ElegantNerd

I loved that Dash was wearing her Tank slippers.

Did you know that Cathy Weseluck, the voice actress who plays Spike, actually improvised that song on the spot? I thought it was a good comedic choice that she kept singing about trees when, of course, there are no trees in Cloudsdale! ****************SPOILER ALERT, if you haven't seen "Tanks for the Memories"***************** I keep seeing people mentioning "Tanks for the Memories." That episode actually follows the 5 steps of grief, using hibernation as a stand-in for death. (Tank *literally* buries himself in the ground at the end). Re-watch it and match the scenes to the classic 5 stages of grieving: 1. denial 2. anger 3. bargaining 4. depression 5. acceptance

Nice reference to "Always Sunny in Philadelphia," LOL!!! If only this episode had been 20% (or more) cooler. I'd been expecting something on par with "Crusaders of the Lost Mark." When the series builds something up for YEARS, fans hope to be blown away by something awesome. I'd been hoping this achievement of Dash becoming a Wonderbolt would've been done as an epic musical. They could've mixed and updated the "I've been dreamin', I've been waitin'..." part of "At the Gala" from Season 1. This could've worked as a musical episode SO well. I could've gone like this: Act 1: finding out her dreams have come true...trying on the uniform for the first time...reflecting on the years she's admired the Wonderbolts and the significant steps she's taken along the way to join them.....then imagining what her first day will be like. Act 2: Reality hits. The training's tougher than she expected. She has very little time to learn the most complex routine she's ever attempted. She struggles and doubts herself. She stresses out big time. The other Wonderbolts try to be supportive to the newbie but Dash can tell they're thinking she's going to mess up the show. (They're not jerks about it, though). Dash wanders off by herself. Cue a Dash solo song that hits you right in the feels. She doesn't know if this is her true destiny, after having been so certain her entire life. It could start with her singing somberly, "I had been dreaming, I had been waiting/ to fly with those great ponies...." (I imagine something similar to "Pinkie's Lament," but without the optimistic ending). It would emphasize that her dream, once realized, hadn't turned out the way she'd thought. Act 3: The day of the big show. Dash is ready as she'll ever be, and it's showtime. She looks out in the crowd and spots Scootaloo waving a flag with Dash's cutie mark on it (or something like that). It reminds Dash of when she was Scootaloo's age, and of how excited she was to see the 'Bolts perform back then. (There could be a cool flashback here of Dash's parents taking her to her first Wonderbolts show). Dash resolves to do her best, because it's what the fans deserve. Dash does a decent enough job. Not perfect, but passable and the crowd still loves it. (Plus, there's no lame slapstick and none of Dash FORCING Scotaloo to do something that could've harmed others. I mean, WTF?!) Pinkie gets to wrap it all up with a congrats party for Dash (a great opportunity for an ensemble song). At this party, Dash could express both the ups and downs she's experienced. She knows that being a Wonderbolt won't be 100% awesome right away and there were challenges she hadn't expected, but with a lot of hard work and practice it will become the best thing ever. ********************** I know different fans will have different ideas on how the episode should've gone, but it seems that overall a lot of people here had been hoping for a LOT more than what we saw today.

This was my favorite episode of Season 6 thus far. *I was never really interested in Trixie until this episode added more depth to her character. *I wasn't expecting the Starlight & Trixie pairing, but it worked very well. They *do* have a lot in common. *Okay, gotta admit: I fangirled over Derpy's appearance! How could I not? She's best pony (to me) and she's only appeared one other time in season 6 (super brief background shot). *DJ Pon-3 is my husband's best pony, so he fanboyed over her appearance and pointed out that she was listening to a remix of "Vinyl vs. Octavia" from the 100th episode. Nice touch! *I think Celestia was justified in being annoyed. Twilight went all "Lesson Zero" on her then ran off, giving no indication on when she might return. *Also: I bet Celestia *did* try to strike up conversation but think about it. DJ Pon-3 was listening to her headphones; Cranky was just wanting to ask annoying (but HILARIOUS) questions, and Derpy was too fascinated by the melting ice sculpture to converse. *I loved the brief but awesome interactions between Starlight and the mane 5. Dash freaked over someone NOT hearing of the Wonderbolts, lol! OMG, Big Mac under the "hyper talkative" spell. More LOL! *I know there are some mixed reactions to this episode, but I gotta say I very much enjoyed the main storyline, the moral, character growth, background ponies, humor, the feels, etc. My one & only nitpick has already been mentioned: Fluttershy thinks Manticores are adorable kitties!!! She'd not fear its roar. I know the explanation of 'she was afraid of someine getting hurt' is going around, but.....yeah, it really looks like she's reacting to his roar. Anyway, these are just my rambling, late at night thoughts to an episode that made me super happy.

1st Derpy sighting of Season 6 (that I've caught)!!!! She's in the audience for the dance recital for one shot. The next time the camera swings over there, the whole row of ponies sitting with Derpy have disappeared. I just don't know what went wrong!

Complete double mustache; what does it mean? Anyway....Random little moment I really loved: during the evacuation, Dash tried to bust the clouds, realized she couldn't when her wings froze, and landed to walk with the group. I love how she just had to give it a small try, but accepted that it was too much for her to take on. Little character moments like that just add to the amazingness of this show.

