S09:E17 - The Summer Sun Setback

[Will Guide 21,360]

30 minutes ago, Ganondorf8 said:

. I'm still surprised that no one has suspected the villains are even doing anything. You'd think someone would've checked up on Tartarus at least.

Check my previous reply on the bottom of page 4

Edited August 24, 2019 by Will Guide
Link to post and my answer to your concern

[TheAnimationFanatic 3,594]

1 hour ago, Sepul-Coloratura said:

 

 

 

3 minutes ago, Sepul-Coloratura said:

What kind of TV show tells kids to lie? This episode, The Summer Sun Setback tells the lesson is not to lie, even if it's a relatively smaller part of the episode.

There was a reason for them lying, but it was wrong.

You know damn well that the episode isn't advocating lying. Stop strawmanning. 

[BornAgainBrony 2,397]

22 minutes ago, JH24 said:

That's something I'm wondering too. Would no one have to bring food or water? Or are those things already present inside Tartarus? 

Its parallel is an afterlife of everlasting torment. You can be tortured perpetually and not die. I think it's safe to assume the same is true here. They either get nourished through some ambient means, or they simply don't need it.

[Lord Valtasar 12,690]

3 minutes ago, BornAgainBrony said:

Looking back on what she was doing, re really almost comes off feeling like benevolent dictator rather than tyrant, despite the power-mongering she was after from the whole "friendship is power" perversion of the original message. Her attempt to steal magic as a stepping stone to her goals was pretty nearsighted, but then a lot of that was probably Tirek whispering nasty things into her head; we really don't know how much of what she is now is a result of Tirek brainwashing her. But regardless, it seems like she really believed that the world would be happy under her reign. She didn't seem to want to hurt anyone, and merely didn't seem to grasp that what she was doing was actually harmful in the end. So it's really not too surprising that she was able to get the villains to work as a team. She's still doing her Empress of Friendship thing, but to a smaller audience.

from what i saw so far in this season, Tirec is the victim of the two, she has the upper hand most of the times or can at least manage to navigate through as an equal, and i can only imagine the scale would be even more on her side when Tirek was imprisoned and she was out, nonetheless, they're quite fun together (and Chrysalis ofc), i just want some answers, Tirek brainwashing her, sure, but what made her seek Tirek in the first place? 

[Oleks 1,993]

Well, this episode is one of my favorite of the season. Another one. I think at this point about 50% of this season’s episodes are on my favorites list. I’m not complaining though.

So much continuity in this one! And so many characters – yet it didn’t feel “overcrowded”. The villains’ road trip was a lot of fun, and they succeeded again – you don’t see this very often in cartoons. But the main thing about the episode was of course the fact that Twilight stopped twilighting. If you ask me, it’s as important as her becoming an alicorn – a huge change! For me the end of Twi freaking out tops even her becoming the ruler of Equestria. And I’m happy for her.

Among other things, now we know where Cayenne and some other background unicorn work, Wonderbolts actually tried to do something useful, and Discord was there just for laughs. And a hint to Windigos (?) in the end makes me even more excited for the future.

The moral of the story: listen to Applejack!

Spoiler

Doctor and Rose finally hugged! Yus!!

 

[DonMaguz 1,023]

5 minutes ago, Oleks said:

The moral of the story: listen to Applejack!

 

Spoiler

The moral of the series.

 

[Dark Qiviut 22,379]

Tirek saving the bird that got swept in Shining’s turbine is a nice callback to Frenemies. He may be evil, but that growth comes forward here.

Edited August 24, 2019 by Dark Qiviut

[BornAgainBrony 2,397]

9 minutes ago, Lord Valtasar said:

from what i saw so far in this season, Tirec is the victim of the two, she has the upper hand most of the times or can at least manage to navigate through as an equal, and i can only imagine the scale would be even more on her side when Tirek was imprisoned and she was out, nonetheless, they're quite fun together (and Chrysalis ofc), i just want some answers, Tirek brainwashing her, sure, but what made her seek Tirek in the first place? 

