S09:E21 Daring Doubt (beware, spoilers inside)

[ImpctR 155]

On 9/22/2019 at 2:43 PM, ShadOBabe said:

He’s an ahuizotl. Same mythology, totally different creature.

Quetzalcoatl is a giant flying snake with feathers. His name is literally “feathered serpent” and he was the god of wind, air, and learning.

Ahuizotl meanwhile means “spiny thing” and was a semi-aquatic monster with a tailed hand that would imitate the cries of human children to lure in human prey, then drown them and eat their eyes and fingernails.

Needless to say, our Ahui is a little different.

Yes it was the only uIZOTL name that I could think of (I really hated to look it up) but I can imagine, I know the Q was a dragon thing but for some reason thought this was supposed to be it. I am more aware of different Mayan gods or creatures, the Quetz. thing is the only one I could think of 

 

For a plot uniqueness, I will repeat what I mentioned in my OP. I wouldn't mind of Caballeron's story was true, and Daring Do was the bigger plunderer and not seen as the hero. I got tired of her hero plot somehow, that would be a nice spice to the story to show that the praised heroes may eventually turn out to not be so good and not deserve the praise.

Edited September 24, 2019 by ImpctR

[Lambdadelta 1,462]

7 hours ago, Senko said:

Look at the way so many characters have had their personalities or character growth regressed to match the tale they want to tell.

Actually, It happens in every seasons, of the cartoon show written by many different writers, but episodes in season 9 like you described don't feel like some unfortunate accident.

 

[Dark Qiviut 22,160]

Note: Expanded from my smaller review. Credits to comments by @BornAgainBrony, @Truffles, and @Ittoni for this.

---

This whole episode is packed with lots of smaller details, which on rewatch go a long way. One of the first instances is this exchange between AK and her former fans.

Quote

Older Fan: On page 531, it says Daring Do kicks puppies!

Filly *voice breaking*: She does?!

AK: What?! No!

At first, it looks like a throwaway line that Groom Q.Q. Martingale threw in there. But in the beginning of Act 2, that concerned filly returns to her book signing, where we see more of this exchange:

Quote

Filly: So Daring Do doesn’t kick puppies?

AK: That was one time! Accidentally.

During my rewatch of the saga last month, I assumed it referred to kicking away the wild cats, one of them a housecat, during Daring Don't. But those weren’t accidents; she tried to defend herself. Despite her initial denial, she finally admitted to not only accidentally kicking a puppy, but didn’t put it in any of her books.

Why does this small exchange matter?

1. The Daring Do Series is a series of autobiographical events, but because she’s trying to sell stories to children as well, she sanitizes, alters, and omits things that might disinterest or repulse the audience. She edits each book to make the stories more sellable and sells the books as fiction. For a long time, that tactic worked; each "character" has become memorable, and there's a huge Daring Do fandom out there. Now it's starting to backfire.
2. It opens the door for the possibility of more laying beneath to the whole Daring Do saga. Remember, the series is written in third-person limited perspective, every adventure in Daring’s point of view. Groom Q.Q. Martingale's opens that point of view, painting her stories in a more negative light while still making sense.
3. More importantly, Caballeron’s response becomes more credible to the general audience. Yes, he’s scheming to steal the Truth Talisman of Tonatiuh, but because of the editing of her own book, she opens things up for him to explain his own side and sprinkle truths both big and small that she didn’t tell. As omissions and inaccuracies big and small add up, doubt clouds the Daring fanbase's head, which Fluttershy and the little filly represent. Innocuous details like the flower being the wrong color now implicate she has something to hide.

During that exchange, Dash busts back in to warn A.K. that Caballeron is bringing Fluttershy along to Tenochtitlan. During the frantic warning, she looks around to see if anyone was around (not seeing the filly), just to see if no one is sneaking around. Like Dash herself, A.K. Yealing forgets about the child, revealing her original identity as Daring Do to the filly's shock and delight. Despite the growing scandal, some ponies still idolize her and want to grow up to be just like her.

Another one comes in Fluttershy's first scene in the Tenochtitlan Basin. Notice his twinkling highlights and small smile as she tames Ahuizotl's jungle cats. For the first time all series, he shows sincere appreciation for someone other than himself. Usually greedy and selfish, he watched firsthand how much someone's selflessness and unconditional caring mattered. He brought her over to trick her; despite carrying that trickery throughout, his plan began to both crack and evolve.

Yet, that crack didn't quite begin there. After Caballeron scolded at Rogue for almost poisoning himself, what does she do? Take out her traveling picnic with apple juice to Caballeron's surprise and share her lunch with them out of appreciation. Rather than snub her, he and his henchponies accept her generosity. Had this not happen, Caballeron's appreciation for Fluttershy from that point forward won't make sense.

From the very beginning, Fluttershy was convinced that there's more to the Daring Do saga than what A.K. Yearling told through her books, even though she witnessed Caballeron and Ahuizotl firsthand commit bad actions. Talking personally with Caballeron while in the bookstore only made her more curious. So, was she gullible and naive? Absolutely. However, her naivety is much more believable compared to buying a too-good-to-be-true rag doll from Flim and Flam during Best Gift Ever, and one key moment shows she isn't that gullible:

Quote

Fluttershy: Daring Do did have a lot of artifacts on her shelves at home. But didn't you try to sell them to the highest bidder?

This indicates awareness of the events and an expectancy of Caballeron to try to explain the problem. So how does he respond? With a plausible alibi surrounding a museum that closed down from lack of funds. Daring's long history of storing many sacred artifacts on her shelves, destroying temples older than the Royal Sisters, and thus the homes of many animals (something she cares about deeply) also invited questions on her behalf. While she listened to and questioned him, he explained his lies while remaining grounded to Equestrian reality, and his book while under Martingale has enough credentials to sway many ex-fans. Additionally, she was very well aware throughout that Martingale was Caballeron, talked to him as if he was Caballeron, and never reacted at all when he reveals his identity to her.

Also, Fluttershy never wavers her unconditional kindness regardless of any circumstance. During the entire expedition, she stayed true to her embodied Element of Harmony and exemplified it wherever she went. In each scene, Caballeron and his gang slowly show appreciation for it, both subtly and obviously. Beyond the examples from above:

1. At the closure of the first expedition scene, Biff, Rogue, and Withers smile in thanks for Fluttershy.
2. At the base outside of Tonatiuh's pyramid, Caballeron yells at Biff for suggesting to take a shortcut, and Biff feels disrespected by him despite being second-in-command. Fluttershy reassures him that he will and she believes in him (which happens inside the central room).
3. Once they reach the top, Withers relaxes under shade, unaware that he was under an active, dangerous flyder hive. Instinctively, she whispers to stay still and called the flyders away for just a moment so he can escape. Again, Dr. C smiles appreciatively.
   
   On an unrelated note, Tonatiuh is the Aztec god of the sun, and the only way to enter his temple is to place a sacred relic in a pedestal once the sun reaches its apex. If intentional, clever tie-in to its mythology.

Inside the temple, Caballeron tricks Fluttershy to getting the Truth Talisman of Tonatiuh (I'll get back to it in a sec), and once she retrieves it, lava spurts out. Previously, Caballeron and his henchmen were somewhat cowardly and only went after the treasure. If something bad was going to happen, they'd leave it behind. That doesn't happen here. Instead, they instinctively knock down a totem pole, and Caballeron rescues Fluttershy from certain death. Again, they didn't have to do this, but they chose to rescue her and save her. Yes, they retrieved the talisman, but because of her kindness, they returned the favor.

