All righty then, time for an in-depth analysis of "Sleepless in Ponyville". Let's see, what was awesome about it? Well, what wasn't!!!

First of all, Scootaloo finally got an episode; after 57 episodes, it was long overdue, and it certainly didn't disappoint. Scoots got plenty of screen time, and really started to flesh out as a character in this episode; we know now without a doubt that she more than anything wants to be like RD, but at the same time, she's still a filly, and her nightmares proved it. She needs somepony to look up to like her friends have in their sisters, and this episode perfectly addressed that need; she now has a "big sister" of her own!

Second, the subject in general concerning nightmares was a good one, especially for younger viewers. Let's be honest with ourselves, we've all been in Scootaloo's position before after hearing or seeing something really scary! You hunker down under the covers at night, you freak out at any shadow that even looks funny, you don't even want to get out of bed and walk the ten feet to the bathroom cause you're so scared, even if your bladder is about to burst! We've all been there when we were kids, so this is a great lesson to the younger viewers that it's OK to be scared of scary things, but what you don't have to be scared of is going to others with your fears and seeking them for comfort. That's a great lesson for younger viewers, and I'm really glad that DHX chose to address it.

Third, Luna finally helped teach a lesson, and that's great!!! Ever since her re-appearance in Season 2, I'd been dying to see her actually teach a lesson. I mean, as she said herself, she is the Princess of the Night (which is now officially a canon term, can anypony say, AWESOME?!?!) after all, and over 1000 years old, so I always figured she had plenty of wisdom to convey and share with others. That's really cool too that she actually goes within ponies dreams and watches over them (sort of like a Sandman-like figure); it fleshes out more about what her responsibilities as the caretaker and guardian of the night are, distinguishing her duties further from Celestia's. But most of all, to reiterate, I was especially pleased to see her teaching somepony a lesson, and ya know, considering her rare appearances, it was kind of appropriate that she teach Scootaloo a lesson in her very first episode devoted to her!!! Also, Ponyception for the win; I said it in another post, but that whole "This is a dream" bit was totally an Inception reference, so I can die happy now because of that!!!

Princess Luna: she's in your dreams, watching you as you sleep. That's not creepy at all.

Fourth, it was awesome seeing the CMC with all of their sisters (or sister figures). Rarity and Sweetie Belle's still somewhat dysfunctional, give-and-take relationship was hilarious to watch, but also very sweet, because ultimately, even if they're sometimes polar opposites, they're still really sweet together and truly love each other. Applejack and Apple Bloom got along swimmingly as usual, and Applejack even raised concern for Scootaloo a couple of times, proving yet again that she is easily the most mature of the Mane 6; she just notices so quickly and so easily when anypony is acting unusual or out of character, and that's a very useful and mature trait. It's a trait that those especially concerned with the well-being of others possess, and I was even convinced midway through the episode that AJ would be the one to tell RD that Scootaloo was freaking out from her stories. Finally, Rainbow Dash is finally living up to Scootaloo's hopes and dreams and has officially taken Scoots under her wing; I mean, what more could we have asked for really? There have been dozens of fan fics and thousands of fan pics depicting RD taking Scootaloo under her wing since Season 1, and really, that was a great shout out to the fandom from DHX. Don't get me wrong, it logically makes sense as well, but it was a great bit of love from the producers to the fans; they know we've been dying to see RD treat Scootaloo with love and like a little sister. Plus, it's a great bit of character development for RD, and even though she was certainly surprised by Scootaloo's desire to have her as a big sister, I was so glad to see her not hesitate in the slightest to take her under her wing (literally!!!). It just goes to show how far RD has progressed as a character since Season 1, and how much she's matured, even if she is still the same good ol' RD who knows she's the most awesome pony around!

The animation was, as usual, fantastic, and it was great to see them head to the mountains, an area around Ponyville we've never really seen before, for their camping trip. Got to see some nice new animation with some very cool colors. Harry the bear made a reappearance, and that's always fun (poor guy lost his fish!!! ). Also, I think we officially have a new best song this season; "99 Buckets of Oats" was simply moving, an achievement in song-making for children's programs unlike any that Daniel Ingram has yet displayed on this show. I have no doubt that it will surely live on in this fandom and take hold of all of our hearts, perhaps even surpassing "Smile, Smile, Smile" as our officially new favorite song!!! Glorious, it was simply glorious!!!

Overall, "Sleepless in Ponyville" was a great episode, a wonderful debut for Scootaloo in her very first own episode, and I think it's safe to say it was everything we could have and were in fact asking for, and so much more! Scootalove is offically canon, it was great seeing the pony sister pairs together, Luna made a surprise (and awesome) cameo appearance, one of my favorite movies of all time was subtly but also most definitely referenced, and we got the best song in the show's history thus far (I'm dead-bucking serious about that!!! ). In the end, what more could we have possibly asked for?

P.S. As a side note, I'm fairly certain that this was actually the first episode that Twilight has never even appeared in!!! I mean, correct me if I'm wrong, maybe she showed up at some point in the beginning of the episode, but I don't think I saw her once. That's pretty interesting indeed, and it just goes to show how fantastic the cast of characters in this show is, considering at this point it is apparent that not every episode hinges upon the main character making an appearance ("One Bad Apple" similarly proved it in that Twilight didn't speak once, but she did appear in that episode at least).

EDIT: After checking MLP Wiki, I have to correct my above statement; this is actually not the first episode that Twilight has never appeared in. Last season, she did not appear in 3 episodes: (1) "Sisterhooves Social", (2) "Family Appreciation Day", and (3) "Putting Your Hoof Down". Still, this does further reinforce my point above about the fantastic cast of characters and there being no need for Twilight to appear in every episode in order to carry episodes. But, I apologize for the mistake everypony.

P.P.S. Just realized, I still don't know what the buck Scootaloo's family situation is?!?!?! Oh buck it, I don't care, she's got RD as a big sister now, so it doesn't really matter!!! Still, I would like to get some sort of explanation at some point in the show's running; I mean, it's getting to the point where "Where's Scootaloo's family?" is the "What happened to Zuko's mom?" of MLP!!! LOL!!!!