S06:E16 - The Times They Are A Changeling

[lunarwing 71]

I enjoyed how Shining Armor is like low-key traumatized by Changelings and firm in his stance on not trusting them until Spike comes in with a musical number, and then Shining Armor's like, "No, no, let him cook." I also absolutely LOVE Thorax. His demeanor, his voice. 10/10. He's so adorable. I also really liked seeing Spike take a more active role in solving a problem, eventually going on to befriend first the Crystal Ponies, Thorax, and Dragonlord Ember. He's out here creating more alliances with other species than Twilight. Honestly? Good for him. Love that for Spike.

[Antiyonder 1,387]

YouTube upload of the episode:

[Night Sky 857]

The Ponies dedication to the institution of Friendship does not often get fail tested the way it did in this episode. The Griffins are cranky and bullish, but they are so depressed and beaten down by their own indolence, that they basically follow where the Ponies lead by this point in the series. The yaks are a proud race, and can be abrasive, but they respect the ponies and are keen to modernize. The Kirins are just emotionally unstable second cousins. No...it's (relatively) easy for Ponies to be friends with other Ponies, or with kindred species who are clearly followers and not leaders. 

But Thorax represented a real test of the ponies true merit. Xenophobia can make any species profoundly ugly, regardless of how well they treat each other.

Fortunately, Spike, himself an outsider who can understand anyone, and Twilight Sparkle, the Avatara of Friendship itself, were on hand.

It was nice to see Twilight confidently flex her muscles as an Alicorn Princess, and declare that there was still something about Friendship they could learn. It's easy to make friends when everything starts out on the right hoof.

How would things have gone, had Thorax's leap of faith not been caught in a friendly manner? Spike wasn't the only one in this episode who took repeated plunges.