Fluttershy's naivety in this scene, however, is problematic in two areas:

1. Throughout almost all of Daring Doubt, Dr. Caballeron was very competent. However, his use of false despair to convince Fluttershy to fly up and steal Tonatiuh's talisman wasn't convincing whatsoever and lazy. By falling for his bad acting, she crosses from being just gullible into becoming dumb.
2. Fluttershy reveals to having no idea that Caballeron planned to trick her the whole time. If Fluttershy knew beforehand he was scheming yet went along, it subverts the idea that she was too gullible, instead showing she knew what she was doing. OTOH, it also makes her really reckless, implicating she knows Caballeron poorly acted, yet helped him steal the talisman and put her own life at risk. Right after he reveals to lie to her, he soon reveals that he valued her kindness and friendship, a smaller subversion in and of itself and downplays unneeded drama, but it also lessens the weight of his small change of heart.

Caballeron revealing his lie through the Truth Talisman could've gone either way with varying implications. The canonical path, as stated before, shows her unconditional kindness, especially after her ignorance towards Angel's needs fueled the conflict, but it made her look way too naïve and made his eventual understanding of FS's kindness at the end feel too lucky. OTOH, had Fluttershy showed controlled kindness, then you risk repeating the unfortunate implications of controlling Discord's channels of communication in the form of "kindness" from Keep Calm. Personally, I prefer the innocent path here, but it could've showed a more nuanced degree of taking elements from both.

Now to focus on the other side, Rainbow Dash was written much better here compared to 2, 4, 6, Greaaat. To echo @BornAgainBrony, Daring Doubt is a shining example of giving Dash negative traits without making her out of character or miserable. Yes, her rush to judgment was written in the wrong, but at no point does Dubuc demonize her for her black-and-white "good guy, bad guy" assumptions. With the allotted time given to her, Dubuc rightfully justifies her prejudices.

1. Daring Do and Rainbow Dash are both very good friends and better confidants. Whenever she's about to publish something new, she delivers a copy to her two weeks in advance. The entire main crew, especially Dash, is trusted by her to keep her identity a secret.
   
   BTW:

   Quote

   Dash: "That's supposed to be a secret!" [grunts, throws book across room]

   >RM6 out her in Fame & Misfortune
   >episode retcons the journal again
   
   Not the first episode to handwave this atrocity's existence!

2. As a result of Daring and Dash trust each other, they exchange information and secrets. If something goes wrong, Daring knows Dash will be there to try to help. Here, that's exactly what happened.
   
   When Dash first sees Groom Q.Q. Martingale, she immediately recognizes him as Caballeron despite a much more complicated disguise, an immediate improvement of Daring Done. Watching Fluttershy buy into Caballeron's story was a major shock; she has every right to be upset and urgently warn Daring about what he was after and why he manipulated her like that.

3. Quote

   Rainbow Dash: So if this Talisman is so important, why didn't you already save it? You said only a Pegasus can get it, right?

   Daring Do: Yes, but the temple traps are far too dangerous to face without a map. And maybe even with one.

   Rainbow Dash: [gulps]

   No one can argue how abrasive and pushy she was here. But Caballeron began yet another scheme, decided to tag someone along to unknowingly help him retrieve the Truth Talisman to get rich quick, and took her to a temple with very dangerous traps (one in which FS got caught in minutes later). Her worries are perfectly justified. Imagine if Fluttershy got hurt — she wouldn't forgive herself for not interfering sooner!

4. Once Caballeron admitted through the talisman that he lied, she got right in his face, as any good friend would. But then he admits through it his and his henchmen's gratitude for Fluttershy's kindness and generosity, Dash's edge immediately dissipates:

   Quote

   Rainbow Dash: Didn't see that coming.

   Ditto.

Speaking of lines, the dialogue during the escape (especially those influenced by the truth teller) was top notch, and some of the lines were really, really funny. Some of the best are:

1. Caballeron fighting with the talisman, finally relenting to reveal he still held onto Lapis-Lux's diamond.

2. Quote

   Daring Do: A truce until we escape? How can we trust you?

   Dr. Caballeron: *touches talisman* I cannot lie. *lets go* Now, all together!

   Clever, clever.

3. Quote

   Rainbow Dash: *under talisman's trance* I'm gonna need the deluxe spa package after this adventure. *normal* That doesn't leave this temple! *throws to FS*

   Perfect timing to sneak in a clever "Day" Off callback, eh?

Now, let's talk about the thorn peaking out from the pond.

Ahuizotl has earned a reputation in the Daring Do books as one of the most memorable villains within the fanbase. In reality, both he and Daring have been massive archenemies, even though Dr. C's an even bigger one. Several times, he has tried to kill Daring Do in order to prevent her from taking relics throughout the Basin. In Daring Don't, he searched for ones himself — the Rings of Scorchero — to trap Tenochtitlan Basin in a massive heatwave, only for Daring and her friends to foil his plan. One of her latest books involved Ahuizotl heading to Somnambula to separate the Doomed Diadem of Xilati from the Tiara of Teotlale (a.k.a., the Sister Crown Relics), and Daring raced the clock to steal it back and return it home before a cursed night was cast over the land and Somnambula was sunk beneath the sand.

Daring Doubt shifts things a bit, at first accusing Daring of getting by his jungle cat army and then attempting to steal Tonatiuh's talisman, even though he has no idea that Caballeron and Fluttershy are inside. After they escape, we don't see him again, but once we do, he's furious. Not just an evil furious. He was at his angriest throughout the show's history. Despite his history as a villain, who can blame him. It was safe and secure, and from his reaction, he clearly did NOT want it stolen.

And he shows the knowledge of Tonatiuh's temple by waiting for them at the main exit, and his anger really takes over. He wanted to retrieve that talisman and play no games, going so far as to cornering them in a dead end and ramming into it, threatening to hurt them and trap them under the temple rubble until they return it.

At this point, Daring accidentally gives Fluttershy what may be the solution:

Quote

Daring Do: Ahuizotl won't give up until he catches us. We have to find another way out!

Think about this. They steal the talisman, and he becomes supremely upset when he catches them. She's the only one astute enough to understand that something was missing, this being why he got so mad, and the only way to solve it was to confront Ahuizotl himself. Dash justifiably assumes that he's "just a bad guy," but FS realizes that the world sometimes operate so one-dimensionally.

On one hand, Ahuizotl's explanation for being ferocious and violent has some merit, something both @Ittoni and @BornAgainBrony explain in their posts here. Throughout the series, Daring and Caballeron have been taking artifacts throughout Tenochtitlan Basin, and in doing so, many ancient pyramids have been destroyed. Whether it's in the name of profit or protection, they're still stealing from them and displacing them, which each carry massive consequences. Ahuizotl is given charge to protect not only the basin, but also the artifacts of these same ancient beings. For those who watched the series throughout, this explains quite a bit why he and his crew of Aztec ponies searched for those rings, began the ceremony inside the dark tower, and came so close to beginning that heatwave within the basin. If he completed his plan, then neither Daring nor Caballeron would rob the temples again without potentially deadly consequences. Also, I see why the episode establishes him as a guardian in the first place; he's sly, territorial, knowledgeable, and old enough to know every nook and cranny of Tenochtitlan Basin from the back of his three hands. But thanks to Cabby and Daring's rivalry, he's caught in the crossfire and at risk of being replaced; Tonatiuh's talisman being the tip of that sun ray.

