S05:E09 - Slice of Life

[Jeremiah 1,586]

made a review of the epsidoe if anyone wants to check that out: https://mlpforums.com/blog/2438/entry-17025-slice-of-life-special-review-100th-episode/

[tygerdan 4]

I was kinda disappointed why Lyra didn't explain her hyper hopping above the background crowds since before seeing Nightmare Moon the first time and her drinking "oat soda" twice

 

Their scene did remind me of MIB.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZMbNuUVThc

Edited June 14, 2015 by tygerdan

[paradoxical 1,735]

I think that the Vinyl working on the music with Tavi is a metaphor for what the writers feel about fan-art.  You might say that the piece is unoriginal, just taking random stuff and changing it a bit.  You might not like the results, but that doesn't doesn't make it not art any less than the work of those who produce of the show is art.   .

 

And, in some ways this is Larson's fan film of the fan works.

 

I love it, but have no idea how the fans who don't look at every site and know all the memes liked this, and I suspect they won't put it in their top twenty.

Edited June 14, 2015 by paradoxical

[Luffyiscool 397]

I skipped over the whole Octavia/Vinyl part because it was painful enough to watch the first time in the teaser. I could not bear to watch it again. It's just not FiM. It's Brony-level material. Ugh.

That was actually the part of the episode that made me vote "loved it". 

That scene was epic. 

[guest243535531ty43 219]

This was a really fun episode. I'm someone relatively new to the fandom so all these creative personas that bronies made were something I had to catch up on via mlpwikia or just by reading some older threads on this forum. I likely don't have as much of a connection to these background characters since the background character headcanons were forged out of the fandom's camaraderie and patience surrounding this show which I haven't faced to the same extent. I could tell that there's been so much fun discussing over these lesser known ponies and crafting crazy ideas about them.

 

But I still had a bunch of fun because seeing how this show, unlike so many others, really communicates with and cares about its fan base. It really makes me happy to see this sort of relationship in this show I love so dearly and which has a very special place in my heart.

 

Nonetheless, there were some very blatant problems--notably the plot. I can give some leeway, however, and understand its messy nature since this episode served more of a way to peer into the lives of the background ponies, who are just as interesting and vibrant lives as the major ponies we all love and saw develop over the course of now 100 episodes. The plot to me didn't matter as much as the characters did for this episode, which I felt was implied by the episode's title "Slice of Life", indicating that this was the purpose for the episode. So I can forgive them this time for a less developed, structure plot since life is rarely about structure and more about the feeling of things. 

 

And this episode had a lot of great moments that warmed my heart. I especially loved Matilda's spiel about the marriage being more important than the wedding. It made me realize the importance of Matilda and Cranky's reunion which I didn't recognize as strongly as in "A Friend in Deed". 

 

There were some very over-the-top, imaginative scenes that retrospectively weren't the best to add to the episode since it served to distract from the major plot, but it did paint these characters in a light where I could better gauge who they were and what they represented in the realm of almighty canon. I'm not disappointed in how it turned out.

 

Edited because of @@Foliha's constructive criticism below:

 

Though I didn't like Mayor Mare's initial statement in her speech in that we all are the "star of [our] own stor[ies]", since it's a message too many forms of media propound without the subtle nuances that it requires, later in her speech she does clarify that everypony has a role, big and small, to play, which makes me like this episode a lot more than I initially thought. It fits the individualistic theme in My Little Pony that celebrates our differences and reminds us that "each one of us has something special that makes us different--that makes us rare" but it has always also propagated a message of community and bringing together our differences to form mellifluous harmony between people--to form friendships. 

 

The moral that everypony has their own story and that you contribute in some way to the stories of the people who matter most to you--whether in a minuscule way where you just provide muffins to console a guy you angered because of a shoddy job or you save Equestria on a daily basis--fits the show well and now listening to Mayor Mare's speech again I feel the episode does a good job of portraying this. It's a mature idea that we, adults and kids, need to deal with eventually in life. You just have a place in a "slice of their life" its portion depending on how important they are to you and how important you are to them. I guess it could do with a bit more realism in this episode if it were expounded upon but with the idealistic nature of MLP, the mayor's wedding speech fits well with the show's theme and I have no issues with it.

 

As a joke, I suppose a more meta moral for some of us more disappointed in the pandering nature of this episode is "to be careful what you wish for".