Alicorns. How do they work?

It is so hard to pick just one! So, just off the top of my head in no particular order: SHOW: "I'll Fly," "This Day Aria," "The Magic Inside," "I've Got to Find a Way," "Smile Song," "So Many Wonders" FAN MADE: "Discord" by Eurobeat Pony, Living Tombstone remix "Pinky's Brew," from Friendship is Witchcraft, Living Tombstone remix "Muffins: The Musical" by Katie Wilson All the metal versions of MLP songs covered by Dusk

Too many to name! I'll just name one of my favorites. In "Slice of Life" during the DJ Pon-3 & Octavia duet, the rolling dj stand thing literally jumps over a shark sitting in the road.

Octavia's silhouette was amoung the orchestra behind Rara during "The Magic Inside." I love that this show includes details like this. I'd say this episode makes my Top 10 all time favorite list, but MLP has so many good episodes it is getting tough to choose only 10. Not a bad problem to have if you ask me.

But they might be RELATED! Yikes. Moving on... Anypony else notice how similar Maude is to Daria? (You all know Daria, right? I'm in my 30's). I totally think they were referencing Daria when Maude said, "Excuse me." I refer to her as 'Daria pony.' I think she's awesome. As for the episode, I loved it! It reminds me of negotiating how to spend the holidays after you get married, because you have your family of origin and your in-laws all wanting their traditions to be included. Then, you have new traditions that are made with your spouse and the new family dynamics that are created. There's also a wonderful message about cultural sensitivity in this episode. Have an open mind and do your research first! There are reasons why different cultures do things differently.

Somepony please post a screenshot of Derpy in her mailmare uniform from the ending of "Crusaders of the Lost Mark!" I'm surprised I can't find one anywhere.

I don't think this has has been mentioned yet: SIGNIFICANT DERPY SIGHTING! SHE WAS IN A MAILMARE OUTFIT!!!! SQUEE!!! Besides that, there's not much else I can add that hasn't already been said. This episode was amazing. It's in my top 10, for sure!

Then how do the writers find out about fan names and fan-created back stories for background ponies? I'm super curious.

I'm not totally sure if this is the correct place to post this, but.... I'm curious about how fan names for background ponies become canon. Do the writers tend to look here, or at Equestria Daily, or a combo of places? I've seen names floating around for Goth Pony and the random pony at the end of the episode, so it got me thinking about this topic.

Well, I was comparing this episode to ones like "Tanks for the Memories" where they tackle the 5 stages of grief and showstoppers like "Canterlot Wedding." I have high standards.

My reaction to the episode before reading any other responses: "Meh." No deep meanings; no great character development; no memorable songs. *Why was Rarity such a doormat? *I liked Goth Pony (and that they called her Goth Pony in the credits)! *What the hay was with that random ending?! It wasn't a *bad* episode, but it wasn't one I'm likely to remember.

"So, do we just walk up the slide, or..?" Fluttershy's line is best line!

This is a stand out episode for me. MLP tackling the 5 stages of grief? Wow! They do an amazing job. The part that brought actual tears to my eyes was when Dash said, "I'll miss you," and Tank pats her with his paw in reassurance. It made me feel the loss of every pet I've ever lost. "I'll Fly" is now one of my favorite songs, ever (not just from MLP). You may be willing to do anything to help a loved one, but some things in life are inevitable. This song is bittersweet in the extreme.

That chandelier reveal gave me a serious case of the feels!

This is one of my favorite episodes ever! The moment Derpy appeared (mailmare = canon! Love of muffins = emphasized! Etc), I started fangirling/ spazzing out so hard, that I nearly knocked things over in our living room. I made myself sit on the floor for the rest of the show. Also, I'm 32. I'm married, have an undergraduate degree, and a full time job. So... just to let you know, the level of fangirl this brought out from the depth of my heart was EPIC! They showed Derpy to be just as I imagined: silly, sweet, clumsy but well-meaning, eager to help, fun-loving, easily amused, upbeat, and....muffins! It wasn't just the wonderful characterization of my personal favorite background pony. I loved the voice acting and her interaction with Dr. Whooves (awesome job with all aspects of his character, too)! Another stand out scene for me was the DJ Pon-3 and Octavia jam session. Wubs are now canon! LOL @ Vinyl spinning upside down on the turntable. Really, though, it rocked. I'm super pleased with the attention given to all the backgroud ponies. Even JELLY PONY was shown some love!!! The references, the inside jokes, the breaking of the 4th wall ("it'll be solved in a half hour or so....")......Sounds like a silly mess, right? Nope! In these writers' capable hands, they weaved an interesting story about getting ready for a wedding while the mane 6 are glimpsed in the background. Yes, it felt different from a "normal" episode. But, it was a love letter to the fans. One thing I LOVE about this show is how the creators incorporate fans'ideas in the show itself. What other show does that?! The message of this episode was that everyone involved in the creation of a story (including the fans) is important and appreciated. I can do nothing but respect, love, and appreciate that! P.S. Derpy is best pony!