On the other, it overlooks a very specific piece of continuity, which was ironically referenced in Act 1: Why did he travel to Somnambula, allegedly separate the Sister Crown Relics, put hundreds of lives at risk, and cause Daring to go on one of her most dangerous journeys? What made him decide to apparently team up with the Wild Bunch Gang to steal Xilati's diadem from where it belonged? None of this was answered, which it should've. He did many things both in the main and secondary canon that we would consider evil, and this would easily be his worst. Given how Daring Doubt tried to explain his actions and make us at least understand his position, you can argue one of two answers.

1. By forcing Daring and Caballeron to go to Somnambula, there's a chance that both of them would get stuck there and sink under the ground, which would keep every relic in Tenochtitlan Basin safe. With them out of the way, he won't have to worry so much about them grave-robbing anymore.
2. Since this plot is about clearing up misunderstandings by listening to others, there's also the likelihood that he was caught in the crossfire. The gang chased her through Somnambula after she retrieved the Doomed Diadem from them and apparently Ahuizotl. Could Ahuizotl have been trying to recover it too, only to be caught in the crossfire? Given how the books are in her perspective, it makes his motives look more sinister than she believed.

Theory #2 is more in character to the portrayal of his rivalry with Daring and Daring Doubt's dismantling of Daring's limited perspective of the journeys. But without a clear answer, we can only guess what truly happened and must rely on headcanon to fill in the gaps as well as reviewing little, overlooked details from previous episodes. An episode with this important a moral and with a very gray perspective of humanity must be treated with respect. Is it? I argue yes, but if others don't, I can see why. Ahuizotl's apparent trip to Somnambula may not have been that important in Daring Done, but when observing the arc as a whole, this plot point is now crucial in overall scope. Unfortunately, this resolution fails to deliver any explanation, much less a decent one, creating a massive plot hole in a worldbuilding idea that never fully delivered. Therefore, Daring Doubt doesn't adequately explain why Ahuizotl acted so violent this whole time.

Fortunately, this episode's resolution isn't completely unsalvageable. Review all of the reformations over the seasons, from Diamond Tiara to Starlight to Sunset. What do they all have in common? In some way or another, they all change their ways, even if their personalities don't. What happens here isn't a true-to-FIM reformation or redemption, which — again — @BornAgainBrony points out well. Nobody agreed to anything other than a truce related to Tenochtitlan Basin. As long as neither of them steal treasures or destroy the temples, Ahuizotl won't come after and threaten them. But that doesn't mean their feud won't continue anywhere else. Daring Do will still hunt for treasure and store them however she can so no one else can destroy or desecrate them, while Caballeron's greed remains (only without one sidekick ). What this episode establishes is how despite being enemies, neither of them truly have any moral high ground. No true good or bad guys exist in the reality of Daring Do; Fluttershy has that wherewithal to deliver an objective perspective to help put them all on the same page and listen to one another.

Plus, @Truffles points out an important distinction between Ahuizotl's explanations and Garble's reformation from 9A. Throughout the series, DHX established Garble as a petty, stereotypical teenager with a lust to pick on Spike whenever possible, and will threaten anyone if he doesn't get his way. However, Sweet & Smoky tries to introduce a more sensitive side to his personality by being close to his younger sister Smolder, who's more open to his quirks and talents. Thanks to his past actions, his secretive side's hard to sell, even after he opens himself up to save the baby dragons from freezing to death inside their eggshells. Daring Do's triangular feud here lacked that key position of listening from the get-go, and creating a series of limited-perspective books that prop up Daring's status as a hero only invited extra questions about the lore. Until the climax, nobody ever asked Ahuizotl about his behavior before, evident by how taken aback he was to FS's question. Daring's urgent line in trying to figure out an escape route and Fluttershy's awareness created a plausible out for a truce.

This review, though, won't be complete without praising the ending. How hilarious is it that after trying very hard to avenge his losses over the years, his decision to become a best-selling author himself would be his most successful path. The way he presents himself to the audience makes him credible, and patting his hair as he reads is a nice touch.

All in all, Daring Doubt dares to deconstruct the world of Daring Do. At times, it works. At times it doesn't. But overall, the good heavily outweighs the bad. I like it a lot, and rough edges aside, it's nicely done. It's a good episode and the best one of the Daring Do arc.

Edited September 25, 2019 by Dark Qiviut

[Justin_Case001 4,855]

Spoiler

Hmmmm...... mmmm..... ummm....  grmble grmble... errr....  mmm...  ugggghhhh....  *sigh*

What's poning, ponles?

Sweet, merciful Celestia, I can't believe how close we are to the end.  For good or for ill (probably ill), the finale is gonna make my head a splode.

So, another Double D episode.  I'm not sure how I feel about this one.  It was... okay, but I'm a bit soured.

Let's just back up a few steps, here.  The classic, traditional, Indiana Jones-esque adventure story is one in which the hero is always good and pure, no matter who he kills or what careless, destructive decisions he makes, and the villain is always the quintessence of human evil, and his motivations are very simple: he's bad.  In these stories, the good guy usually kills dozens of nameless thugs to get to the big villain, and the big villain usually ends up inadvertently killing himself by his own hubris or carelessness so that the hero can appear clean and righteous.  The hero then rides off into the sunset, often with the pretty girl, and there's never any consequences for the trail of destruction he left in his wake.  While these stories definitely have their places (I love Indiana Jones as much as the next person), they're often much more boring and less realistic and interesting than a nuanced story in which morals and motivations are complex.

So, that said, I have absolutely no objection to Dr. C. and Ahui being developed to have complex, possibly amoral motivations, but I'm just not sure I like how it was executed.  The idea of neither villain being what he seems, and not being entirely bad, was refreshing and interesting, but it was just so rushed and.... I dunno... not believable to me.  I didn't buy it.  The traditional adventure tropes of the hero always being good, no matter what, and the villain always being evil, no matter what, isn't very interesting, and actually not that great of a message for kids.  The fact is that in real life, in the vast, vast majority of cases, people are trying to do what seems right and best from their perspective at the moment, even the apparent villains.  That's why I liked the idea, but the overall execution and ending just left me sour.

I've recently been watching through Star Trek: Deep Space Nine for the first time (spoilers ahead), and at the beginning of the series, it seems that the Cardassians are going to be the villains of the series, and that Gul Dukat is going to be the big baddie.  But things steadily start to shift, and we begin seeing complex motivations and sides to stories and personalities, and by early season 4, there's a surprising amount of mutual respect and cooperation between Dukat, Kira, and Sisko.  It's incredibly interesting to watch, and so much better than a simple good vs. evil story would have been.

So, circling back, I'm much more in favor of something resembling the complexities and nuances of DS9 on Pony, rather than a cliché, "Mwa ha ha, I'm evil"/"You'll never get away with this" type story.  But it was just so rushed and kinda goofy, in my opinion.  It seems that Dr. C. really was a greedy, deceitful a**hole who was tricking Fluttershy, but then he just had an instant, one-second turnaround?  That was kind of abrupt and unbelievable.  Ahui's "reform", if you want to call it that, was also too instantaneous.  I mean, it was literally just, "I was protecting the artifacts from you!"  "But wait, I thought I was protecting the artifacts from you!"  "Why didn't you say so!  Now we can be friends!"  Seriously?  I mean, it was so quick and convenient is was just comical and silly.  And I don't know how I feel about Dr. C. and Double D being buds and co-authors instantly.  That doesn't sit well with me.