It may just have been that she was lost at the time. Again, one of those things that a solid backstory would help with. I'm pretty sure she has a troubled past though. It could just be that she related to him, or looked up to him. She felt powerless and wanted more. Then she hears this story of a guy who was so weak that you could push him over with your finger, and he rose up to be as powerful as Twilight. Moral compass aside, Tirek is pretty inspiring. Or maybe Cozy had a sister who betrayed her and she related to the split between Tirek and Skorpan. There's a LOT of ways she might have gotten interested in him.

I've felt for a while now that the relationship between Cozy and Tirek though was inspired by the movie "Problem Child," which involves an unruly foster kid who ends up being pen pals with a serial killer.

[Misty Shadow 7,842]

Even better than Frenemies. Trust me, that is saying a lot.  Though there is some annoyance to the fact that the Mane 6 still have a way of being clueless to what’s really going on under their noses, it’s worth it to see how far the villains have come in terms of competence, being able to infiltrate and advance their plan without provoking any kind of suspicion to their presence. And Discord says character growth is so boring. Honestly one of the funniest lines in the series, and one of the funniest moments in the series is seeing him dressed like Jesus. I like how he continually refuses to be a Deus Ex Machina, allowing us to see how much Twilight’s friends have not changed by believing that Twilight hasn’t changed. The acknowledgement of how they still don’t listen to Applejack is just the cherry on top.  Episodes about the villains are definitely tied with Celestia and Luna episodes for the easiest episodes of the show for me to love now. 

[Sepul-Coloratura 762]

Just now, TheAnimationFanatic said:

 

 

You know damn well that the episode isn't advocating lying. Stop strawmanning. 

We both damn know well that the episode isn't advocating lying. You didn't need to call me strawmanning you. But you did say that they made the right choice at that moment. And I said they made a wrong choice both because of their principle of the action and the conclusion, because my point of saying "what kind of TV show tells kids to lie?" was that the episode is advocating honesty.

What are we doing here? I don't think this conversation will go anywhere. Why don't we decide if we should continue the conversation after summerizing each other's arguments in a way that both of us can agree?

Correct me if I'm wrong. I think what you are saying is

• Twilight fixing her flaws is part of her arc and not fixing up a mess that they made.
• Twilight's freakouts has pretty good reasons for it so Twilight being from freaking out in earlier of season 9 and not freaking out it in this episode is reasonable.
• The reason why Twilight's friends didn't tell the truth is because they expected Twilight to freak out based on her previous behaviors and it was a right decision at that moment.
• She fixed her flaws throughout struggle and now she finally got a hang of it, so it is not just suddenly being ok at once.
• Being the ruler of Equestira is way more stressful than just being a princess, so it's reasonable for her to freak out for that. (I'm not completely sure about this part)

Am I correct?

[TheAnimationFanatic 3,594]

5 minutes ago, CloudMistDragon said:

Even better than Frenemies. Trust me, that is saying a lot.  Though there is some annoyance to the fact that the Mane 6 still have a way of being clueless to what’s really going on under their noses, it’s worth it to see how far the villains have come in terms of competence, being able to infiltrate and advance their plan without provoking any kind of suspicion to their presence. And Discord says character growth is so boring. Honestly one of the funniest lines in the series, and one of the funniest moments in the series is seeing him dressed like Jesus. I like how he continually refuses to be a Deus Ex Machina, allowing us to see how much Twilight’s friends have not changed by believing that Twilight hasn’t changed. The acknowledgement of how they still don’t listen to Applejack is just the cherry on top.  Episodes about the villains are definitely tied with Celestia and Luna episodes for the easiest episodes of the show for me to love now. 

Well, in fairness, our heroines haven't always been the best at recognizing trouble before it pops up. See:

- Not realizing the Cadence imposter in "A Canterlot Wedding".

- Not foreseeing Discord's betrayal in "Twilight's Kingdom".

- The Cozy Glow situation.

1 minute ago, Sepul-Coloratura said:

We both damn know well that the episode isn't advocating lying. You didn't need to call me strawmanning you. But you did say that they made the right choice at that moment. And I said they made a wrong choice both because of their principle of the action and the conclusion, because my point of saying "what kind of TV show tells kids to lie?" was that the episode is advocating honesty.

