S06:E06 - No Second Prances

[Odd Ball 230]

It's strange that Trixie was never shocked at the fact that Twilight now has wings.

[\/ 650]

Best episode due to the fact that someone other than us is questioning the logic of Celestia's hair.

[ponylaces 1,869]

It's strange that Trixie was never shocked at the fact that Twilight now has wings.

She probably already found out about Twilght being the new princess (also the ruler of her own land, so of course she would know) so it makes sense that she doesn't really comment on it. Aside from saying "princess" a lot, she didn't really make a big deal about it.

[MovieLord101 140]

I'd be pissed if I were Celestia too. For hundreds (possibly thousands) of years, I've been sitting on a throne all day, doing boring princess stuff. I get hundreds of subjects each day asking ridiculous questions or having insane requests, it has become monotonous and mundane.

 

I get the chance to go to a nice dinner and speak with a good friend and check in on the progress of a reformed pony. And I end up having to wait hours, and I can't even eat at least because not everyone is at the table. I got a break from sitting and waiting all day, answering questions I've heard hundreds of times before.. to sit and wait and answer questions I've heard hundreds of times before.

 

Not to mention I'm pretty sure Celestia was onto Twilight's case and knew those weren't Starlight's new friends, plus Twilight had a pretty huge ego and spun the conversation toward how a great teacher she is and not how her student was doing.

 

Yeah, I'm impressed Celestia didn't fly off the handle and was able to keep calm.

That's Celestia for you. The moment she'd ever get furious at ANYPONY would be the Apocalypse for EVERYPONY.

 

Well, at least I can scratch one of my hopes for this season off as having happened (Trixie's return). Now if only we can get that "Applejack's parents" episode or even Sunset Shimmer to show up.....

 

Also, Twilight's face in the bush. So cute!

Edited May 2, 2016 by MovieLord101

[Music Chart Fan 818]

Overall, I didn't like this episode. There were several major aspects of this episode that I found discomforting. One was Starlight's trigger-happy use of her magic, even to the point of forcing Big Mac to talk against his will, while seeming not to realize why such actions are wrong. Another was Trixie's psychological threat to commit suicide unless Starlight would be her friend and assistant, and Trixie's seeming to try to follow through on that threat. Finally, the episode tries to paint Twilight as being wrong for distrusting Starlight and Trixie, and getting her comeuppance by the awkward predicaments she finds herself in. But, at the same time, the episode shows legitimate reasons to distrust Starlight and Trixie, and it seems to me that Twilight's predicaments in this episode are kind of her fault, but for different reasons than supposedly wrongfully distrusting Starlight and Trixie. I'll try to separate my thoughts into sections about Starlight, Twilight, and Trixie below.

 

-----

 

Starlight's trigger-happy use of her magic, particularly her seeming not to realize when she's acting recklessly and even immorally with her magic, and her attempts at kidding around about brainwashing and enslaving ponies add up to a picture of Starlight not yet being able to be fully trusted, and not being able to integrate into Equestrian society, at least not without significantly more help and guidance.

 

First, in the opening scene, Twilight had definitely said to "very carefully set the table without using magic" before Starlight levitated all the dishes into place, with Twilight ducking in fear of being injured. And Starlight says "I heard 'set the table' and just kinda went for it". So is Starlight hard of hearing, or is she admitting that she wasn't paying attention to Twilight? After this, I expected Twilight to say that Starlight is liable to hurt someone levitating dishes (including forks and knives) at high speed through the air without warning, or to tell Starlight not to be so quick to jump to conclusions about when to use her magic. (Unfortunately, instead, Twilight is merely upset that Starlight ruined a rather contrived opportunity for whatever her friendship lesson was.)

 

Later, when meeting Mrs. Cake, Starlight asks "Are you baking? Can I help?" and then, without even waiting for a response, takes some of the Cakes' ingredients and utensils and whips her own cake together, again being too "trigger-happy" about using her magic. Maybe the Cakes needed those ingredients for a different order and didn't want Starlight to use them (or their utensils) without permission, but that apparently didn't occur to Starlight.