And what's the deal with Ahui writing books now?  Are we supposed to believe that nobody knows who he is?  It's not exactly like that Egyptian Cronenberg can disguise himself.  So... y'know... what the hell?  And what's the deal with A.K. and Dr. Beardo?  I mean, are we to believe that their secrets are safe again?  Um... yeah... sorry, that's not how information works, my dears.  That cat is outta the bag, buckaroos.  Tons of ponies now know that Double D is real, and those that don't will get the memo really soon.  Did everybody just forget?  Are we supposed to forget?  I was actually puzzled as to why Rainbow even thought she could reach A.K. in time and execute some kind of damage control when Dr. C.'s book was already out.  I mean, it's out!  It's out there!  Everypony knows!  Pffft.    Whatever.

Here's the thing--at the end of the day, I'd be a lot more on board with the DD enemy reform if I didn't get the incredibly distinct feeling that the writers are just combing through the series, going, "Well, what's left that we haven't wrapped up in a nice, neat little package?  Who have we not reformed yet?  Quick, to the reform mobile!  Chop chop!"  I mean, for f*ckin's Celestia's sake, we already know what's gonna happen in the finale (no spoiler, I haven't looked at anything, I'm just stating the obvious, here.)--the three big frenemies are gonna team up with Team Friendship to take down Old Man Ram.  So, evidently, by the end, the one and only unreformed villain in the whole series will be Goat Sh*t.  Unless they reform him, too! 

Discord's reform was fine.  I hated Diamond Tiara with a passion, but I ended up really liking her reform.  I thought Glimmy Glam made the best villain, but I ended up loving her reform, and I couldn't imagine a show without good Glim now.  Garble's reform was kinda hokey, but I accepted it.  But this is just too much, man.  Too many reforms.  Too many.  I want nuanced villains that aren't totally evil, but I don't want wave after wave of obligatory, instant reforms just because they want to end the series with a perfect, perfect, world without a single villain, and sugar, rainbows, and sprinkles on top.

The Truth Talisman of Tomatillo, huh?  You gonna make some salsa with that thing?

Edited September 26, 2019 by Justin_Case001

[Sh Pie 65]

This was an entertaining Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Daring Do focus episode. Caballeron published a book under the alias Q.Q. Martingale to libel Daring Do who was always portrayed heroically in A.K.'s books. Despite his lack of credibility, his claims of Daring Do's less heroic characteristics were partially true. A.K. Yearling and Daring Do are the same pony so I guess she tried to cover it up to make her books sell better. Out of kindness, Fluttershy decided to give Caballeron the benefit of the doubt (hence the title) and accompany his crew on an expedition to retrieve the Truth Talisman. They would surely have been cat food without her as her talent for taming animals proved to be vital to their survival.

Rainbow Dash and Daring Do pursued them to warn Fluttershy about Caballeron's hidden motive. They were briefly snared by Ahuizotl who assumed they evaded his cats which they never saw thanks to Fluttershy.

Caballeron's crew reached the chamber with the talisman and Caballeron pretended to lament their need for a pegasus to retrieve it. Presuming the talisman was affected by an anti-magic aura to stop unicorns, I guess any winged creature could have taken it. This was his original reason for letting Fluttershy tag along but after repaying the favor for saving them earlier and retrieving the talisman, Rainbow Dash and Daring Do arrived and demanded the truth. Under its influence, he couldn't resist and admitted lying to Fluttershy but also that he had grown to value her kindness.

Ahuizotl caught up with them and forced them in to a corner. Once more, Fluttershy, the clear MVP of the episode, attempted the friendship approach by asking him why he was chasing them. We get some interesting backstory about him which wasn't covered in Daring Do's books, which instead portrayed him as a simple evil bad guy. He may have been ruthless in his actions, but he was merely protecting his property and from his perspective, Daring Do and Caballeron were both villains. Whether they sought the artifacts for prizes, money or fame, they had no right to take them. This wasn't a derelict tomb full of skeletons, this was Ahuizotl's domain. He was very much alive and he was justified in trying to protect it.

Overall, this was a great episode with an important moral that facts can be warped in fiction depending on the writer. It takes a third person perspective to see a character more objectively but since Daring Do was a self-insert, A.K. may have twisted it a little. The conclusion was gratifying with Daring Do, Caballeron and Ahuizotl all selling their own takes on the story so the readers can judge them from all sides. They're all on the same page now (haha, get it?) and any adventures they have in the future should hopefully be in abandoned sites.

[ImpctR 155]

On 9/26/2019 at 5:49 PM, Justin_Case001 said:

Discord's reform was fine.  I hated Diamond Tiara with a passion, but I ended up really liking her reform.  I thought Glimmy Glam made the best villain, but I ended up loving her reform, and I couldn't imagine a show without good Glim now.  Garble's reform was kinda hokey, but I accepted it.  But this is just too much, man.  Too many reforms.  Too many.  I want nuanced villains that aren't totally evil, but I don't want wave after wave of obligatory, instant reforms just because they want to end the series with a perfect, perfect, world without a single villain, and sugar, rainbows, and sprinkles on top.

Fully agree. They could let villains remain villains and even with the end of the season just let the viewers decide how their story would continue beyond Season 9. They took the idea that every story needs to end too literally and made some not so good excuses like quick reformations

[Music Chart Fan 818]

Overall, I have kind of mixed feelings about this episode. I do find the adventure and the unfolding of the action to be entertaining, and there are several lines and moments that I like. However, Fluttershy's naivete and her approach to Dr. Caballeron's accusations toward Daring Do is frustrating, and Rainbow's instant blind total defense of Daring Do is also frustrating. Rainbow particularly seems to forget a lot of what we learned in "Daring Done?" about Daring Do's approach to her adventures (at least in the past), and how that resulted in legitimate complaints against her. And while it can be interesting to show and explore the actions of Daring Do, Caballeron, and Ahuizotl as being shades of gray, the execution of that in this episode feels rather ham-fisted, and seems as though it needs a lot more explanation than this episode provides. When trying to think about it, I just end up being confused and not quite believing Daring Do, Caballeron, or Ahuizotl in what they say their actions and motivations have been. (This also feels like one problem with having these Daring Do adventures, which stereotypically feature villains with simple evil motivations, actually occur in-universe.) Finally, I'm not sure whether this episode would mark the end of Daring Do's adventures in-universe. Caballeron technically only promised not to steal artifacts from the Tenochtitlan Basin again; even with his co-writing a book with Daring Do, in the future, he could still try to take and sell other artifacts, or get into an illegal smuggling business, or some other villainous activity that Daring Do would still need to stop.

-----

To start off, I find it frustrating that Fluttershy seems to go out of her way to listen to Caballeron's side of the story, to give him the benefit of the doubt, and even to travel with him, but she doesn't go to Daring Do and ask her about the accusations that Caballeron made. Fluttershy seems to think that just having read Daring Do's books is all she needs to know about Daring Do's side of the story, even as asking questions to Daring Do would seem like it would help to get closer to the truth of Caballeron's accusations. Also, later in the episode, I thought that it would be significant that we see Dr. Caballeron swat away a spider web, just as he said that Daring Do does. Fluttershy took that as a reason to mistrust Daring Do, but apparently Fluttershy conveniently never notices Caballeron doing that. And Caballeron and his henchmen end up destroying parts of the ancient site, which was another thing that they said that Daring Do does, and which Fluttershy was dismayed at, but she doesn't seem to notice or say anything about that, either.