What are we doing here? I don't think this conversation will go anywhere. Why don't we decide if we should continue the conversation after summerizing each other's arguments in a way that both of us can agree?

Correct me if I'm wrong. I think what you are saying is

• Twilight fixing her flaws is part of her arc and not fixing up a mess that they made.
• Twilight's freakouts has pretty good reasons for it so Twilight being from freaking out in earlier of season 9 and not freaking out it in this episode is reasonable.
• The reason why Twilight's friends didn't tell the truth is because they expected Twilight to freak out based on her previous behaviors and it was a right decision at that moment.
• She fixed her flaws throughout struggle and now she finally got a hang of it, so it is not just suddenly being ok at once.
• Being the ruler of Equestira is way more stressful than just being a princess, so it's reasonable for her to freak out for that. (I'm not completely sure about this part)

Am I correct?

No, not really.

[Sepul-Coloratura 762]

3 minutes ago, TheAnimationFanatic said:

No, not really.

Then it means I didn't quite get what you've been saying. Can you correct me where I got it wrong?

Or do you think I was just being a jerk for the sake of it all along and have no intentions to make meaningful conversations with me any further?

[TheAnimationFanatic 3,594]

2 minutes ago, Sepul-Coloratura said:

Then it means I didn't quite get what you've been saying. Can you correct me where I got it wrong?

Or do you think I was just being a jerk for the sake of it all along and have no intentions to make meaningful conversations with me any further?

I said that while the choice to lie was just that, a lie, they did so for good and valid reasons. Twilight not freaking out makes sense since now she's had experience in this role and has found her footing. And it's not that she's suddenly not stressing anymore, we've seen her struggle and her nervous prior to this episode. There WAS a progression. 

[PonyLovingBrony 1]

6 hours ago, JH24 said:

That was a great episode. Not only was it very enjoyable to watch, but it also carried a kind of "sadness" with it; sadness in the sense that this episode felt that we're getting closer to the end, that things are being set in place for the finale. Twilight getting ready for her role as ruler of Equestria; Chrysalis, Cozy Glow and Tirek in a race against the clock to execute their own plans and master Grogar's bell, and then there's Grogar's presence hanging menacingly above Equestria; readying himself to finally step out of the shadows. There really is a strong tension here with everyone involved. We have three different sides here and their paths are about to cross.

I enjoyed it a lot. The only thing that irked me somewhat about this episode was that it still felt Discord is kind of an outsider of the group. He's still suspected when something goes wrong, and when trying to help his only task is not to create trouble. I do like how he plays the role as a mentor figure though.

 

I agree. Great episode, despite all of the arrangements for the end of the series

[Sepul-Coloratura 762]

1 minute ago, TheAnimationFanatic said:

I said that while the choice to lie was just that, a lie, they did so for good and valid reasons. Twilight not freaking out makes sense since now she's had experience in this role and has found her footing. And it's not that she's suddenly not stressing anymore, we've seen her struggle and her nervous prior to this episode. There WAS a progression. 

OK, It can't be any more clear than that. Let me rephrase it just to make sure I got it right.

• The choice by Twilight's friends to lie was for good and valid reasons.
• Twilight now has experience and knows better. Her not freaking out makes sense.
• She's been constantly struggling about the issue. There was a progression in her character.

Am I correct?

[Will Guide 21,360]

33 minutes ago, TheAnimationFanatic said:

Well, in fairness, our heroines haven't always been the best at recognizing trouble before it pops up. See:

- Not realizing the Cadence imposter in "A Canterlot Wedding".

- Not foreseeing Discord's betrayal in "Twilight's Kingdom".

- The Cozy Glow situation.

That's right. 

Just like people in real life, they made short sighted mistakes. In their defense, the ponies were fooled by Chrysalis and Cozy and in Discord's defense, Tirek offered him what seemed more beneficial to him, since no other pony except Fluttershy accepted Discord and his chaotic nature. That's what bad people do: manipulate well-meaning but flawed people to further their own selfish desires.