Edited June 14, 2015 by estoc

[LHfunk 422]

I think I might have stumbled upon the inspiration for Gummies monolog.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwpkZaQFpC8

 

Alligators on the TV?

 

So that's two things like Gravity Falls now? There's the alligator philophisy thing, and then there's the thing I said about Celestia and Luna's bickering kind of like when the Agents are in the closet at the end of Northwest Mansion.

[Foliha 395]

The other major point I really didn't like was the moral found in Mayor Mare's speech in that we all are the main characters of our own stories. I love the individualistic theme in My Little Pony that celebrates our differences and reminds us that "each one of us has something special that makes us different--that makes us rare" but it has always also propagated a message of community and bringing together our differences to form mellifluous harmony between people--to form friendships. 

 

This message that we are all protagonists in our own way has some merit, but I think it would be a better moral to remember that everyone has their own story and that you contribute in some way to the stories of the people who matter most to you--whether in a minuscule way where you just provide muffins to console a guy you angered because of a shoddy job or you save Equestria on a daily basis. This would better suit MLP's overall message and be a mature idea that we, adults and kids, need to deal with eventually in life. That we can bring something to the table and we all play a part, but our roles are different and our unique contributions aren't always the most important part in someone's story. You just have a place in a "slice of their life" its portion depending on how important they are to you and how important you are to them.

 

I think you need to listen to the speech again.  She says (paraphrasing) that it's not just the main characters who .....  and the contributions of all the background ponies/whatever are a huge part of what makes us who we are.

 

She directly addresses the role of community vs self in molding personalities and bringing about the realization of desiderata.

[Dr. Frasier Crane 319]

Oh man... The just by the way Lyra and Bon-Bon were gazing at each other throughout that episode it had a heavy implication that they're not 'just friends'...

 

The fan service was through the roof and it was much faster paced than previous episodes. Maybe a little too much for one episode, but nevertheless I really enjoyed it.

 

My personal favorite pone was Doctor Whooves, he had a large role in the episode and had a bit of character development too, which is nice. He appeared to have nicked Tom Baker's scarf as well, cheeky devil And the "Allons-y!" made me smile like a dork.

 

...Also, what-  

 

Edited June 14, 2015 by Dr. Frasier Crane

[guest243535531ty43 219]

I think you need to listen to the speech again.  She says (paraphrasing) that it's not just the main characters who .....  and the contributions of all the background ponies/whatever are a huge part of what makes us who we are.

 

She directly addresses the role of community vs self in molding personalities and bringing about the realization of desiderata.

 

I listened to the speech again. I concede this point and thanks for making me listen to it again.

 

I just had an issue with her initial statement that "everypony is the star of their own story", which is something that needs to be a bit more nuanced. She clarifies that everyone plays a role, big and small, which would be a more realistic take fitting MLP's "individuals coming together" message, which I like a lot better than what I initially thought the speech was about. 

 

I'll edit the above to reflect this, making the overall message a pro rather than a con, and it makes me like the episode even better. Thanks for that. 

Edited June 14, 2015 by estoc

[Dark Qiviut 22,194]

I skipped over the whole Octavia/Vinyl part because it was painful enough to watch the first time in the teaser. I could not bear to watch it again.

Actually, of all the tandems featured in SoL, this one feels the most fitting to the show. Both characters had two unique styles of music, and the show never had a concrete timeline of technology. Vinyl records have been around for decades, the cello for centuries. There's always been some form of electronic lighting. Both live in a medieval style house. To repeat what I wrote in my analysis, both styles of music are beautifully blended in.

 

FiM writers: Do not do that ever again.

I don't think you fully understand the purpose of Slice of Life. One hundred episodes is a major milestone, especially to a product with once a terrible reputation for its terrible quality. The adult brony fandom is hugely responsible for both the product's growth and contribution. Part of that growth is building blank background characters into huge fanbases of their own; there are separate cultures in the brony community, and the background ponies are a conglomerate of several.

 

Without you, me, and every other brony here in this fandom, Friendship Is Magic would've remained stuck as a niche product and perhaps died following the second season. Hell, the 2017 movie wouldn't be announced, if not exist. FIM has grown into a $650 million brand. DHX and the brony fandom have a very strong relationship. Slice of Life is a one-off way of saying "Thank you" to the fans; what better way to thank them than to showcase the background characters, who are equally important like the Mane Six, the CMCs, Spike, and the Royal Sisters.