 

But the most problematic scene is when Starlight uses her magic to force Big Mac to talk against his will, and then seemingly doesn't even realize why that's wrong, which, as @Cleverclover and @Sidral Mundet have covered in their posts already, is horrifying. After Big Mac runs off yelling "Make it stop!" and Applejack glowers at Starlight, Starlight first says "I can't be friends with someone who doesn't talk!", then hesitatingly suggests "And I guess my first instinct shouldn't be to magically command ponies to act the way I want them to?", before finally, irritatedly saying "Alright, I'll change him back!". Starlight guesses that she shouldn't do that, and is annoyed that she has to make it right? How does Starlight not understand that not forcing other ponies to do things against their will is a basic moral principle and a foundation of civilized society? Starlight's behavior in this scene alone would be enough for Applejack (and Twilight and the rest of the Mane Six) to, at a minimum, distrust her ability to integrate into Equestrian society. (From the scene with Mrs. Cake earlier, we could also throw in Starlight not realizing another basic moral principle, that she shouldn't use other ponies' stuff without their permission.)

 

In light of Starlight's behavior above, her repeated kidding around in this episode about enslaving and brainwashing ponies comes off as being in very poor taste. The thing is, from what we've seen, it doesn't seem like we (or the Mane Six and Spike) know that Starlight knows that her past behavior was wrong, or why it was wrong. Therefore, we have to wonder whether to take Starlight's "jokes" seriously. Also, was Starlight's "joke" in the opening about forcing friendship by enslaving Ponyville an attempt to get out of having to make a new friend, by getting Twilight to think that Starlight can't be trusted to make new friends without using force, and thus getting Twilight to say "Never mind, you don't have to make a new friend after all"? If that was Starlight's intention, that would seem to contradict her taking offense at Twilight not trusting her later, since she would have been trying to get Twilight to distrust her a mere few hours earlier!

 

-----

 

Twilight seems to be made out in this episode as being wrong for distrusting Starlight and Trixie, and the awkward predicaments she's in would then be a kind of comeuppance for that. But it seems like Twilight would have legitimate reasons to distrust Starlight and Trixie. And while Twilight's predicaments in the episode do seem to be kind of her fault, they would be her fault for different reasons than that she wrongfully distrusted Starlight and Trixie.

 

First, in the opening scene, why is Twilight telling Starlight that she has to bring a new friend to the dinner on such short notice? How much of a new friend could Starlight even make in such a short time frame? And when was this dinner with Celestia planned, anyway? Was the dinner, or at least the idea for Starlight to bring a new friend to the dinner, something that Twilight arranged at the last minute, perhaps in a vain effort to make herself look good? That might explain Celestia's impatience when Starlight doesn't show up - maybe Celestia cancelled some other (possibly important) plans for this last-minute dinner that Twilight wrangled her into, and then Twilight doesn't even have her own act together.

 

But then, of course, Starlight makes friends with Trixie, and Twilight doesn't approve. However, Twilight has seemed to box herself into a corner by (1) expecting Starlight to make a new friend to be a dinner guest with Celestia on such short notice, and (2) committing to saying that she trusts Starlight, even as she apparently doesn't. As we saw earlier in the episode, she would have good reasons not to trust Starlight, and I think that concerns about these two "reformed" ponies building up each other's bitterness and thus encouraging each other to "relapse" are valid. Plus, in "The Crystalling", Twilight wrote a step-by-step plan for Starlight to meet Sunburst, and intended to be there to facilitate the meeting, which may have been at least in part to prevent or contain Starlight if she flew off the handle, yet Starlight didn't object to that plan (she just didn't want to have to talk with Sunburst at all). But now Twilight is in the awkward position of trying to dissuade Starlight from making friends with Trixie while pretending to trust Starlight. And we see that Twilight doesn't do a good job of that - vaguely suggesting that Trixie's and Starlight's pasts don't make Trixie "the best first friend", saying that Trixie "wasn't the nicest pony", and ham-handedly suggesting other, more "acceptable" friends while Starlight is out with Trixie.