But making those mistakes such as:

Shining abandoning Twilight at the wedding rehearsal

or Discord taking Tirek's offer to betray the ponies

or even Nieghsay falling for Cozy Glow's innocent act just because she's a pony and therefore in his eyes, is more trustworthy than the non-pony races 

Making these mistakes does NOT make a person a terrible person beyond forgiveness. It just mean the bad people are much better at manipulating others. What's important is realizing you made a mistake and making up for it. 

Again using the above examples:

Once Shining Armor was freed, the true mutual love he has with Cadance was powerful enough to make Shining's shield magic send the Changeling Army flying!

Once Discord was freed, he gave the necklace which became the final key to opening the Chest and ultimately defeating Tirek the moment Discord realized what the Magic of Friendship really is

And despite Neighsay having (justifiable) reasons not to trust the Non-pony Students, they helped freed him and with the Magic he still had left, he went to get help in stoping Cozy Glow from escaping.

So in short, despite not recognizing trouble as well as we the audience can, that in no way makes our characters stupid. As the audience we are privy to more than the characters do sometimes. It's called Dramatic Irony.

Wouldn't you agree?

[TheAnimationFanatic 3,594]

5 minutes ago, Will Guide said:

That's right. 

Just like people in real life, they made short sighted mistakes. In their defense, the ponies were fooled by Chrysalis and Cozy and in Discord's defense, Tirek offered him what seemed more beneficial to him, since no other pony except Fluttershy accepted Discord and his chaotic nature. That's what bad people do: manipulate well-meaning but flawed people to further their own selfish desires.

But making those mistakes such as:

Shining abandoning Twilight at the wedding rehearsal

or Discord taking Tirek's offer to betray the ponies

or even Nieghsay falling for Cozy Glow's innocent act just because she's a pony and therefore in his eyes, is more trustworthy than the non-pony races 

Making these mistakes does NOT make a person a terrible person beyond forgiveness. It just mean the bad people are much better at manipulating others. What's important is realizing you made a mistake and making up for it. 

Again using the above examples:

Once Shining Armor was freed, the true mutual love he has with Cadance was powerful enough to make Shining's shield magic send the Changeling Army flying!

Once Discord was freed, he gave the necklace which became the final key to opening the Chest and ultimately defeating Tirek the moment Discord realized what the Magic of Friendship really is

And despite Neighsay having (justifiable) reasons not to trust the Non-pony Students, they helped freed him and with the Magic he still had left, he went to get help in stoping Cozy Glow from escaping.

So in short, despite not recognizing trouble as well as we the audience can, that in no way makes our characters stupid. As the audience we are privy to more than the characters do sometimes. It's called Dramatic Irony.

Wouldn't you agree?

I would. Although, I'd argue that we never got proper resolution for how Twilight was treated in "A Canterlot Wedding" , nor did they capitalize on the potential to show the fallout from the rehearsal. 

[Splashee 28,563]

I will have to rewatch this episode with full attention to detail, to get an accurate reading. But the first watch was enjoyable and the pacing was very interesting, how they managed to get the whole story down in a 22 minutes episode is incredible!

 

Michael Vogel, master of writing the bad guys episodes! @Tacodidra was right I would go all crazy in "the next episode".

[StitchandMLPlover 930]

5 hours ago, BornAgainBrony said:

Unless they were plastering her picture all over the land as "Public Enemy Number One" it seems unlikely that most of Equestria would have any idea of what she looks like. It really seemed like the debacle with her plot never left the school and Cozy's sentencing happened right there in that room. Their culture may just not be nearly as obsessed with the "24/7 Outrage Cycle," in fact, by its very nature, it almost certainly isn't. Do they know that a filly nearly sucked all the magic out of the world and was banished for it? Probably. But there's no reason to assume that the whole kingdom saw her mugshot in the morning paper, or that all of them would automatically be able to recognize her; there's no reason for them to even be thinking of it. She's not a lost child on a milk carton. As far as Equestria is concerned, they all know exactly where she is, and is therefore not something to be worrying about.

Chrysalis can move about undetected all she wants, and could sit down and sip tea with Celestia just as easily as be incognito all day.