 

Will they do it again? Not anytime soon. Slice of Life is a special occasion; it'll go back to normal next week.

Edited June 14, 2015 by Dark Qiviut

[Ruddboy Olaf 10,627]

I enjoyed it. Especially,the Philosopher Gummy part. That and the Secret Agent thing came right out of left field for me.

 

Also,I think Vinyl Scratch is a mute. 

 

 

Edit: My rating is 8/10.

Edited June 14, 2015 by Houdini

[roptiriolg 49]

So MLP has reached the 100th episode! That's great but before I watched it I was kind of surprised what got so many positive votes and replies in just 1 day. Was it because there was no MLP for 2 weeks? After I watched it, my say is -  I loved it but there were other great episodes I was more excited about. And after I watched this episode I still think other greater episodes had less attention and hype. The only explanation I can have for this is:

 

Derpy! Personally I am less of a fan of Derpy Hooves and let others enjoy her presence more than I do. I understand that seeing so much of her than just few seconds and actually talking is something to be excited about. For me personally, the most pleasant was seeing Lyra    Bon-Bon (they were seen together before many times)! Lyra has been my most favorite and for me the cutest pony outside the Mane 6 and Luna since I watched Season 1-2, that's 2011-2012.

 

 

We all know that what is between Lyra and Bon-Bon is something more than just friendship and I totally love that! I just find her so cute and the relationship they have makes me totally love her!  What was revealed about Bon-Bon at first I thought was a joke, didn't know that this background of her was really meant to be but I am focusing on Lyra as I said - they need to develop that relationship not just for the 100th episode - it was made like they are BFFs but the implication was of something further, imo.

 

 

 

The Lyra/BonBon Best Friends thing was left in a way that you could decide for yourself.

 

 

Exactly!

 

On the other side - the rush for the wedding and literally crash into the ceremony plot - was not very original and has been used as a motive lots of times in movies and such.

 

 

Now I know I've seen the chars elsewhere but I've forgotten which episode of the past seasons -

 

Cranky Doodle and Matilda? (I remember it was season 4)

Doctor Hooves

Have we seen Steven Magnet? Reminded me of Discord idk why Discord was not there!

 

What was a Changeling doing there? LOL

 

- Gummy - he wasn't talking it was you know 'thoughts heard aloud' kind of thing

- I was expecting Vinyl to say a word.

 

(I had to read the plot again to learn what was going on in the episode, as besides the Mane 6 fighting that monster, I didn't understand who was rushing for what :3 Good to see Luna again and Princess Cadance.)

Edited June 14, 2015 by ImtR

[Steel Accord 6,658]

 

 

It confirms once and for all that the show has changed. It will never be what it used to be.   What that means and whether it's important to you is for each of us to decide individually.

 

I disagree vehemently. Just because they gave us this doesn't mean it will change what comes next. You think the Mane Six will mention the events of this episode or it will come into play later? I severely doubt it.

 

The show has always been great because it can appeal to almost everyone, that has not and WILL NOT change. Come next episode, it will be back to business as usual and that's not a bad thing in the slightest. 

[Envy 6,012]

Actually, of all the tandems featured in SoL, this one feels the most fitting to the show. Both characters had two unique styles of music, and the show never had a concrete timeline of technology. Vinyl records have been around for decades, the cello for centuries. There's always been some form of electronic lighting. Both live in a medieval style house. To repeat what I wrote in my analysis, both styles of music are beautifully blended in.

 

 

 

I don't think you fully understand the purpose of Slice of Life. One hundred episodes is a major milestone, especially to a product with once a terrible reputation for its terrible quality. The adult brony fandom is hugely responsible for both the product's growth and contribution. Part of that growth is building blank background characters into huge fanbases of their own; there are separate cultures in the brony community, and the background ponies are a conglomerate of several.

 

Without you, me, and every other brony here in this fandom, Friendship Is Magic would've remained stuck as a niche product and perhaps died following the second season. Hell, the 2017 movie wouldn't be announced, if not exist. FIM has grown into a $650 million brand. DHX and the brony fandom have a very strong relationship. Slice of Life is a one-off way of saying "Thank you" to the fans; what better way to thank them than to showcase the background characters, who are equally important like the Mane Six, the CMCs, Spike, and the Royal Sisters.

