It's been a while, but were back to having new episodes again! We should have School Daze Parts 1 + 2 airing tomorrow, and this'll be the official discussion thread.

This two parter's story was by Josh Haber, but the actual writers were Michael Vogel and Nicole Dubuc. The two writers writing the episode are used to writing together, since they also write the Ponyville Mysteries chapter books (You know, the one's with Scootaloo's aunt's in them?). Nicole was also one of the writers on Shadow Play (the last season finale). Michael was cowriter on the movie, and was credited on, oh, a buncha episodes. And we all know Josh Haber by this point, too.

Now, there've been lots of leaks. The only stuff I've seen for these episodes are the trailers, though. Until the episode airs, I'd ask for spoiler tags in this thread if you've seen more.

Usually, about this point, I put a silly summary of what I think the episode might be about, just based on titles and things. So let me think...

Princess Celestia comes to Twilight with an emergency. She's in touch with several interdimensional councils, and has been telling stories about her prize pupil, and managed to to accidentally give the impression that Twilight is now running a school. They are sending someone to inspect it in a week, and she needs Twilight to have a school by then.

Spike points out that it'd be easier to explain there isn't really a school then to put one together, but Celestia's already sent out invitations and has students lined up. So Twilight has to very quickly put together a school and teachers and be ready for an inspection.

They send a witch and a cat. The cat turns out to be the actual inspector and headmistress of her school. They pass, and you also get the impression the inspectors knew very well there wasn't a school a week ago...

Okay, it'll probably be nothing like that, but that'd be fun. (And I want Maggie Smith as a guest voice actor in MLP!)

Anyways, this is the official discussion thread for the episode, and any posts in this group about it should be here until it's at least an episode or two old. As I said, use spoilers until it airs, and have fun!

--Sweetie Belle

Hold onto your seats folks! Here we go again!

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I just walked up to my family today and said, "The TV is MINE tomorrow."

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BEEP BEEP

Hold onto your seats, folks, because we're going to schoooool!

I wish I had cable so I can see it when it airs but I guess I will have to wait a little longer

Currently on commercial break:

So.

• The movie is canon.
• There's some form of board of education
• And we found a glimpse of where the tax money goes.

That this essentially tied in to the Mane 6's adventures all throughout the world in the movie, I'm surprised. Now I have no excuse for skipping on the movie.

Episode was awesone

While I liked the episodes it does call into question the crown's authority. Historically you wouldn't have a bureaucrat talking to the crown like Chancellor Neighsay talked to Celestia, it is also jarring to how ponies use to react to Celestia in the show.

Brain finally did it! He's finally taken over the world! True, he had to turn into a unicorn to do it, and he's Head of the Equestrian Education Association, but the fact that he's bossing Celestia around means he's made it! He's finally made it.

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Well... he only has power over EEA accredited schools, so he only really has authority as long as everypony thinks their schools being EEA accredited is a good thing. I wonder if Cheerilee's school is EEA accredited?

--Sweetie Belle

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You have a good point. And I feel like there's something more to this that we're not getting . . . something more to Chancellor Neighsay.

And I doubt that this is the last we've seen of him.

Apart from the obvious plot hole that most of them have other things to do than run a school (animal sanctuaries, chain stores, farms), and the less-obvious plot hole that Twilight hadn't heard of the board in charge of Equestria's school systems (which I find utterly absurd for her character), this was a fun pair of episodes.

I'd like to think that Celestia knows Neighsay is a jerk and is using Twilight to outmaneuver the bureaucracy and take him down a peg. Either that, or she's totally incompetent, because he single-hoofedly almost started a world war and she didn't even tell him off for it.

I am kind of disappointed that Ember dismissed her friendship with Thorax so quickly when the kids went missing. Can we make her go to the school, too?

Lastly… I try to defend AJ's character, but when the lesson on her board is explicitly ‘apples good, other fruits bad’, I feel like the writers are intentionally sabotaging my efforts.