Tirek's over reign of terror makes him the sore thumb sticking out in this group. Surely all of Equestria knows what he looks like, probably from seeing him in person, stomping around the countryside like a Kaiju. Keeping him unnoticed would be extremely difficult. Not just because it's Tirek, but because minotaurs are apparently quite rare in Equestria, unless we're just not being shown them very often. I would've given him a cloak to wear like he had when he first started building up his power the last time.

But... maybe they weren't actually that concerned with getting caught? It's highly unlikely they didn't go in there with an escape plan. And if they had gotten caught, could they have escaped? Maybe not in the castle, but out on the streets, I'd say yes. Tirek's power level is dangerously variable. If Ponies tried to blitz their position, Tirek might gobble up all of that magic and turn into Tirekzilla in a heartbeat. He's every bit as tough to fight as a Hydra. Just the act of sending warriors at him will make him stronger. Chrysalis can likely escape from practically ANY situation. And Cozy Glow can... I dunno... stall the assault?

(I'm still a little disappointed she's never used her inherent "adorbs" ability to its max potential)

It'd be a tough fight, but I'm thinking they could have battled their way out of the city, as long as they did it quickly enough that the Elements didn't have enough time to converge.

One final thing about the Villains in this episode, it tells us something very important. The villains are as smart as the heroes. This was "Sparkle's Seven" for the villains. They infiltrated the same castle to take an important artifact, and they succeeded. The battlefield is set. These two sides are a match for each other.

It's that he helps when something happens to Fluttershy. Anything else is so-so, but the moment she's in trouble, that's when Discord turns into the Hulk. Generally though I'm not sure it's just a mentoring thing or something more nuanced about his nature. He's the spirit of chaos, so it may literally be impossible for him to snap his fingers and restore order, even if he wants to. The most he can do is show others how to get things under control. Discord's counterpart in Star Trek used to do this kind of thing with Picard all the time.

 

It would've been nice if they even just had one quickly line or two at the end of 'Trivial' with her talking about it. I could easily see that being a breaking point for her. Similar to how addicts don't wake up and realize they need to change until what they're doing ends up hurting someone else. Pinkie's heartbreak is the first time Twilighting actually hurt one of her friends, and really it was bringing down the entire room! My guess is she figured out that she finally needed to do something about it. That episode would've been fun to see, Twilight getting therapy, learning meditation, etc; but then we'd lost the surprise that came out in this episode. She may have just cast a hypnosis spell on herself for all we know.

Which brings me to the Mane 6 trying to coddle her. It wouldn't have changed anything. Would things have gotten under control sooner, maybe? But the damage was already done. The outcome of the episode would've been the same. The point wasn't the Mane 6 buying the villains extra time. It's that, "Oh, Twilight really ISN'T going to freak out!" In "Trivial Pursuit" Spike was trying to do the same thing, preemptively trying to prevent a panic attack. There was a discussion about it months ago. Twilight's anxiety was growing worse to the point of being out of control and annoying. We've all been seeing it this season. We've been being set up for that surprise for a while. I

Am I the only one who immediately thought of Bronycon when Celestia told Twilight that it was going to be the last one? I wonder if this was another little nod from the writers like what they did with the Young Six when they were building the memorial? It seemed strange that Celestia would outright cancel the celebration otherwise. Solstice is a big deal for any culture that has such an integral connection to weather like the Ponies do. Even with retiring I thought it would be pretty sad to do away with it. Good on Twilight for what she did. That brought a tear to my eye.

On the racism problem, to be fair, racism is almost entirely superficial. It's about a perceived sense of superiority but it all boils down to looks. Differences in the actual abilities of the different Pony races is much more blatant. Not that this justifies it; it's ultimately another of those "different, but same" things, but just looking at how easy it is to divide and conquer humans over such matters, it's scary. And actually, just by having the villains playing a role in egging this one, maybe they already HAVE put a new spin on racism in this story that hasn't fully come to fruition yet; that of not letting the news or politicians divide us over petty nonsense. Might be too deep for MLP, but this is the same show that gave us a shockingly intellectual dose of "Harrison Bergeron" with a side-order of "1984" when Starlight was introduced.