 

Will they do it again? Not anytime soon. Slice of Life is a special occasion; it'll go back to normal next week.

 

 

May I respectfully ask for you to stop lumping me in with Bronies? It really seems like you take the liberty to do that quite often when you respond to me, and I politely ask that you stop.

 

Yes, we disagree. I find the Octavia/Vinyl scene to be very cringeworthy. The entire episode was embarrassing to watch, but that was the worst. It's not about how well they go together, it's about how blatant of pandering it is, because it is all fan concepts, and looks entirely like something straight out of the fandom. I seriously could not believe that I was watching an official teaser when I was watching it.

 

I also think it's way over-the-top, which is just my opinion, and is why I couldn't bear to watch it again.

[Music Chart Fan 818]

Overall, I didn't care for this episode, and I don't see myself watching it again. I'm guessing that I'm not part of the target audience, along with others who don't know/don't like/don't care about the references in the episode. I haven't watched Dr. Who or The Big Lebowski, so I wasn't particularly interested in or excited by the references to those, although I'm not really upset about those references, either. Similarly, I haven't read or seen much about the relationship between Lyra and Bon Bon, so I didn't care that much about the portrayal of their relationship in the episode. However, Stephen Magnet and his shallow, frilly vocal style and conversation grated on me, and I found the Vinyl and Octavia sequence annoying, largely because of the obnoxious music, as well as the overboard ridiculousness of it.

 

One overall issue I have with the episode is the framing device that all of these background characters have to prepare for and attend Cranky and Matilda's wedding. But do all of these background characters actually know (and are friends with) Cranky and/or Matilda well enough to find it worthwhile to attend, and to be excited about it? The last we saw of Cranky and Matilda was that they wanted to be left alone for a while. Did they become much more social in the meantime? Is Matilda particularly well-known and well-liked throughout Ponyville? Did Cranky supposedly overcome his usual demeanor and new resident status to get to know other residents of Ponyville?

 

And even if we are to assume that all the residents of Ponyville care enough about Cranky and Matilda to attend their wedding, what about the out-of-town ponies who are there? Why are Cadence and Shining Armor there? Do they know Cranky and Matilda well enough (or was, say, Twilight or Pinkie really so insistent) that it was worthwhile for them to travel all the way to Ponyville to attend? And, even more so, why are Celestia and Luna, the co-rulers of Equestria, attending a small-town wedding? How is it worth spending their presumably very limited free time to go to Ponyville for this? I suppose these four are pretty important "background characters", and so maybe the thought was that they should appear in this episode about background characters, but their presence doesn't seem to fit the framing device of the episode.

 

The Mane Six supposedly talk about a plan to take on the bugbear, but what is their plan, exactly? Throughout the episode, we just see them aimlessly attacking and distracting the bugbear as they go around town. I would think that the Mane Six would be trying to restrain the bugbear, lure it out of town to minimize property damage, find a way to calm it down, etc. Also, the Mane Six are fighting the bugbear for most of the episode, so how long did they take? Were they fighting it for hours before defeating it?

 

Now I'll list some of my other miscellaneous specific observations in the episode. And as a disclaimer, I'm aware that a lot of these are probably supposed to be jokes or gags or poking fun or whatever, so even though I did notice these, and may not really like them, I'm not taking them too seriously.

 

Why does Dr. Hooves persistently ask Vinyl for help in finding Rarity, even as she doesn't seem to be paying attention to him? There are plenty of other ponies around to ask, as we see when he's running up to Rarity's door.

 

So Bon Bon says she captured the bugbear, so it presumably was in captivity...somewhere...but it escaped...somehow...and it wants to get revenge on Bon Bon, and managed to track her down despite her going "deep undercover" in Ponyville and changing her name...somehow.

 

How much work went into splitting the look and decor of Vinyl's and Octavia's house down the middle, including the outside roofing, walls, etc.? What's the point when it would be much easier to just, say, decorate their own personal rooms? I don't find their totally split house funny or cool so much as pointless and an unnecessary amount of money and work.

 

Octavia complains that the wedding songs she's practicing are so standard, and that she wants Cranky's and Matilda's wedding to be special, but why? Does she have any particular reason to believe that they want something "non-standard" played at their wedding?

