Okay, so this weeks episode is the Scare Master, and this is the official discussion thread for it this week. But it was also leaked five and a half weeks ago, and we had a thread for it then, too. So this is kinda the second thread for it, but I figured I should post one for everypony that hasn't already watched it, or just wants to talk 'bout it some more.

--Sweetie Belle

Harry is best monster.

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Pregnant Flutterbat? Interesting picture choice.

I'll be watching it live again, pretending I haven't seen it already.

4820953 I had to flip my head upside down to see that... That is an interesting pic for the episode at hand...

Upvote if you're waiting until it is actually telecast in order to screen it - and/or if your internet connection is so damn slow that it'll agitate the shit out of you if you're trying to watch it!

4820953
I don't have to pretend. I actually didn't watch it the first time around. (I'm also behind on a few other episodes at the moment...)

4820953
4820976

I didn't even notice; I just thought she looked cute hanging upside-down from a tree...

--Sweetie Belle

4820984 She does look cute I won't lie

4820991

I added a second picture!

--Sweetie Belle

4820984
Pregnant doesn't preclude cute.
It's not easy to see, I actually had to go look it up to be sure that was the artist's intent. My first thought was she was just chubby from lots of apples.

4820997 Oh that other one looks so KAWAII! Faints from cuteness

4820997
JohansRobot is ultimate cuteness!

4820936 A hex upon Flutterbat, and the writers for bringing her back.

...

And no, I do not plan to watch it.

4821067
A hex upon people who put hexes on Flutterbat!

SPOILERS: You've been warned. I don't reveal anything about the plot, but I do talk about some of the dialogue. So here's my heads-up.

A good episode - but did anyone else notice how many times Applejack lied? I'll go back and count sometime, but even one time is too much for Miss. Honesty. And these aren't 'white lies' either, they were blatant lies about obvious things. Either the writers are going for a big twist reveal for the finale (which I doubt), or no-one picked up on that during the screenwriting (which I also doubt equally). Anyone got an answer?

4820953 I feel like the artist was less trying to convey pregnancy, and more that she had stuffed herself silly with cartoon physics.

4821067

4821220

It seemed more like she was trying to convince herself that everything was part of her family's plan, since they did intend to scare everyone originally. When she heard Granny Smith and Big Mac above her though, it seemed like she finally realized things weren't quite right.

That's my take on things at least. I'll have to go rewatch to make sure.

Honestly, Applejack lies a lot, like in the scary castle episode when competing with Dash and frequently saying she's not scared. I'm glad she lies occasionally though, because to me it makes her more relatable.

4821500 I suppose it gives her a lot of character growth. And yes, it does make her more relatable. Darn, why aren't there more Applejack episodes?! Someone get the writers on this. Thanks for helping me at least understand some reasons why.

4821507

I don't know. Honestly, I don't relate to Applejack that much, but my and her lifestyles and personalities are about as different as they could possibly get. Maybe if MLP had a writer that grew up in a rural area, then Applejack would have more episodes that did her justice.

Also, you're welcome. :)

4820936 I loved the episode! I did watch it 6 weeks ago and I re-watched it today. It was very funny and cute. And the return of Flutterbat is always welcome, even if in a costume The scene that made me really lol was when Rarity slapped Fluttershy with her costume's tail The lesson of the episode was great and pretty mature: Just because everyone likes something, doesn't mean you must like it, too.

Over all, a great way to celebrate Halloween! 10/10
By the way, Season 5 is in no doubt the best Season, IMO

4820936 Why oh why did the writers reset Fluttershy's character growth for this episode? Haven't we moved past that by this point?

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The title of the original picture is ‘Preggy Flutterbat’. I wouldn't have said anything if I hadn't checked.

4822091
Perhaps I missed the previous episode where Fluttershy learned to stop being timid altogether and embrace intentionally scary things? Some people expect Fluttershy to completely grow out of being easily scared. That's not going to happen. That's who she is.

4822283 This is far beyond what's healthy. She's so scared she doesn't want set hoof outside, and spend the night hiding under her bed. She's not scared, she's completely paranoid for no good reason.

4822287

she's completely paranoid for no good reason.

‘Paranoid’ implies ‘no good reason’. That was redundant. Is her behavior unhealthy at the beginning of the episode? Yes. Has she changed it at the end? Yes. She isn't hiding anymore, she is simply not participating.
But to ‘reset her character growth’ there has to have been an episode where she was shown to go through something similar and not be scared. I do not remember such an episode.

4822293 This is the same pony who was not afraid to stand up to Discord, and was not afraid to tell Rainbow Dash her winter was going to be petless. I fail to see how she could go from that, to this.

4822296
I fail to see how standing up to a single known entity she had beaten before, or telling the truth to her friend in a completely non-frightening situation, are comparable to being averse to going out on a night where literally the entire town has been repurposed to scare you.

4822546 First, I bet you that there's an Equestria Lemon Zest that Fluttershy met when she went to see the Breezies, and that's where she got the art designs from.

Second, Applejack's just dressing up as famous characters such as The Scarecrow and Simba. Next year, she's probably going as... (tries hard to think of what she would wear) Nah. I got nothin...