There's another thing to keep in mind though. If they're planning to divide the races, or as they were usually referred to in the show, "tribes," then we should already know where that is going to lead. Remember what was going on the last time the three tribes were divided? 

Here's Cozy Glow with your long-term weather forecast. "Bundle up, Ponies, because things are going to get a bit chilly!"

I'm calling it now. The windigos are returning.

 

I agree about Celestia and Twilight. As to ponies, racism, and their physical abilities: what divided the pony tribes seems more equivalent to ableism rather than racism. Ableism is very similar to racism but is based on physical ability or more likely LACK of physical ability as with disability. I define ableism as “Discrimination based solely on the fact a person is disabled” in the real world. The writers covering an ableism type idea would be interesting. I don’t mind the writers covering these topics, I just want a new spin on it different from Season 8, with at least the quality of “Cutie Map” for the finale of the whole series. Covering racism and ableism takes a lot of skill. I completely agree about the Windigos returning! The Windigos returning would make for a fitting plot for the finale. I love that song! I agree, Equestria has newspapers but I doubt their journalists cover things the way we do in the real world. Thanks! 

[BornAgainBrony 2,397]

2 hours ago, TheAnimationFanatic said:

You know damn well that the episode isn't advocating lying. Stop strawmanning. 

Uhh... you missed what was actually said here. So did I the first time I read it actually until I saw the exchange between you two and went back to look.

2 hours ago, Sepul-Coloratura said:

What kind of TV show tells kids to lie? This episode, The Summer Sun Setback tells the lesson is not to lie, even if it's a relatively smaller part of the episode.

 

[ImpctR 155]

After a series of rather boring past (Season 1) episodes now we have Mean 6 + Frenemies = The Summer Sunsetback by M. Vogel, one that can be trusted for making a really nice continuity! Oh I loved it that's the kind of episodes Im staying for and I think everything was executed quite well, it would be nit-picky to stop at any minor things. And I liked how it ended with - You didn't see anything ponies! kind of narration, no alarms that some big DANGER is around, just like in the Mean 6.

Starts with what we saw in Frenemies, them having the Bell

So this is an episode where Twilight is considered ready to be the new ruler but not expecting this to happen before the finale, so it is a nice setup. And as such, Twilight GAGS - OUT! Yes this episode skipped them in favor of making a proper episode. Discord's reference as turned into stone, kek.

 

Spoiler

 

Poor Starlight, I forgot about her, isn't it a place she has to be around? Like Discord.

 

Spoiler

 

Anyone remembers this? The dark (narrow) and empty streets and corners of Ponyville, there was Tirek who secretly stole magic in Twilight's Kingdom episodes.

 

Spoiler

 

I just like staring at a nice scenery, which this is in the episode: And so Tirek attacked from the bushes, I know as animation it would ring the bell instantly - only Tirek does that but perhaps it requires more testing to see is it really a magic steal case, so that would explain why the Mane 6 or anyone did not know what happened.

 

Spoiler

 

Hey I didn't get the name of that FIERY mane unicorn but gosh I love her style so cool ! And one of the best cutie marks art? And there's the photographer with green eyes oh who can it be, now with lady bug cutie mark. 

 

Spoiler

 

Nothing in how the Mane 6 tried to hide the problems from Twilight looked bad to me, especially since hiding didn't last long and made it believable.

A lovely continuity of Sparkle Seven as we see the latest approved TRAPS and alarm mechanisms of the castle. I think these geese/ducks should be the symbol of Canterlot's defense department ! 

 

Spoiler

 

Even more new rooms never seen in Canterlot! Nice to see where they sneak, we can imagine they decided to go for the library which location Cozy knows best.

 

Spoiler

 

The two sisters taking part in the brute work (clearing the skies from storms) - yes Luna participation is always a really good addition and extra points to the episode 

Oh boy can't wait to see what's in the Tome (apparently how to use it) and moreover, what will they do with the Bell!

