Dark Qiviut

This was the opposite of what I expected out of Starlight’s episode. Given one of the synopses released sometime ago, one could guess that it’d be a low-stakes episode, or a possible repeat of a Every Little Thing. That couldn’t be any further from the truth.

Starlight’s schedule just before Spring Break was so hectic that she not only got many ponies lined up, but Silverstream came over several times for very small problems related to an unnamed project. SS’s appearances and the schedule got so bad that Starlight couldn’t help Trixie gather the right objects for Maud and Mud’s spring equinox party the next morning (with Sunburst invited, too) and Trixie had to do it all by herself. Additionally, Twilight, Spike, and the other teachers are out for the break, so Starlight is running it herself. Her hectic schedule’s stressing her out and Trixie out. At the end, when a Silverstream asked for help one more time, Starlight turned her away and took off her alarm bracelet until the Break ends.

During the equinox party, Terramar alerted Starlight that Silverstream was never on the train, and they went to search for her, leading to the Everfree Forest, flying away from a flock of cockatrices, trying to escape from them (with a petrified Mud in tow), and eventually finding Silverstream in the treehouse with a cockatrice she befriended and helped her with the project.

Because Silverstream vanished, Starlight blamed herself for the whole thing. By turning her away, she took all the blame and felt incredibly guilty, even after they realized SS was safe and sound. Starlight’s schedule put a big strain on her and Trixie, and the episode spends a good load of time to show its progression and impact, ending with Trixie waiting crossly for her in her office.

Trixie was also quite funny, and her anger was understandable. By being so distracted by her job, Trixie had to do it all herself, including getting the cake recipe, and then spend all night with Starlight baking it. She wasn’t having it with any nitpicks or “corrections” from anyone, especially Mudbriar. 

The lesson has some similarities with Zeppelin, but they’re not the same. In Zeppelin, it’s about how it’s not selfish to have time with yourself. Here, it’s about not getting bogged down with a very stressful job to spend quality time with others. It’s a really good lesson.

There is at least one problem. When Starlight and the others made it inside the open ruins of the sisters’ castle, they assumed the cockatrices won’t fly in and only surround. One big problem. Cockatrices can fly high, and they got too close to a flock of migrating ones by watching them from a cliff above. What if the provoked cockatrices decide to fly over the walls or through the old windows? They were just as vulnerable inside the ruins as out, yet the episode lowers the stakes a bit here and assumes they’re safe. It was really dumb of everyone to gather and breathe there.

That said, it’s really good, and given the fact that Starlight’s takeover of the school may be inevitable, she really needed this episode. Good work, Haber!

Grade: B+