On the other hand, though, I don't know why Rainbow goes into instant blind total defense mode about what Caballeron's book says about Daring Do - even saying that "The only true thing in that pack of lies is that Daring Do is real" and telling Caballeron "Up to your old tricks again, huh? Just like in Somnambula! Spreading lies to make Daring Do look bad!". We obviously saw in "Daring Done?" that Daring Do wasn't particularly thoughtful in her approach to her adventures, and that residents of southern Equestria, at least, had legitimate complaints against Daring Do, and still held those things against her until she acted to make them right. So it ought to be well within the realm of possibility that someone would collect and publish basically true stories about wrongdoing that Daring Do has done. But, strangely to me, Rainbow also never seems to want to get Daring Do's side of these accusations, to find out what's true and what isn't, and to correct the record.

It also seems a little presumptuous of Rainbow to think that, even though Dr. Caballeron's book came out last week, Daring Do needs to be warned by Rainbow and Fluttershy that her identity was revealed in the book. Has Daring Do not already heard about this, and even been confronted about it? Does news (and books) just take a really long time to get around in Equestria? (Plus, as others have pointed out, the fact that Daring Do is real was in the Friendship Journal that was mass published and distributed in "Fame And Misfortune", although I would just as soon forget that episode, to be honest.)

-----

Now I'll talk in turn about the "confessional" statements that Daring Do, Ahuizotl, and Caballeron made when touching the Truth Talisman. First, we can examine Daring Do's statement that "the only reason I've been taking the artifacts is because I thought I was protecting them". So did Daring Do believe that these artifacts are essentially unowned, and therefore, she needs to protect them because no one else will? But if so, what did Daring Do think that Ahuizotl was doing? Why did she think that Ahuizotl kept showing up when she and Caballeron were taking artifacts? Did Daring Do ever think that Ahuizotl might own the artifacts, or he might be guarding them for their owner(s)? Did she think that Ahuizotl was just another looter like Caballeron, trying to take the artifacts for his own power or enrichment? Did she take Caballeron's view - that she thought Ahuizotl was just being a monster, and only trying to torture and kill people for his own amusement?

Or another potential argument might be that Daring Do guessed or knew that Ahuizotl owned the artifacts, or was guarding them for their owner(s), but she still took the artifacts because she believed that she would keep them safer than Ahuizotl would. After all, if Caballeron or whoever has repeatedly been able to navigate the traps and protections and reach the artifacts, then that could be taken as evidence that Ahuizotl isn't up to the task of protecting them. However, for one thing, we don't know if that has always been the case - that Daring Do only takes artifacts after Caballeron or some other villain was already about to take them. Also, if Daring Do really just puts at least some of the artifacts in her ordinary house, either in the open or with only minimal effort to hide them, then it's hard to see how that would be more protection for the artifacts - particularly when it's been shown that Caballeron knows where Daring Do lives. And also, if this is the case, did Daring Do ever attempt to tell Ahuizotl about this plan of hers? If Ahuizotl believes that Daring Do is just a thief, then that leaves a motivation for Ahuizotl to continue to capture her and try to torture and kill her. We might think that Daring Do would try to reach an understanding with Ahuizotl in order to stop Ahuizotl's attempts to capture, torture, and kill her. Or did Daring Do try to talk to Ahuizotl, and he just refused to listen or didn't believe her?

Still another potential argument might be that, regardless of whether Ahuizotl owns these artifacts or is guarding them for their owner(s), he has shown intent to use these artifacts to inflict unjustifiable damage and suffering (whether knowingly or unknowingly), and therefore, Daring Do has to take these artifacts away from him to stop him from doing such things. This does seem like it could be at least a major motivation behind Daring Do's trying to stop Ahuizotl's ritual to "unleash 800 years of unrelenting, sweltering heat" in "Daring Don't", and behind Daring Do's actions in southern Equestria to protect the town of Somnambula. But, for one thing, it's hard to get this motivation from Daring Do's statement above, and it's weird that Daring Do wouldn't say that when touching the Truth Talisman, since that would better describe what Daring Do's motivations were, and would portray her in a better light. And because this potential damage and suffering is almost always described by Daring Do, or seen from her side, we don't necessarily know if Daring Do is right in believing that this damage and suffering would actually occur, or that Ahuizotl is actually trying to do that. So I would like to know more about what Daring Do has thought that she's been doing, and whether she's been correct in what she's thought she's had to do.

-----

Next, we can examine Ahuizotl's contention that, all along, he's just been trying to do his job of protecting the jungle and stopping artifacts from being stolen in the Tenochtitlan Basin. To start off, was it necessary or justified for Ahuizotl, in doing such a job, to capture and try to (essentially) torture and kill Daring Do? In the Daring Do book in "Read It And Weep", Ahuizotl ties down Daring Do in a room with quicksand, snakes, spiders, and two spiked walls that are closing in to crush her. And in "Daring Don't", Ahuizotl also leaves Daring Do restrained to the wall to drown and/or be eaten by piranhas. If Daring Do (and Caballeron and whoever else) is essentially considered a thief, is the right response to capture and try to torture and kill her? Also, if Ahuizotl's doing those things is intended to be an example or a deterrent, how would Ahuizotl communicate that to future would-be looters? Would he document and submit evidence of Daring Do's gruesome death to Equestrian newspapers or something, with a message that any other pony who tries to take artifacts from the basin will meet the same fate?

And if we look back at what Ahuizotl has done on the show previously, many of his words and actions don't seem to line up with this contention that he was only trying to protect the jungle and the artifacts in the Tenochtitlan Basin. In the Daring Do book in "Read It And Weep", Ahuizotl says "With Daring Do out of the way, the world will suffer mightily at my hands". That sounds like going above and beyond merely protecting the jungle and artifacts of the Tenochtitlan Basin.

In "Daring Don't", Rainbow says "You know what's at stake here! Ahuizotl has sought control of the Tenochtitlan Basin since book three!", and Twilight describes how Daring Do "defeated Ahuizotl and secured control of the Amulet of Atonement, dispelling the dark magic of the Ketztwctl Empress, and thus protecting the basin with the Radiant Shield of Razdon!". Again, that sounds as though Ahuizotl was trying to control the basin, and cast dark magic over it, such that Daring Do felt it necessary to protect the basin, which sounds like Ahuizotl was doing more than just guarding the jungle and artifacts at the request of their owners.

That episode also certainly depicted Ahuizotl's ritual to "unleash 800 years of unrelenting, sweltering heat" as a bad thing that needed to be stopped. We're not told what the geographic limits of the effects of this ritual would be, although the earlier statement that Ahuizotl has been seeking control of the Tenochtitlan Basin may suggest that the effects of the ritual would be limited to the basin. And we see what appear to be "locals" participating in the ritual, so does that mean that the residents of the basin know what the "800 years of unrelenting, sweltering heat" mean, and that they actively want that? Well, we don't necessarily know that these participants in the ritual are representative of the residents of the basin; maybe they're in cahoots with Ahuizotl, and are looking to gain from his control over the basin. Or, even if these participants are representative of the residents of the basin, Ahuizotl may have been tricking or lying to them to get them to believe that this ritual is doing something else, or that the effects from it won't be as bad as they actually would be. It seems to me that, without additional information, we can't make any definite conclusions about Ahuizotl's motivations here, and whether this ritual should have been allowed to be carried out.

And in "Daring Done?", Rainbow Dash says (referring to Daring Do's latest book) that "Daring Do thwarts Ahuizotl's evil plot to separate the Sister Crown Relics. And if it wasn't for her, the region would be cursed with eternal night, and the entire town of Somnambula would have sunk into the ground!". On the face of it, it seems like a real stretch to explain that away as merely protecting the jungle and artifacts of the Tenochtitlan Basin. What, did the entire town of Somnambula attempt to take artifacts from the basin, and therefore, the entire town deserved to be cursed, destroyed, and/or killed?