 

But, while I can try to think of ways that Twilight might perhaps have handled that better, I'm not sure that any of them would work. For example, if it seems like a valid concern that Trixie is narcissistic and would just use Starlight for her own selfish ends, rather than being genuine friends, maybe Twilight could have said that more explicitly. Or if Twilight is afraid that Trixie wouldn't make a good dinner guest because, again, Trixie is self-absorbed and constantly trying to promote herself in an annoying way, maybe Twilight could have found a (somewhat) tactful way to say that and try to get Starlight to forget about Trixie and make a friend that would be a better dinner guest. But, again, these suggestions may not have worked. After all, doesn't Twilight trust Starlight to make her own new friends? And doesn't Starlight not really have time to make a different new friend before the dinner? So Twilight seems to have set herself up for failure, but not for the reason that the episode wants us to believe, which is that Twilight is wrong for not trusting Starlight and Trixie.

 

As a side note, one of the issues with Twilight's disapproval of Starlight making friends with Trixie is that Twilight supposedly said for Starlight to make friends with "anypony". But Twilight never said that at the beginning of the episode, unless it was off-screen - Twilight simply said "You have to make a new friend!", other than Spike and the Mane Six. So it's weird that that becomes an issue when we didn't even see that happen.

 

Next, regarding the later dinner scene with Twilight and Celestia and company, how did Vinyl, Derpy, and Cranky come to be invited? I can only imagine that Twilight invited them at some point without consultation with Starlight, in some plan to convince Starlight, after she arrived with Trixie, to tell Trixie to leave so that Starlight can pretend that she made friends with those three instead. If that was the case, that was a terrible plan, and I can't imagine how Twilight would have expected that to go over with Starlight and Trixie, or, for that matter, how Twilight expected the dinner to play out even if Starlight agreed to that plan. But, again, I can't help feeling that the whole cringeworthy scene is something that Twilight brought on herself by expecting Starlight to make a new friend on such short notice and not being able to dissuade Starlight from being friends with Trixie, as well as Twilight's apparent scheming to portray herself as a great teacher to Celestia.

 

Also, as Twilight and Celestia and company are waiting for Starlight to show up, and Celestia looks annoyed and bored, couldn't Twilight save face by bringing up the actual possibility that Starlight may have been injured or might be dealing with a serious emergency? As I'll write about below, if Twilight found out about Trixie's threat to Starlight to commit suicide, then that would seem like a good reason for Starlight not to be at the dinner. And if Twilight was told about it before the dinner started, that would seem like a good reason to reschedule the dinner entirely.

 

A little later, after Twilight finds Starlight with Trixie skipping the dinner with Celestia, Twilight says "This is exactly why I didn't want you to make friends with Trixie!". But why is that? Because Trixie would convince Starlight to play hooky? I'm not sure why Twilight would have expected Starlight's being friends with Trixie to result in that, or why that's the first concern about their friendship that comes to Twilight's mind.

 

Near the end of the episode, as Twilight is talking to Starlight on the hill overlooking Trixie's show, Twilight talks about how Celestia gave her room to make her own decisions and her own friends, and that Twilight should do the same with Starlight. This raises the question of whether Celestia's and Twilight's teacher-student relationship is really comparable to or a good model for Twilight's and Starlight's teacher-student relationship. I made a topic about this here, but in summary, from what we've seen, I'm not convinced that the two are comparable, or that Starlight should be treated the same way by Twilight as Twilight was treated by Celestia.