Lore points:
Movie is canon. I mean, I didn't doubt it, but it's nice to have it confirmed in-show.
Hippogriffs can apparently turn into their seapony forms at will without help from the giant magic anemone thing. Long-term exposure to it, perhaps?
The Storm King apparently reigned near the Hippogriff lands for around a decade; enough for Silverstream to consider it to be ‘most of her life’.
Twilight is confirmed to have access to epic amounts of resources now that she's royalty.
According to Grampa Gruff, the Griffons have an army. Kind of surprising, given the state of their capital, and for all we know he could be exaggerating massively, but…
The Hippogriffs have a navy. Now that, I can believe.
The Cutie Map can apparently track airships. Their pirate friends may not appreciate that.

Oh Maurice LaMarche how I missed you!

I didn't care for this two parter, but I'm glad others are enjoying it.

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I really loved this episode and I can’t wait to see more

Bit of a bump, but I hadn't seen the episode until tonight, and I wanted to post my thoughts the best place I knew of to do so.

I was a little disappointed by the E.E.A. I'd headcanonned that pony schools were more looser and freeform than our own public schools, which in addition to having blatant flaws are apparently designed to fit with industrial age values, when ponies have apparently not had an industrial age.

Then the issues started cropping up, and I thought, "...Is that actually going to be the plot of the episode?" And it got worse, wow. We've got outright racism and reactionary militarism, spiraling into the threat of interspecies war.

In the end, we have the rather interesting lesson - though one that's been espoused before - that doing things "by the book" can be harmful. and also a bit about judging others. Honestly, though, Neighsay's obsession with the various "creatures" being threats troubles me, as does his sudden departure without admitting he was wrong. It goes without saying that he may return... I mean, look at the kind of power he has.

I really liked the episode. I definitely hope we see more of this "student six" again. It was interesting seeing their dynamics and personalities emerge through the episodes. It's definitely something I'll be looking up fanfiction for...

Other random notes:

• Direct reference to the movie! Kinda nice, actually. There are shows that get movies and... just sort of not talk about what happened.
• I think this is the first time I've enjoyed seeing a yak on-screen.
• Most ponies, when showing up to a school, would walk. Professor Neighsay just steps out of some kind of portal to the abyss.
• Speaking of, Neighsay is prime proof that for some ponies, their special talent is being a dick.
• I was really looking forward to "the book" being destroyed in some way. I just wish it had happened in front of Neighsay.
• Is Grampa Gruff some kind of actual leader? I guess it works, the griffons didn't have much of a government in The Lost Treasure of Griffonstone.
• Interesting, so hippogriphs can transform at will now, I was wondering how that worked or if any of them still lived underwater, or could live underwater.
• More deadly critters in the Everfree.
• Twilight + Starlight dual crush combination attack!
• Really? We're still referencing 20% cooler?
• I wanted to see Twilight and/or Celestia tell Neighsay off. But Twilight is too good of a pony and Celestia is playing along with my headcanon that she prefers a gentle hoof to an iron one.

Otherwise:
6370095 Well, it's not out of line for Equestria to have a constitutional monarchy, although yes, it does contrast with the early episodes. Of course, pretty much everypony in the early eps who was afraid of Celestia was either a) Twilight, or b) a Ponyville native. Presumably ponies in Canterlot, or in aristocracy, have a less... lofty view of her. Especially somepony like Neighsay, who has power that vetos hers. Clearly it's gone to his head.
6370262 So basically, we might be seeing something like the breakdown of the Hays Code?
6370427 Lore notes are fun. I noticed a few of those things myself.

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So basically, we might be seeing something like the breakdown of the Hays Code?

It could be!

Is Grampa Gruff some kind of actual leader? I guess it works, the griffons didn't have much of a government in The Lost Treasure of Griffonstone.

I don't know about a leader...

--Sweetie Belle

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Well, Grunkle Stan did run for mayor.