 

More often than not, Octavia's hoof motions drawing the bow and stopping the strings don't come close to matching the music being played, even while playing in her house before the whole DJ booth on wheels thing. Is that supposed to be a joke? If so, I don't really see what's funny about it.

 

Octavia uses her bow to hook on a lamppost to change the trajectory of the massive, and quickly-moving, DJ booth on wheels? For one thing, Octavia is not secured to the booth, just standing on top of it, so I would think her doing that would just pull herself off of the booth, while the booth would keep going in the same direction. I might also expect her wooden bow to break at some point before she would manage to change the trajectory of the booth. Furthermore, aren't bows (or professional ones, anyway) rather delicate and expensive? Wouldn't a professional musician balk a little at ruining her bow like that? And I know, this is part of a deliberately ridiculous sequence of events; perhaps my thinking about these issues is more evidence that I was not entertained by that sequence.

 

I didn't like the gag with the Gummy monologue. Have we seen any evidence of Gummy being sentient, or of him acting purposefully, prior to this episode? And if Gummy is sentient, that opens up a lot of questions about his behavior in prior episodes. For one example, in the previous episode, The Lost Treasure of Griffinstone, Pinkie tells Gummy to continue baking, but if he's sentient and can understand her, why does he just sit motionless the entire time that she's gone? Does he not care for Pinkie enough to do a favor for her? Is he physically incapable of even attempting to do so? Is he just lazy and figures that he can get away with not doing anything by playing dumb, as he has been all along? To me, making Gummy sentient raises many questions, and isn't worth the one-off gag, which I didn't really find funny.

 

How did Cranky lose his wig? It was blown off when the DJ booth went by, but it appeared to just fall on the ground next to him. Also, how did Dr. Whooves suit "vanish"? He gave it to the three guys at the bowling alley.

 

Dr. Whooves was worried earlier about the flameless fireworks being dangerous, but then they go off inside the building without causing any problems, such as hitting the walls or ceiling (or anything/anyone else) and causing a fire.

[Luffyiscool 397]

So Bon Bon says she captured the bugbear, so it presumably was in captivity...somewhere...but it escaped...somehow...

She explicitly stated that it broke out of Tartarus. 

[Dark Qiviut 22,194]

May I respectfully ask for you to stop lumping me in with Bronies? It really seems like you take the liberty to do that quite often when you respond to me, and I politely ask that you stop.

You are as much a part of the community as everyone else here in this thread. You helped contribute to the growth of the fandom just as everyone else in this thread. Buying the toys, watching the show, buying the comics, talking about the product — they all contribute to the fandom's growth, and every one of us here has done at least one of these. That's what we all are: a community. Despite the drama, we're all united because we all love the product in some degree. What I said to you now I would say to anyone else.

 

Yes, we disagree. I find the Octavia/Vinyl scene to be very cringeworthy. The entire episode was embarrassing to watch, but that was the worst. It's not about how well they go together, it's about how blatant of pandering it is, because it is all fan concepts, and looks entirely like something straight out of the fandom. I seriously could not believe that I was watching an official teaser when I was watching it.

No, that's not fan pandering. What differentiates fan service from pandering is how pandering is there only to cater to a group and have no genuine storytelling purpose. The duet and personalities from both characters is fan service because they contribute to the story and have some level of importance. The Twilicane here is fan pandering because the joke is empty, and you can alter it without consequence.

Edited June 14, 2015 by Dark Qiviut

[SpeedIsMagic 37]

My question is.
How did a Bee Bear get into ponyville in the first place?
The world may never know.

I also loved the 3 more rarities. AKA let's overreact to evreything. Hilarious.
Gummies Monolouge Best Monolouge !

[Foliha 395]

One overall issue I have with the episode is the framing device that all of these background characters have to prepare for and attend Cranky and Matilda's wedding. But do all of these background characters actually know (and are friends with) Cranky and/or Matilda well enough to find it worthwhile to attend, and to be excited about it? The last we saw of Cranky and Matilda was that they wanted to be left alone for a while. Did they become much more social in the meantime? Is Matilda particularly well-known and well-liked throughout Ponyville? Did Cranky supposedly overcome his usual demeanor and new resident status to get to know other residents of Ponyville?