 

Finally, in that same scene, when Starlight asks Twilight about Trixie using Starlight to one-up Twilight, Twilight says "from what I've seen, she's the real thing". That kind of general statement comes across as insincere, contradicting Twilight's previous misgivings of Trixie that she was clumsily trying to tell Starlight about. I think it would have been more accurate and meaningful for Twilight to tell Starlight that she saw how Trixie reacted after Starlight ran off in tears, and that Trixie really seemed heartbroken about the prospect of losing Starlight as her only friend. And therefore, despite Twilight's misgivings, Trixie might really want to be friends with Starlight, and so Twilight would let Starlight give that friendship a chance.

 

-----

 

I'm not sure that I really understand or relate to Trixie's and Starlight's resentment of being judged, or Trixie's desire to be better than Twilight at something. And the way that the stunt with the manticore played out, including Trixie's threatening to do it and essentially kill herself if Starlight isn't there to save her, and actually doing it, is rather shocking in how serious it was.

 

First, regarding Starlight's and Trixie's being judged, Starlight tells Trixie at the spa that "they're not saying it, but I think everypony knows about my past". But how would everyone know about her past, unless she or the Mane Six or Spike told them? And, to my recollection, we've seen no indication in the show that any of them have done so, or that there was any public announcement about Starlight or anything else. On the other hand, everyone in Ponyville knows what Trixie did and tried to do. So maybe Starlight and Trixie don't actually have as much in common as they think.

 

Furthermore, Starlight incredulously asks Twilight if she has forgiven Trixie for whatever she did, and Trixie and Starlight talk about how "everypony always says they'll give you a second chance, but deep down, they never forget". Have they heard of "forgive, but don't forget" - the idea that giving someone a second chance after past transgressions might be separate from not behaving any differently because of those transgressions? Have they considered that building up goodwill after past transgressions might occur gradually as one proves oneself to be trustworthy and a good friend? They may not like it, but they also may not really have a choice in the matter. If other ponies still mistrust them or judge them harshly after they apologize, then what else should they do but try to prove that mistrust and judgment wrong by their own actions?

 

Trixie also confesses to Starlight that she's jealous that Twilight is better than she is at everything, and that Trixie wanted to beat her at something. I guess it might be too easy for me to say, but my reaction is "So what?". Why does it matter if Twilight is better than Trixie at everything, and what good would it do for Trixie to beat Twilight at something? Is life really about being "the best" at something and beating everyone else?

 

Regarding the manticore stunt, when Starlight suggests that she could use her magic to teleport Trixie out of the manticore's mouth into the black box, Trixie rightfully worries that if Starlight makes one mistake, Trixie would be "a goner", to which Starlight replies "when it comes to magic, I don't make mistakes". But does Trixie really trust her LIFE to Starlight and Starlight's confidence in her magic, when Trixie has only just met Starlight? I would expect her to want to know Starlight and her magical ability better before doing so.

 

Then, when Starlight tells Trixie that she has to go to Twilight's dinner, Trixie melodramatically tells Starlight "I just hope I find a way to survive the Moonshot Manticore Mouth Dive without my new assistant!", even as they only just came up with that stunt and have never practiced it. I see that as basically a psychological threat to Starlight. Either Starlight goes to Trixie's show and assists in performing the stunt, or else Trixie will essentially try to commit suicide, doing the stunt anyway even as she believes that she will die if Starlight isn't there to save her. And then Starlight will be made to live with the feelings of guilt and responsibility for Trixie's death. Starlight really needed to tell Twilight or someone about this and get Trixie serious psychological help, but Starlight seemingly doesn't do anything or tell anyone about this serious situation.

 

And shockingly, after Starlight runs away crying, Trixie actually follows through with her earlier threat to Starlight, firing herself from the cannon into the manticore's mouth, again, with the belief that she will die without Starlight saving her. The implication seems to be that, unless Starlight is enough of her friend to save her right now, then her life isn't worth living. Obviously she should have been dissuaded from killing herself regardless of whether Starlight wants to be her friend. But Trixie doesn't even seem to be considering that Starlight might still be willing to give their friendship a chance, but that Starlight might be too emotionally distraught to remember Trixie's stunt, or might have thought that Trixie wouldn't actually go through with it, or might have run too far away to come back in time to save her.