 

Spoiler

 

And another interesting thing to see - can they overthrow Grogar? A solid 5/5 or 10+/10 whichever, what was a bit due to come as a single episode <3

[Will Guide 21,360]

17 minutes ago, ImpctR said:

Hey I didn't get the name of that FIERY mane unicorn but gosh I love her style so cool

I looked at the end credits and it appears her name is Fire Flare

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,161]

As it stands right now, this episode is an EASY top five for season 9! Everything just felt extremely well-crafted, and no character felt out of place. Heck; the continuity nods to Sparkle's Seven and Frenemies felt extremely tight and well-rounded, and this felt like it truly is the beginning of the end, if you will.

Overall; spectacular episode!

[Lambdadelta 1,462]

When I saw Michael Vogel in the episode name, I knew this ep will be great so how it compare to 2 best episodes in the first half (Frenemies and Sparkle Seven)? Unfortunately, this ep still cant beat those two but it still an amazing episode nonetheless. This ep is a mixture of Sparkle's Seven and Frenemies. We got villain team-up and how they get through the security that nearly impossible for the mane 6 and they succeed, villains are really scary when they united. After many filler episodes, this is another plot-relevant episode that build up 'Twilight learns to be a ruler' story arc and villains story arc, which I always appreciate. Villains are the best part of this ep, the episode started by them, they created conflict and this ep ended with them that make Mane 6 plot less interesting in comparison.

Enough villain plot, let talk about the celebration plot, so... Twilight stopped being freak out for once? She just created a new holiday that celebrate two retired rulers of Equestria (awww), nice. The one who can create a new holiday out of blue is the one who rules, can we have Twilight books holiday too. Twilight's character development (which is even Lampshaded by Discord), is a bit weird to me, especially after her last episode (Trivial Pursuit). It feels sudden and a bit weird, just like Twilight just turn off her freak-out mode just for this ep. She finally learn to act like a ruler for once? Learn to be a ruler, you have to learn to tell people to do the jobs, not all by yourself, hmmm... did Twilight already do that in season 4 premiere? And the show sometimes forgot Twilight is exceptional at organizing that make Amethyst lost her job. What i'm trying to say is the whatever lessons Twilight has to learn about being a leader  in season 9 story arc should belong to S4, not this late stage of game. The hardship of being a ruler is what I want to see but it may be too depressing for younger kids because Twilight has to rule Equestria just half as long as Celestia to know how tiring it is.

The moral lesson of the day is Applejack is always right, like Horse Play. I think they are running out lesson for kids, how can I blame them? How can you make a story about learning being a ruler for kids without some gritty reality in it but you have to put some kid-friendly lesson because of TV Rating? No, they cant

This ep is very entertaining (thanks to villain for the most parts) and it feel like a proper build-up for the end game (Twilight story arc and the bell), I cant ask for anything more than that, 8/10. I wish I can force Mike to wrote more...

[Truffles 2,033]

Another fun and funny episode, though upon first viewing there is a bit of whiplash going from last week's Twilight to this week's, but the mention of Trivia Trot helps with that.

One bit of dialog, however, seems to confirm the episode airings are not necessarily chronological to how events actually happen: At the end, Grogar states he'll be back tomorrow with the artifact he intends to use to take over Equestria, and the rebellious little trio realize they must learn to use the Bell before he gets back. But there are several more episodes between this one and what will eventually be the climax to this season's arc, so something is definitely amiss.

Either Grogar suffered his own setback and couldn't acquire the artifact in a day like he said, or several of the episodes following this one actually take place before the events of this episode. Alternatively, I suppose he could have gotten the artifact in a day but for some reason decided to delay his takeover by quite a while. That still has me wondering what became of the others' plan to learn how to use his Bell?

Also of note is we get to see a nice wide view of all the stained glass memorials to the Mane 7's deeds:

So, going from left-to-right we see:

1. The Mane 6 harnessing the Elements for the first time.
2. The Mane 6 defeating Discord.
3. Celestia and Luna defeating Discord the first time.
4. The Mane 6 defeating Nightmare Moon.
5. Spike returning the Crystal Heart.

Not depicted here (but seen in the movie) is Twilight's coronation to princess.

When the stained glass idea was first introduced at the start of S2, Discord's rule over Equestria was depicted in several more of the windows. But it seems the Mane 6 and Spike's accomplishments have retired those panes. XD