Finally, yeah, most of these things above are in Daring Do books, or are seen from Daring Do's side, and so Ahuizotl's words and actions may have been exaggerated, embellished, misunderstood, etc. But still, these seem like serious considerations that Ahuizotl should be asked about before we believe that Ahuizotl was only acting in necessary and/or justified defense of the jungle and artifacts of the Tenochtitlan Basin.

-----

Finally, Caballeron, when touching the Truth Talisman, tells Ahuizotl that "I was stealing [the artifacts] to get rich. But I never realized you had a noble cause. I thought you were just being a monster". And this ties into the issue of Caballeron's backstory, as told to Fluttershy. I've seen some people commenting on this episode who seem to believe that Caballeron's backstory was true - that he started out with noble intentions to research artifacts and put them in a museum where they could be studied, and that Caballeron "turned to the dark side" at some later point. But do we know that any of this backstory, as told in this episode, is true? I don't see any particular confirmation of this backstory in this episode. And we know that Caballeron was trying to get Fluttershy on-board to go on their expedition and retrieve the Truth Talisman (which they did not intend to study and keep safe in a museum), so I think that Caballeron's lying and making up a sympathetic backstory to tell her wouldn't be out of the question. Caballeron's statement that "I was stealing [the artifacts] to get rich" could even be seen as a reason to think that his backstory he told to Fluttershy isn't true. After all, if Caballeron did start out with altruistic intentions, why wouldn't he say that? Wouldn't that better explain his actions and portray him in a better light? Again, I would want to hear more information about what Caballeron has been doing before making definite conclusions about any previous good motivations he had, or anything like that.

-----

Now I'll discuss a couple of larger observations about the Truth Talisman and Fluttershy's dialogue about talking to the cats, followed by the rest of my miscellaneous observations.

First, regarding the Truth Talisman, Daring Do says that Caballeron only wants it "because it's made of solid gold. He'll melt it down and use it to get rich". So is the Truth Talisman worth more melted down as raw gold (and whatever other materials) than it is as a one-of-a-kind artifact with the power to make the pony holding it tell the truth? Is Caballeron just too dumb to realize that it's worth more as an artifact? Or would the artifact have no buyers because every other pony would refuse to buy it, saying that it should be returned to where it was taken from? Also, does the Truth Talisman have to be complete in order to retain its ability to make ponies tell the truth? Would its melted-down, deconstructed or broken pieces still retain that ability? Or if the Truth Talisman does have to be complete, what happens if, say, it gets chipped, or some tiny amount of it is scraped or worn off? Finally, we're told that the Truth Talisman "has the power to make the pony holding it tell the truth", but when, and how much? In some cases, we see someone wearing the Talisman who has to answer truthfully to a direct question, but other times, someone wearing the Talisman just says something truthful with no apparent prompting. Does the Truth Talisman allow for selective omission of truths, so long as what one says is truthful? If someone wearing the Talisman is asked an open-ended question, how much truth does the Talisman compel him or her to tell?

Next, regarding the scene where the cats come to attack Caballeron's expedition group, Caballeron says "These ferocious beasts want to eat us for dinner!", and Fluttershy replies with apparent sincerity that "That's a common misconception. Have you ever tried just talking to them?". Uh, no, because he can't, just like how no other pony we've seen can talk to "non-speaking" animals? We just had an episode a few weeks ago about how that seems to be specifically Fluttershy's thing. And when Caballeron asks Fluttershy "How did you do that?", Fluttershy says "Everycreature likes to be listened to. You just need to take the time to understand them". So what is Fluttershy saying here - that understanding the communication of "non-speaking" animals is simply a matter of taking the time and effort to learn it? That's not what was depicted in "The Cutie Mark Chronicles". There, Fluttershy is shown communicating with "non-speaking" animals a mere minute or two after seeing them for the first time, which is something that even surprises her. Or is Fluttershy saying that ponies could already understand "non-speaking" animals if they would just slow down and really try to do so, and Fluttershy has been the only pony to ever do that? I find that hard to believe, too. For example, are we to believe that Dr. Fauna has always been able to talk with "non-speaking" animals, but she's just never tried hard enough?

Rainbow calls herself "Daring Do's biggest fan", so why didn't Rainbow hear about a book that accuses Daring Do of having done all these bad things? Would that not make the news somewhere? Does Rainbow not keep up with news about A.K. Yearling? But I suppose that Equestria doesn't have the Internet or fan websites or anything, and this isn't the first time that Rainbow was late in finding out news about Daring Do.

How many people other than Fluttershy really care that Daring Do, say, swats away spider webs when going into ancient temples and the like? Did Dr. Caballeron expect anyone other than Fluttershy to care?

So everyone in this group of Daring Do detractors waited at this bookstore to confront A.K. Yearling, but after about 30 seconds, 3 accusations, and a couple of insults, they all voluntarily leave the bookstore? I kind of expected worse from them, and for them not to be satisfied that easily. Did they figure that after A.K. Yearling found out they're not here for the book signing, she would call security to remove them, or even remove them herself, if they continued?

A.K. Yearling says that she's not into writing Daring Do books for the fame - the stories were just too good to keep to herself. But we can think of at least one other motivation, namely, that she appears to make a living from going on these adventures and writing and selling books about them. Or do all the profits from selling Daring Do books go into funding her expeditions to save valuable artifacts, and A.K. Yearling doesn't make a living off of book income? I don't have any problem with A.K. Yearling making a decent living off of selling books, but it's a bit weird not to mention that that's a factor.

Does Fluttershy need to specify that her name has two t's? Have people misspelled it before? It seems like pretty common knowledge that "flutter" has two t's, so I don't know why people would hear Fluttershy's name pronounced the same way and not assume that it's spelled the same way.

If Rainbow thought that Fluttershy was taking a long time to leave the bookstore, why didn't Rainbow go back in to look for her?

It's funny that Caballeron tells Fluttershy about how Daring Do disturbs the fragile jungle ecosystem by "slashing plants aside with her cruel machete", and yet in this episode, Rainbow and Daring Do just go through the jungle without cutting down anything.

Of course, I don't know why Caballeron didn't have Fluttershy hold on to the Truth Talisman until just before he and Fluttershy were due to part ways, and then maybe have a henchman take it and not say anything as he holds it. But I guess, as the stereotypical villains, Caballeron and company have to make bad judgments that the heroes can exploit.

The guardian-goyles don't like bright light, and Fluttershy says "There's none of that in here" as we look upon a fully-lit room with several flaming torches. But shining an ordinary battery-powered flashlight at the Diamond of Lapis Lux apparently does count as "bright light". Does the Diamond of Lapis Lux have some magical ability to amplify light or something?

[Senko 459]

I wonder if the "Fluttershy with two t's" was a reference to "Oneill with two L's" from stargate.

[Cash In 21,489]

I wasn't expecting anything too big, but once again, I was pleasantly surprised. Let me first address the elephant in the room - Caballeron and Ahuizotl being reformed. Honestly, I didn't mind how it was done, but I think that a little more depth should've went towards Ahuizotl's reformation. I loved the direction the episode went in, as both Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy had contrasting goals, allowing the audience to form their own judgement on the matter. I won't lie, the ending was pretty amusing and I do feel that the episode served as a good conclusion to the Daring Do arc.

Edited September 28, 2019 by Cash In

[Truffles 2,033]

On 9/22/2019 at 10:53 PM, ShadOBabe said:

On 9/22/2019 at 9:53 PM, BornAgainBrony said:

Cabaleron is still a profiteer. Daring Do is still a treasure hunter. Ahuizotl will still try to slaughter anyone who dares take something from one of his temples. 