 

However, there are a couple of odd things that the manticore does on stage. For one, it appears to swallow Trixie whole without chewing her up, even though Trixie seemed to expect that she would be chewed up before being swallowed. There's also a period of several seconds between Trixie's apparently being swallowed and her appearing in the black box, disoriented and mildly battered but otherwise unharmed. Was Trixie supposedly in the stomach of the manticore during that time, in which case, how would she be essentially unscathed after that? Or was she perhaps in the process of being teleported by Starlight, and that process is what left her disoriented? Finally, after the stunt is successful, the manticore weirdly takes a bow along with Trixie and Starlight. So are we supposed to believe that the manticore is trained, and that therefore, Trixie was not in as much danger doing her stunt as we would otherwise expect? The problem is, I find it hard to believe that Trixie could have either found a manticore already trained to do that stunt, or had one trained to do that stunt, in the span of a few hours between her deciding to do that stunt and the start of the show.

 

-----

 

Now for a few final miscellaneous observations:

 

Mrs. Cake angrily asks if Starlight is trying to put her out of business with Starlight's ability to "magic" together a bunch of raw ingredients into a finished cake in a matter of seconds, with seemingly little labor, and without using an oven, for that matter. I presume that this must be a reflection of Starlight's unique magical capabilities, since if a significant number of other unicorns could do that and produce cakes much more cheaply than earth ponies could, then we might expect some unicorns to want to work for the Cakes, or open their own cake shop(s) in competition.

 

In general, when the rest of the Mane Six are suggesting friends to Starlight, they display a similar kind of self-centeredness as they did in the episode "Castle Sweet Castle", in that they don't seem too concerned about making their friend suggestions compatible with Starlight, rather than themselves.

 

Rainbow Dash takes off at top speed to introduce Starlight to Spitfire, then comes back and wonders why Starlight isn't coming. Well, for one thing, how is Starlight supposed to go with Rainbow when Rainbow is flying that fast? Can Starlight really levitate herself at a similar top speed as Rainbow's?

 

I count a minimum of 11 utensils at a place setting at Twilight's castle, which, according to this source, is more utensils than would be placed in our formal place setting. Also, according to that source, no more than three of any particular utensil should be placed at a place setting, and knives would not be placed to the left of the plate. Both of those rules seem to be broken by Twilight's place setting, so I guess Equestria must have different rules for formal place settings than we do.

 

Isn't Trixie basically pulling a bait-and-switch with the title of her show as compared to the content of it? If Trixie believes that other ponies know about her past and are holding it against her, then wouldn't it follow that ponies would go to "The Humble and Penitent Trixie's Equestrian Apology Tour" to, you know, see her apologize? And then, when she doesn't, wouldn't that then give ponies even more reason to judge her harshly?

 

How did Starlight come to use the talking point against Twilight that "I just assumed that you'd trust me to make my own friends the way Princess Celestia trusted you"? Did Starlight overhear Spike talking about that on the train at the end of "The Crystalling"? Did Spike tell Starlight about that at some later point off-screen? Or did Starlight really come up with that herself?

 

Why would Starlight hear Twilight's saying "Pssst!" from the bushes, but Trixie wouldn't? 

 

As others have pointed out, in a world of unicorn teleportation magic, appearing inside a closed box on-stage from somewhere else wouldn't really, in itself, be that impressive.

 

Fluttershy acts scared just hearing the manticore roar - before Trixie has even said anything about what it or she are going to do.

 

Is Twilight okay with Starlight apparently now being Trixie's Great and Powerful Assistant? Is Starlight going to be repeatedly taking weeks or months off of friendship lessons or whatever else to travel with Trixie's tour and perform this stunt?

 

Finally, Cranky's question about Celestia's hair at the end of the episode seems legitimate, even if we might guess that Celestia has answered it countless times already. I think we would have liked to hear an answer to it, rather than just being teased about it.