 

And even if we are to assume that all the residents of Ponyville care enough about Cranky and Matilda to attend their wedding, what about the out-of-town ponies who are there? Why are Cadence and Shining Armor there? Do they know Cranky and Matilda well enough (or was, say, Twilight or Pinkie really so insistent) that it was worthwhile for them to travel all the way to Ponyville to attend? And, even more so, why are Celestia and Luna, the co-rulers of Equestria, attending a small-town wedding? How is it worth spending their presumably very limited free time to go to Ponyville for this? I suppose these four are pretty important "background characters", and so maybe the thought was that they should appear in this episode about background characters, but their presence doesn't seem to fit the framing device of the episode.

 

 

I didn't like the gag with the Gummy monologue. Have we seen any evidence of Gummy being sentient, or of him acting purposefully, prior to this episode? And if Gummy is sentient, that opens up a lot of questions about his behavior in prior episodes. For one example, in the previous episode, The Lost Treasure of Griffinstone, Pinkie tells Gummy to continue baking, but if he's sentient and can understand her, why does he just sit motionless the entire time that she's gone? Does he not care for Pinkie enough to do a favor for her? Is he physically incapable of even attempting to do so? Is he just lazy and figures that he can get away with not doing anything by playing dumb, as he has been all along? To me, making Gummy sentient raises many questions, and isn't worth the one-off gag, which I didn't really find funny.

You've never lived in a small town, have you....  Cranky is friends with Pinkie Pie, ergo, everyone knows him.  =)

 

A quadriplegic can have deep existential thoughts, but would be incapable of baking a cake.  Or maybe Gummy was deep in a philosophical reverie when Pinkie went out, and the time just slipped by as he crouched there parsing some obscure conundrum. 

[Luffyiscool 397]

My question is.

How did a Bee Bear get into ponyville in the first place?

The world may never know.

It escaped from Tartarus. 

 

That place seems very poorly secured if creatures keep getting away.

[SpeedIsMagic 37]

It escaped from Tartarus. 

 

That place seems very poorly secured if creatures keep getting away.

Well Celestia shouldn't have disbanded that super secret agency.

Silly Celestia.

[Dark Qiviut 22,194]

 

 

Or maybe Gummy was deep in a philosophical reverie when Pinkie went out, and the time just slipped by as he crouched there parsing some obscure conundrum.

I won't be surprised if Gummy's philosophical analysis of his world around him is a very clever meta reference to his usually blank expression. When he's around, he acts as if he doesn't give a buck. His analysis of the world is hilarious because it's not always what things seem, yet it makes a bunch of sense. XD

[Foliha 395]

It escaped from Tartarus. 

 

That place seems very poorly secured if creatures keep getting away.

I think it's Discord.  He probably lures Cerebus off with a tennis ball.  (3 tennis balls?)  Just for the sheer chaos it produces.  He's not all that reformed that he can resist all trouble-making...  That's probably why he didn't show up for the wedding.  He knew Flutters would be cross with him.

[Luffyiscool 397]

He feels quite at peace with his inner troubles when he takes a relaxing hot bath,
which is why he tried to bite Pinkie when she removed him from the tub in S1E15. A bit peeved at being disturbed.

[Envy 6,012]

You are as much a part of the community as everyone else here in this thread. You helped contribute to the growth of the fandom just as everyone else in this thread. Buying the toys, watching the show, buying the comics, talking about the product — they all contribute to the fandom's growth, and every one of us here has done at least one of these. That's what we all are: a community. Despite the drama, we're all united because we all love the product in some degree. What I said to you now I would say to anyone else.

 

No, I watched a TV show and kind of liked it, and then I decided to join a forum called "MLP Forums". I've joined countless forums... Even for series I didn't even like (but not to hate on them, I don't really remember my reasons...) lol. I'm a member of this forum, but it stops there.

Anyway, all I'm really requesting is not to call me a 'Brony', which I saw you were doing. Consider me a member of this "community" (forum), whatever, but it stops there.

 

No, that's not fan pandering. What differentiates fan service from pandering is how pandering is there only to cater to a group and have no genuine storytelling purpose. The duet and personalities from both characters is fan service because they contribute to the story and have some level of importance. The Twilicane here is fan pandering because the joke is empty, and you can alter it without consequence.

I'm not here to play semantics. I don't care, pandering, fanservice, either way it was ridiculous, it catered excessively to the Brony fandom, and I thought it was obnoxious beyond belief. The Twili-cane was far worse in what value it brought, though, I'll give you that one.