And that’s how I like them! 

This is pretty much in line how I feel about the ponies befriending the dragons. I am happy that they have grown beyond a mere obstacle to deal with, or a species to be feared and hated. And yet, for all the progress made with the two cultures coming to terms with one another, dragons are still creatures you don't want to tick off.

I am reminded of Ember in "Triple Threat" when the pony band startled her with their brass section and she immediately went into rage mode, causing the entire welcoming committee to flee in terror. Or in "Molt Down" when Smolder, despite being one of the friendliest dragons around, nonchalantly mentions to Spike that he needs to move away, start a hoard, and find a pony village to terrorize - then only realizes and corrects herself after that fact that dragons aren't allowed to do that last thing anymore.

So if even a dragon like Smolder can have an amoral attitude towards terrorizing ponies - essentially shrugging it off as something that's just part of being a dragon - then I feel in a world like the one Equestria exists in it's fair to allow a guardian beast like Ahuizotl some leeway to maim or kill interlopers who wander into the temples he guards with the intention of stealing the treasures he's been tasked with safeguarding.

 

On 9/25/2019 at 2:15 PM, Dark Qiviut said:

On the other, it overlooks a very specific piece of continuity, which was ironically referenced in Act 1: Why did he travel to Somnambula, allegedly separate the Sister Crown Relics, put hundreds of lives at risk, and cause Daring to go on one of her most dangerous journeys? What made him decide to apparently team up with the Wild Bunch Gang to steal Xilati's diadem from where it belonged?

Heh, I had totally forgotten Ahuizotl appeared in that episode. (Probably wanted to forget it due to it's third act and RD's overall cluelessness. =P ) I want to believe that Ahuizotl's punishments he delivers may be epic in scale, so having a whole town suffer may be just the way he rolls. But like you said, there doesn't seem to be a reason to punish the inhabitants of Somnambula in the first place. Unless, the diadem was formerly a stolen relic from his land that was re-cast into a new shape? Or maybe he just has a really bad rivalry with the Sphinx and wanted to make sure there was no way for her to use those villagers as a worship resource if she were ever to return?
(Yeah, "Black & White" was a fun game, except for all the bugs. XD )

 

On 9/26/2019 at 9:49 AM, Justin_Case001 said:

And what's the deal with Ahui writing books now?  Are we supposed to believe that nobody knows who he is?  It's not exactly like that Egyptian Cronenberg can disguise himself.  So... y'know... what the hell? 

There must have been another time skip here (like there was with Rarity's mane), since writing a book takes a long time. (Unless Ahuizotl has a secret stash of fanfictions he's been writing all this time that he pushed out to a publisher? XD ) But during that time skip, I suppose a bunch of things could have happened to establish him as someone who is no longer a threat to ponies (as long as they stay clear of his treasures.) And with all the other creatures roaming around these days thanks to Twilight, it wouldn't surprise me if the ponies simply shrugged their shoulders over an ancient Aztec god becoming a best-selling author. (Reminds me of "Slice of Life" and the bugbear. XD )

 

On 9/28/2019 at 1:23 AM, Music Chart Fan said:

To start off, I find it frustrating that Fluttershy seems to go out of her way to listen to Caballeron's side of the story, to give him the benefit of the doubt, and even to travel with him, but she doesn't go to Daring Do and ask her about the accusations that Caballeron made. Fluttershy seems to think that just having read Daring Do's books is all she needs to know about Daring Do's side of the story, even as asking questions to Daring Do would seem like it would help to get closer to the truth of Caballeron's accusations.

The early parts of this episode with situations and lack of logic you described are why I was concerned this was going to be another outing where the episode would end in frustration over how biased towards Caballeron Fluttershy seemed to be.

On 9/28/2019 at 1:23 AM, Music Chart Fan said:

(Plus, as others have pointed out, the fact that Daring Do is real was in the Friendship Journal that was mass published and distributed in "Fame And Misfortune", although I would just as soon forget that episode, to be honest.)

You and me both. XD

On 9/28/2019 at 1:23 AM, Music Chart Fan said:

Did she take Caballeron's view - that she thought Ahuizotl was just being a monster, and only trying to torture and kill people for his own amusement?

This is what I think she believed. There is some evidence to believe it could be true: Remember the story of Flash Magnus going out to rescue his teammates from dragons in "Campfire Tales," thus establishing a history of other species capturing and likely killing ponies for their amusement or food. So it may be that any creature that looks scary must be a monster who is out to murder ponies and must be treated as such.

Of course, in this series only bad guys who cross a certain line get killed, and characters who aren't baddies die in the background with mere hints that they met an untimely fate.

On 9/28/2019 at 1:23 AM, Music Chart Fan said:

So is the Truth Talisman worth more melted down as raw gold (and whatever other materials) than it is as a one-of-a-kind artifact with the power to make the pony holding it tell the truth? Is Caballeron just too dumb to realize that it's worth more as an artifact? Or would the artifact have no buyers because every other pony would refuse to buy it, saying that it should be returned to where it was taken from? Also, does the Truth Talisman have to be complete in order to retain its ability to make ponies tell the truth? Would its melted-down, deconstructed or broken pieces still retain that ability?

I can't believe in a world where the currency is (supposedly) cast from gold that the talisman would be worth more melted down. It's also hard to believe he couldn't find a buyer on the black market for it. Certainly the likes of Flim and Flam would love to get their hooves on such a magical item and would have no qualms over buying a stolen relic.

As for whether it would lose its powers if melted, my feeling is yes, it would. It was probably enchanted by a powerful Aztec sorcerer and if the construct the enchantment was attached to is altered, the enchantment would stop working. Of course, all that should be taken with a grain of salt since trying to analyze magic use in a fictional world is arbitrary to say the least. XD

 

I wonder if Ahuizotl managed to do what Caballeron couldn't - here and also in "Daring Done?" Namely, put an end to the Daring Do series of books. While Daring Do herself may still be able to do research of ancient treasures and keep thieves from taking them, A.K. Yearling's Daring Do stories are likely kaput. We already saw how much damage Caballeron's alternate POV series had hurt A.K. Yearling's sales, and now with Ahuizotl also writing books from his own perspective casting both Yearling and Caballeron in a bad light, then who is left save for the most die-hard DD fans like Rainbow Dash to keep the series alive? From everything we saw in this episode, that number seems incredibly small.

However, if A.K. Yearling needs a career change, perhaps Rainbow Dash should suggest she try out for the Wonderbolts? I'm sure Dash would absolutely love that. XD

[Music Chart Fan 818]

1 hour ago, Truffles said:

I wonder if Ahuizotl managed to do what Caballeron couldn't - here and also in "Daring Done?" Namely, put an end to the Daring Do series of books. While Daring Do herself may still be able to do research of ancient treasures and keep thieves from taking them, A.K. Yearling's Daring Do stories are likely kaput. We already saw how much damage Caballeron's alternate POV series had hurt A.K. Yearling's sales, and now with Ahuizotl also writing books from his own perspective casting both Yearling and Caballeron in a bad light, then who is left save for the most die-hard DD fans like Rainbow Dash to keep the series alive? From everything we saw in this episode, that number seems incredibly small.