[Jangocoolguy 433]

Next time someone asks why bronies & pegasisters obsess over background noise and minor characters, show them this episode. Said elements made it much more interesting and entertaining and I'm not sure I much I would've like it without them... (This oughta give Gummy something to think about)

 

Like most folks, I'm not a fan of Starlight enough to be that involved (in fact, I fear she may be FiM's Scrappy Doo or Cousin Oliver). Oh, her and Trixie were an interesting, downright appropriate pairing...but I just wasn't feeling it . Plus, Twilight was kind of a jerk this episode!

 

It's everything else I liked about this episode. Even the annoying smallness of the Other 5's role was softened by dem expressions

 

Also...of all the characters to ever be in a joke about Celestia's ever flowing mane, I NEVER thought it would be Cranky!

[ManyANewDay_36 178]

I liked this episode. It was great to see Trixie again and she and Starlight are cute friends. (Get to work, fanfic writers.) Also Twily, Rainbow, AJ, and Celestia had some pretty epic facial expressions. It got a little forced toward the end, but it was still good.

I give it 8/10.

 

 

By the way, did anyone else notice the little church in the background? No? Hm.

Edited May 2, 2016 by Fluttercord36

[Aurora Glimmer 494]

I CAN'T HELP IT! I ALMOST ONLY EVER ARGUE WITH THEISTS ALL THE TIME AND GOSH DARN IT SOME OF THEM MAKE ME MAD. ANGRY CONDESCENDING ARGUMENTATIVE IS THE ONLY WAY I KNOW.....      

 

I don't really mean anything by it really. It is just MY Character flaw. 

That's no excuse for being belligerent.

[Sunny Fox 5,929]

I still can't believe they officially renamed Vinyl to Dj-pon... not.. cool...

 

Also... cranky Doodle's question tho.. haha, i've been dying to know that.. How i tell you... HOW...?!

Well, DJ-PON3 could just be her stage name, while her real name is still Vinyl Scratch. No need to be too concerned, methinks.

 

As for how Celestia should answer Cranky's question: "It's magic, I don't have to explain sh1t..."

[weesh 690]

Here's the nicest thing I can think to say about this episode:

 

"I like the spa ponies.  they don't try to manipulate everyone around them"

 

I'm really happy with this season so far.  5 good episodes out of 6 is a strong start.  

 

Just out of interest which was the one episode out of the 6 you didn't like? 

 

I was trying to say "i hated almost everything about this episode, except for my two favorite background ponies" and "it drives me crazy that everyone with a speaking part was trying to manipulate everyone else in this episode"

 

So it was this one that I didn't like.

[MLPFanatic34 3,234]

It's strange that Trixie was never shocked at the fact that Twilight now has wings.

I was wondering that myself should Trixie show up again, yet she wasn't the least bit shocked about Twilight being a alicorn.

[Aurora Glimmer 494]

I was wondering that myself should Trixie show up again, yet she wasn't the least bit shocked about Twilight being a alicorn.

I think most of Equestria knows Twilight's an Alicorn now.

[cuteycindyhoney 13,282]

I really enjoyed the episode. I thought it really sweet how Trixie and Starlight discovered they are kindred spirits and become best friends. Twilight was a bit rough on them, but I think I know why. It's like how paroled prisoners aren't allowed to associate with others with a known criminal background. Twilight was stressing out over the thought of Trixie and Starlight both backsliding into their old ways. Starlight wasn't helping in this by joking about enslaving ponies into liking her.

[Lambdadelta 1,462]

I LOVE this episode, no doubt. And im not blinded or stupid to not realize its flaws, it not a perfect episode. I have read a ton of wall text to say how bad it was and how it could be better, and those threads cant change my mind, it makes me love this episode more and more. This is the first 9.5/10 episode in season 6 in my list.

[Ziggy + Angel + Rain 11,298]

With a few exceptions, I found the episode to be kind of uninteresting.