I don't know about anyone else, but that tea party scared me half to death. I mean seriously, no sugar and a bad host, no one complimenting my outfit, some pony not show up, then uninvited guests. Don't even get me started on the kitty that needs a home but I can't help out. Nothing will be scarier than that.

Is no one going to talk about the horse head? That was way scarier than anything else in the episode.

Spoiler! Next Halloween Fluttershy will dress up as her favorite character, Sailor Pony

4820936

I liked this episode, it was hilarious.

Also, it gave some more insight into Fluttershy's way of thinking. In a weird way, it sorta fits my headcanon for her being some sort of natural born warrior, except she's incredibly repressed about it. I mean, look at what she says in this episode:

"All these layers could slow me down, or worse, make me trip."

"A mask? They can just be so difficult to see out of. What about being able to see what's left or right of me?"

"Well, it's just that if I'm blindfolded and somepony leaps out in front of me, I'd never had the chance to defend myself."

"What happens in my head is deep down in the water and some kind of scary monster would appear, how would I even know I was under attack?"

Notice how those are all very specific concerns? They're not general fears, like "What if I accidentally drown myself?" It's all about her ability to react to threats. "Under attack?" "Defend myself?" It all sounds kinda... martial. And this isn't even in a threatening situation. This is how she thinks while hanging out with her friends in Twilight's castle.

What if Fluttershy simply has a hyper-sensitive threat awareness that she can't turn off? It's not so much that everything is scary to her, rather her brain is always calculating possible ways potential enemies might try to harm her, so she's always on her guard. That would definitely go a long way to explain her anxiety.

4822546

Fluttershy is an anime fangirl. I never thought I'd see something like that become canon.

Pretty old-school anime, too. I recognize Pony Ranma Saotome (Ranma½), Pony Utena Tenjou (Revolutionary Girl Utena), Pony Rei Ayanami (Neon Genesis Evangelion) and Pony Sailor Moon (Sailor Moon.) Don't quite recognize the one with the braids.

...Man, there's a pony version of Neon Genesis Evangelion? And Fluttershy likes it?

Also, I like how they're stylized to look like amateur fanart.

4822605

What if Fluttershy simply has a hyper-sensitive threat awareness that she can't turn off?

She's seem some shit.

Oh, and one more thing:

Granny Smith: An' what's that crunchin' sound beneath yer hooves? Maybe it's the bones of ponies that didn't make it out alive?

...Hardcore.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but Is that the first explicit reference to ponies actually dying we've seen on the show? I know we've seen a funeral, but I can't recall anyone talking about monsters actually killing anypony.

4820936 Was Rarity going as a Siren? I LIKE IT!

4821067

A hex upon Flutterbat, and the writers for bringing her back.

What if I told you that she's not actually Flutterbat, it's just her costume?

4822780 Then I would be half appeased, and fully if it turns out to be true. I just can't stand Flutterbat, too much Mary Sue.

4822964 Just go give it a watch, it's got some nice humor, and a good moral at the end. It's better than the Flutterbat trailers make it sound.

Pinkie Pie: You're not taking out all the fun.
Rainbow Dash: Just, like, ninety per--

What is it with Rainbow Dash and trying to quantify the subjective with percentages? For a pony who proudly eschews most intellectual pursuits, she seems to really love her numbers...

4822283 I stand corrected, lol.

4820936 The episode would have been okay if it were not for the awful ending.

4822091 I agree with you 100% about the writers of this episode flushing 5 Seasons worth of Fluttershy's character development down the toilet in less than 5 minutes.

4823927
The awful, horrible ending where Fluttershy doesn't decide to absolutely love Nightmare Night! Seriously, what is it with you people?

4823927 Wtf are you talking about?

4824039 If that's all there was to it, that would be fine. But the ending basically shows Fluttershy isn't going to conquer her fear, implying that she'll just go through this again the next year, and the year after that. And she'll never learn to live with Nightmare Night, and that just because she's not participating, doesn't mean she has to hide under her bed all night.

4824135 You missed the point. The point is that you don't have to hang out with your friends and share every little thing. It's an extension of the Maud lesson of how you won't click with every person: you won't click with every activity and that's okay.

4824145 I understand the moral, but the way they present it makes it look like yet another excuse to have Fluttershy backpedal from her growth for the sake of the story.

4824151 I didn't get that at all. There's a fine line between giving someone character growth and making them completely 180 their character.

4822964

...I don't think "Mary Sue" means what you think it means.

4824151

Look, Fluttershy is never going to "grow" out of her defining personality traits. That's just not going to happen. Let's all be realistic and accept that.

Also, don't assume that character development always has to transform the character into a different person. If Fluttershy learns something about herself, even if it was just confirming something she already knew and finding comfort in that, then that's development as well.

4824039
4824089 The idea of Fluttershy doomed forever to live in fear under her bed is awful. It's like the writers of this episode want this video to be canon

4824591

The idea of Fluttershy doomed forever to live in fear under her bed is awful.

'Doomed forever to live in fear under her bed' is such a biased way of putting it, but I can match it. I find no problem with the idea of Fluttershy having a sleepover with her animals under her bed one day out of every year.

4824591

She isn't hiding anymore, she is simply not participating.

Me, a few comments back, regarding the end of the episode. You have fundamentally misunderstood the entire situation.