However, if A.K. Yearling needs a career change, perhaps Rainbow Dash should suggest she try out for the Wonderbolts? I'm sure Dash would absolutely love that. XD

Yeah, you raise an interesting point. Even if Caballeron were to go on to do other villainous things, and Daring Do went on adventures to stop him, Daring Do might still want to find some other way to make a living if the audience for her books has been greatly diminished by Ahuizotl and Caballeron. Back in "Stranger Than Fan Fiction", Daring Do does say that she's "gotta get [the Seven-Sided Chest of Chicomoztoc] to a museum", so I could imagine a couple of scenarios from that. Daring Do could get into legitimate archaeology and documentation of ancient temples and artifacts and such. That probably wouldn't be as thrilling, but if she were to write articles or books or curate artifacts and photos for a museum, at least some people might enjoy that. Also, if Daring Do does have a lot of artifacts in her house or wherever, Azuihotl (funnily enough) never asked or demanded that any previously taken artifacts be returned, so perhaps Daring Do could make some money selling the artifacts she has to museums or the like, where they would be studied and appreciated (and kept safe).

Your suggestion about Daring Do's trying out for the Wonderbolts makes me think of how Daring Do's later books were described by Quibble in "Stranger Than Fan Fiction" as becoming "just a series of impossible action sequences". Did Daring Do actually engage in more action sequences in her later adventures? If so, that could be taken as an indication that Daring Do has maintained or gained in athletic ability over the course of her adventures, and therefore, becoming a Wonderbolt could be a good path for her (and Rainbow would be ecstatic about that, I'm sure!).

[Venomous 18,813]

I didn’t really care for this one. I didn’t hate it but I also didn’t love it. I was never a fan of Daring Do so seeing her again didn’t excite me at all. I’m glad that we got a proper conclusion between her and Ahuizotl, though. I didn’t expect that!

[Shady Mist 55]

What does Ahuizotl say? "If I wanted to play games, I would get out my"? It sounds like he say's penuteget or something?

[Senko 459]

From what I heard he say's "If I wanted to play games I would get out my Pinochle Deck" referring to a trick taking card game https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinochle odd reference.

Edited October 12, 2019 by Senko

[Allen 1,371]

That's great that we have another Daring Do episode again!  The truth is that Dr. Caballeron as Groom Q. Q. Martingale is actually a fake author for Daring Do novels that is completely misleading, as been seen or heard from Rainbow Dash. I knew what this is going to happen next. Fluttershy went on with Dr. Caballeron's gang while Rainbow Dash stays behind with Daring Do - that was a split up of our mane six focus. Honestly, Rainbow Dash and Daring Do will have to keep a low-profile on them is by sneaking after them to that ancient temple until that creature Ahuizotl detects both. Right at the conclusion, Ahuizotl revealed the truth behind his villainous actions. I knew what Fluttershy is curious about that kind of truth. Therefore, I will say this is a great episode too for a successful adventure!  ~Allen

Edited October 12, 2019 by Allen
Honestly

[qwerE 95]

This episode was great. It offered a new insight into some of the less recognized villains in mlp, which I always appreciate. I had forgotten about their existence until now, to be honest.

I'm really satisfied with how good the episodes of FiM have been lately. Every episode feels so much more precious when you realize that for some characters, it might be the last time you ever get to see them.

[JCKane 345]

It was ok and a good little wrap up for the Daring Do arch.  Admittedly, I almost feel the ending on a joke felt a little... eh.  And I was expecting there to be a bit more emphasis on Cavaleon... (however you spell it :/ ) 's scheme to use fluttershy (with 2 ts ) but yeah it wasn't bad.

[Buttonmash1973 1,024]

On 9/27/2019 at 10:23 PM, Sh Pie said:

This was an entertaining Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Daring Do focus episode.

I agree.

[cuteycindyhoney 13,282]

On 9/25/2019 at 3:15 PM, Dark Qiviut said:

Rainbow Dash: *under talisman's trance* I'm gonna need the deluxe spa package after this adventure. *normal* That doesn't leave this temple! *throws to FS*

That was my favorite line in the whole episode. I really enjoyed reading your breakdown of the episode. Very insightful.

[HedonismBot 217]

On 9/25/2019 at 3:15 PM, Dark Qiviut said:

Fluttershy's naivety in this scene, however, is problematic in two areas:

1. Throughout almost all of Daring Doubt, Dr. Caballeron was very competent. However, his use of false despair to convince Fluttershy to fly up and steal Tonatiuh's talisman wasn't convincing whatsoever and lazy. By falling for his bad acting, she crosses from being just gullible into becoming dumb.
2. Fluttershy reveals to having no idea that Caballeron planned to trick her the whole time. If Fluttershy knew beforehand he was scheming yet went along, it subverts the idea that she was too gullible, instead showing she knew what she was doing. OTOH, it also makes her really reckless, implicating she knows Caballeron poorly acted, yet helped him steal the talisman and put her own life at risk. Right after he reveals to lie to her, he soon reveals that he valued her kindness and friendship, a smaller subversion in and of itself and downplays unneeded drama, but it also lessens the weight of his small change of heart.

How about the fact that she witnessed Caballeron's thugs assaulting Daring Do back in "Daring Don't"? She had absolutely no excuse to believe his sob story for even a second.

 

Quote

Caballeron revealing his lie through the Truth Talisman could've gone either way with varying implications. The canonical path, as stated before, shows her unconditional kindness, especially after her ignorance towards Angel's needs fueled the conflict, but it made her look way too naïve and made his eventual understanding of FS's kindness at the end feel too lucky. OTOH, had Fluttershy showed controlled kindness, then you risk repeating the unfortunate implications of controlling Discord's channels of communication in the form of "kindness" from Keep Calm. Personally, I prefer the innocent path here, but it could've showed a more nuanced degree of taking elements from both.

On the plus side, it did provide a hard-truth look at the "get both sides of the story" moral they were going for. Before, they had shown examples of conflicts being resolved as a result of listening to the opposing side. Yet when Caballeron reveals that he actually was in it for the money all along, it shows that results aren't guaranteed - that some people actually are just as bad as they appear, and their side of the story won't be of any help (though you won't know until you take the time to listen).

 

On 9/25/2019 at 3:15 PM, Dark Qiviut said:

For those who watched the series throughout, this explains quite a bit why he and his crew of Aztec ponies searched for those rings, began the ceremony inside the dark tower, and came so close to beginning that heatwave within the basin. If he completed his plan, then neither Daring nor Caballeron would rob the temples again without potentially deadly consequences.

This is actually my big problem with the whole "Ahuizotl was a guardian all along" thing. Any heatwave severe enough to be a major threat to would-be tomb raiders would have done irreparable damage to the local ecosystem (imagine how Fluttershy would feel about that) - not exactly responsible guardian behavior.

[Props Valroa 25,971]

I really liked this episode. It was way better designed than the others were. I really like how Ahuizotl was reformed although him and Caballeron had intended on causing certain deaths. Caballeron was the worse of the two in terms of villainy but I am glad they came to an understanding, and friendship at the end. The ending was pretty nice, with Ahuizotl becoming an author himself and Caballeron and Daring Do writing a book together.

In this episode Fluttershy's kindness shined amazingly well. It was an amazing episode. I like the way it had concluded. Hopefully Caballeron really learned from his lessons since, he could have seriously hurt or injured others. It seems like they have and it was a nice happy ending. I love it.

Caballeron writing his own stories at the start was interesting, and he had some truths to tell, even if the motives he had were ironically at first not as true.

[Moony the Cat 3,695]

Since i didnt care for both of the Villains and rather wished they would reform Queen Chrysalis instead, i wasnt really interested in the Episode. It was meh.

 

[GloryForShame 26]

While it's interesting that Ahuizotl became a good guy after 9 seasons, he was still lying saying he is a guardian lol, he still wanted in the past to have power and even destroy the jungle.