 

*In lieu of a text wall, a scraggly tumbleweed, played with by the wind, rolls lazily by.  An eagle screeches in the distance; the sound cuts through a pervasive, haunting silence.  It's a desert for no apparent reason.*

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,151]

I have to say; I REALLY enjoyed this episode! Starlight and Trixie were by FAR the stars here, and their interactions really made for a good episode. Twilight's concern were understandable and they kinda make sense, though obviously taken to the extreme. Knowing Twilight...it actually does fit her character.

 

In regards to Trixie, I'm just happy to see her again, and I like that it doesn't really go against the comics that have starred Trixie thus far. That said the only part that kinda hit me the wrong way was when it seemed like Trixie put a little too much emphasis in winning against Twilight, BUT maybe I just need a second viewing to let it sink in naturally.

 

Overall; love it! Could possibly be top-10 quality for me. <3

 

Also; guess I need to rework Trixie's Equestrian Empire profile now. D:

[The Crystal Maiden 221]

I was trying to say "i hated almost everything about this episode, except for my two favorite background ponies" and "it drives me crazy that everyone with a speaking part was trying to manipulate everyone else in this episode"

 

So it was this one that I didn't like.

Silly me, I didn't grasp that part! XD Fair enough. 

[ImpctR 155]

indicates Twilight's concerns BEFORE THE EPISODE EVEN INTRODUCES THEM!!!!!

 

SHE DIDN'T EVEN THINK SHE DID ANYTHING WRONG!!!!! She promptly justified this action by stating that she couldn't make friends with Big Mac if he didn't talk. I'm sorry, but if she's not at the point where she doesn't know that exerting power over others is wrong, then she truly cannot be trusted. And yet, the episode still goes out of its way to portray Twilight in the wrong for not trusting her!??!!?!?!?!??! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!?!?!?

 

Wrong, wrong, wrong. How about the writers actually stop trying to imply that Starlight is still a psychopath before we have an episode like this where Twilight's trust in her is put to the test? Things like this do not help her to gain our trust as viewers, nor does things like her joking about enslaving the entire town to make friends with them. It's not funny. It's just more fuel to the fire as to why she can't be trusted. She should be trying to move past those actions, and not make stupid jokes about them. 

 

Quite reprehensible opinion. I certainly did not see SG's spell on BigMac as some terrible evil that should immediately return the distrust of ponies towards Starlight. It was portrayed as a trick, really, just a spell trick that could be reverted any time (ofc Applejack was never together with Starlight as much as Twilight and like the rest of the Mane 6 would be trusting her less). And after the setting of the table or making a cake, this spell on BigMac should have not been viewed as anything bigger. I think the situations with SG and making new friends were shown in a good order.

 

 

 

Starlight's behavior in this scene alone would be enough for Applejack (and Twilight and the rest of the Mane Six) to, at a minimum, distrust her ability to integrate into Equestrian society. (From the scene with Mrs. Cake earlier, we could also throw in Starlight not realizing another basic moral principle, that she shouldn't use other ponies' stuff without their permission.)

 

 

Same here, this is way of an over-reaction, everypony of the Mane6 in Equestria knows that SG is not as nice as Fluttershy to say the least but the act on BigMac being the apocalypse of her building relationships in Equestria.. really?

Edited May 2, 2016 by ImpctR

[Sunny Fox 5,929]

Quite reprehensible opinion. I certainly did not see SG's spell on BigMac as some terrible evil that should immediately return the distrust of ponies towards Starlight. It was portrayed as a trick, really, just a spell trick that could be reverted any time (ofc Applejack was never together with Starlight as much as Twilight and like the rest of the Mane 6 would be trusting her less). And after the setting of the table or making a cake, this spell on BigMac should have not been viewed as anything bigger. I think the situations with SG and making new friends were shown in a good order.

 

Same here, this is way of an over-reaction, everypony of the Mane6 in Equestria knows that SG is not as nice as Fluttershy to say the least but the act on BigMac being the apocalypse of her building relationships in Equestria.. really?

