how good MLP is at making ponies with personalities stand out within a few seconds, I wouldn't have minded Lemon Hearts and the other one (forgot her name) being a bit more colourful.

4522872
All these people talking about Moondancer, and I'm like

4523536 Minuette was fun. I liked her. And Moondancer was of course quite unique, even her type isn't really my favourite. She was certainly memorable, though, especially with little touches like her having the same mane style as Twilight, which she changed after Twilight left, which I like to read more into than I perhaps should.

What I particularly like, especially in hindsight, is the 'coming full-circle' aspect of it. Mistakes Twilight made without her newfound knowledge can now be fixed after learning and practising, which I enjoyed seeing. Like figuring out the solution to an equation you had always been stuck on after learning the appropriate methods.

But the only thing I remember about Lemon Hearts is that she got her head stuck in a beaker. Which is an impressive feat, actually. The image will stay with me for a good long while.

4523500

Well, Canterlot has more unicorns then earth ponies or pegasuses, and I figured that was Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns they met in, anyway.

4523542
Well, Moondancer was the focus, but there was still this...

--Sweetie Belle

4523612 You mean sodium chloride? Also known as common salt?

I'm sure they'll be fine. I'm more worried about the molasses. That stuff'll stick to anything.

4523607
Hey, it happens.
Beakers must be handled with extreme care. I managed to jam three fingers into a lab beaker way back when, and spent several hours with my hand behind my back, too embarrassed to show anyone until they slipped free.
Lemon Hearts is a brave individual, clearly taking the whole incident with a pinch of salt, on the chin... and everywhere else around her face, too.

4523659
Hey, it has absolutely nothing to do with the Lemon part.
I, uh... just... really like...
...Uh...
...her mane?
Y-yeah. That's it. Honest.

4523664 Let's hope nopony makes anyone eat an entire shaker's worth, then.

It'd be tantamount to as-salt.

4523671
I sure hope people don't start peppering in salt puns throughout this thread.

4523677 Na, that'd be silly.

4523680
It would just be adding insalt to injury.

4523682 Good point. Ammonium chloride would be worrying.

Thankfully they seem to be sticking to a safer, child friendly recipe. Although I would prefer them working with hazardous materials, but that'd mostly be so I could laugh at the explosions.

4523691

You really like her for....... her sour personality don't you!

Please don't do this.
We have already found traces of salt puns in this thread, don't start with the lemon puns, too.
Don't rub salt in the wound, please. You'll just make everyone bitter, and the next thing you know, they'll beat you to a pulp.

I thought I could come here, hoping noone would find out all easter eggs before me.

4523341
Changelings they are everywhere

Did anyone else notice that Dinky Hooves was one of Twilight's classmates?

Time Travel/Highlander ponies/Changelings confirmed!

I couldn't help but notice Starlight Glimmer... there's no way that was a coincidence, either.

What started out as "Where's Derpy?" for me turned into finding various background ponies (or "side characters" if they have played a big enough role) in every episode...

For example, I think this marks Dinky's first appearance of the season... either that or the wiki has done a poor job of updating her page for S5, and they're usually pretty good about things like that.

Fancy Pants and Fleur got a background cameo, as did Donut Joe, Aunt Orange and (unfortunately considering how important she was supposed to be) Lyra. Plus a lot of the usual suspects... Carrot Top, Shoeshine, Sea Swirl, Orion, Written Script, Parasol, Orange Swirl, Ruby Pinch...

As for the rest of the episode:

Filly Twilight sounds absolutely NOTHING like Bubbles from the Powerpuff Girls.

Moondancer: Ooh... piece of candy.... piece of candy.... piece of candy.... piece of candy....

This episode was totes adores.

Though, one thing I found interesting was that when Twilight said she "could just see" how the party had turned out because of her, not only did she have a very detailed vision of it, but it also seems like it was entirely correct.

Makes me wonder if this might be some kind of Alicorn Princess power she has started to develop, like being able to actually "see" the context of friendship problems. Sorta like how Luna can enter dreams, and Celestia apparently has some kind of clairvoyance type power.

4523379

Oh shit!

4522872 It is confirmed that Princess Twilight Sparkle has some memory problems and Pinkie Pie can fly with her helicopter tails just like Miles Tails Prowler from Sonic The Hedgehog

4523379 It's Starlight Glimmer who is clearly plotting her revenge and stalking Princess Twilight Sparkle

4524969

It is confirmed that Princess Twilight Sparkle has some memory problems

Or she's like Sherlock Holmes: She "deletes" information she considers irrelevant.

Like the names of her old friends, or the fact that the world is round.

4524411
Dinky, Tootsie Flute, and Ruby Pinch are time travellers, taking care of everything in Equestria. After all, Pinchy was watching Rainbow Dash getting her cutie mark too, and Tootsie Flute was in Starlight Glimmer's village.

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4525005

You'll also notice that they act as if they're inviting Twilight for the first time right before the party starts, but Spike already has a present ready for it. They obviously already mentioned it to her, but are used to her not remembering things they tell her!

She was probably reading a book when they said it, and wasn't really paying attention. I think she usually relies on Spike to kinda be her memory anyways.

Hasn't Pinkie Pie done that before?

--Sweetie Belle

4525093

Hasn't Pinkie Pie done that before?

Actually, Pinkie appears to have an eidetic memory, or something close to it. She seems able to remember minute details about seemingly every pony she's ever met, and processes information incredibly fast.

4525120

Um, actually, I meant, hasn't Pinkie Pie flown like a helicopter with her tail before? She does have a great memory...

--Sweetie Belle

4525174

I'm pretty sure she hasn't. She did use a helicopter-bike-thingy once, though.

4523457 I don't think they ever specified that it was Moondancer's B-day. It was just a party where everypony was expected to bring gifts...
OMG it was her b-day. With Twilight being just as big an egg-head as her, it's possible that she wanted a pony there she could relate and talk science stuff with.

However I got the impression that Spike was a better friend in the first episode, so why didn't Moondancer ask for him as well?

4523379 Yeah, there is no way for that to be just some cameo, the way she's hiding behind her menu. I can't wait to see where she turns up next.