It's an issue of consent. There's a huge difference between magically manipulating cutlery or creating a cake out of typical ingredients, and magically forcing someone who isn't inclined to speak to do so for one's own benefit. And Big Mac actually freaks out about it. So that's a great deal of distress, forced onto someone who in no way gave their consent to be put in that situation. Unless you're a member of the Fellowship of Seven, there's a clear difference between manipulating objects and manipulating ponies (people).

 

That's not to say she can't learn from this and become a better pony, of course she can. But saying she did nothing wrong and has nothing to learn is equally wrong.

[Truffles 2,033]

 

 

It's an issue of consent. There's a huge difference between magically manipulating cutlery or creating a cake out of typical ingredients, and magically forcing someone who isn't inclined to speak to do so for one's own benefit. And Big Mac actually freaks out about it. So that's a great deal of distress, forced onto someone who in no way gave their consent to be put in that situation.

 

When you describe it that way, it pretty much sounds like Starlight mindraped him...

 

Hyperbole aside, there actually is some validity to that notion. I can imagine there are probably more than a few Big Mac fans who like his introverted personality feeling anger at how she changed him for her own purposes.

 

As a Spike fan, I know I'd be absolutely livid if she felt like she needed a laugh and cast a spell that caused him to do nothing but pratfalls for the next few minutes just so he could fulfill a role as her personal clown. 

[Will Guide 21,325]

I'll make this brief:

 

What I love:

Articulate Big Mac. Makes me wonder if they had 25 other takes where the alliteration lines uses a different letter of the alphabet from B to Z.

The film-reel as world building the pony version of Houdini.

Building up rhe reveal of Trixie's return

 

What got me worried that other viewers would hate this episode for:

Twilight not trusting Starlight to make her own choice

 

What I noticed that can be very dark for a show aimed at little girls:

Trixie going through with the dangerous trick in a way that makes it seem like she was trying to commit suicide. *shudders*

[Music Chart Fan 818]

I can imagine there are probably more than a few Big Mac fans who like his introverted personality feeling anger at how she changed him for her own purposes.

 

As a Spike fan, I know I'd be absolutely livid if she felt like she needed a laugh and cast a spell that caused him to do nothing but pratfalls for the next few minutes just so he could fulfill a role as her personal clown.

 

I can't necessarily speak for anyone else, but I really don't think this is a factor for me - I personally don't hold any strong opinion about liking Big Mac as a character either way. I feel like I would have reacted the same way if Starlight used her magic to force any other character to do something when that character clearly hadn't consented to it and clearly didn't like losing control of his/her body in order to do whatever that character was being forced to do. It would still be about Starlight violating the moral principle that other peaceful individuals have the right of ownership and control of their own bodies, and should not be forced (with magic or any other means) to lose control of their bodies or forced to do something without their consent.

[Truffles 2,033]

 

 

It would still be about Starlight violating the moral principle that other peaceful individuals have the right of ownership and control of their own bodies, and should not be forced (with magic or any other means) to lose control of their bodies or forced to do something without their consent.

 

I agree, and I was wrong. I was thinking only of the audience and not of the character when I wrote my reply. You're right it doesn't matter how many fans a character has - mind controlling them isn't morally right, especially when the purpose is just to change them to fix a pet peeve the one casting the spell has with said character.

[Music Chart Fan 818]

I agree, and I was wrong. I was thinking only of the audience and not of the character when I wrote my reply. You're right it doesn't matter how many fans a character has - mind controlling them isn't morally right, especially when the purpose is just to change them to fix a pet peeve the one casting the spell has with said character.

 

Thanks, and just to clarify, I'm not upset at you for the theory you suggested in your prior post, so don't worry about it, we're all good!

[Princess Ember 29]

This episode was just OK in my opinion. I liked seeing Trixie and Starlight becoming friends, but it felt like Twilight was OOC.

Edited May 2, 2016 by Princess Ember