S03:E06 - Sleepless in Ponyville

[XUNUSEDXXX 3,459]

Oh man! What a great episode!

 

My alarm clock didn't beep when I set it to 6:45 so I could wake up and watch the episode, so that was thoroughly disappointing D:

 

But I got up and watched it. Me and Chaotic Discord have been discussing for months about Scootalove, even wrote a whole RP about it, and it's FINALLY canon! You don't even know how excited we are, and I'm sure you are, that this is finally the truth.

 

10/10 episode, it even included Luna in it.

 

What Discord said was right, Scoots losing her scooter is really a symbolization of things to come. It can only get better :3

[RainbowDashie 767]

Where can i find the official livestream? I really want to see this episode as i comes out... it seems my pony fandom faded away during the five months but it's back.

Edited December 8, 2012 by GameBeaver

[Yellow Diamond 7,564]

My feels, man. It hurts. It hurts so bad that it's good.

 

I'm going to put off an extended analysis, especially since ~CD~ and others seem to have this episode covered like Rainbow Dash in a napsack. I will however point out two things which struck me during the course of the episode.

 

1.) Rarity. I guess it's Rarity's turn to be the jerk now? Her treatment of Sweetie Belle was a little odd inasmuch as she basically used her as a pack animal to carry all of her things. It was a bit disturbing how readily Sweetie took to the task and how oblivious Rarity was to placing her sister under so much physical stress. Yes, I am aware it was a gag; I find that gag to be fairly funny; but Rarity's behavior did not cast her in the best light. The ordeal made her same more careless and borderline abusive than anything else. She and Rainbow Dash appear to be prime targets for stereotyping (i.e., Rainbow is an egotistical braggart; Rarity is greedy and manipulative).

 

Quick note on Sweetie's singing: it's been made evident since "Show Stoppers" that Sweetie has yet to recognize her talent in singing. She has a beautiful voice, but like the other members of CMC she tends to misplace her talents. Bearing that in mind, Sweetie Belle was mostly goofing off; I wouldn't read too deeply into it as a reflection of her true abilities.

 

Another quick note (more related to the main point): Sweetie Belle must be pure muscle. Move over, Applejack and RD, because we just found our new Iron Pony!

 

2.) Princess Luna entering dreams did not surprise me. In fact, I sort of had it as headcanon that she could potentially speak to other ponies through their dreams. But the fact that she did it was so awesome! I can't wait to see how that is further developed in more "serious" episodes. Likewise, brace yourselves for fics involving dreamwalker Luna.

 

This might have actually been one of the best CMC episodes to date---unless the prominent inclusion of Rainbow and AJ rule it out as a "pure" CMC story. But I still consider it mostly CMC centered. Technicalities aside, the writers appear to be giving the CMC more consideration than they did in the Season 2 episodes where they served mostly as filler episodes.

[Halfblood 364]

P.P.S. Just realized, I still don't know what the buck Scootaloo's family situation is?!?!?!  Oh buck it, I don't care, she's got RD as a big sister now, so it doesn't really matter!!!     Still, I would like to get some sort of explanation at some point in the show's running; I mean, it's getting to the point where "Where's Scootaloo's family?" is the "What happened to Zuko's mom?" of MLP!!! LOL!!!!   

 

To be honest, I'm almost certain that her family situation is never going to mentioned within the show, just subtly implied that Scoots doesn't have any parental figures in her life/ is an orphan (or just left to the wild, nebulus imagination of the fandom).  But, she has RD now!  

 

It's almost the same exact scenario with Applejack and Apple Bloom, whose parents' whereabouts have yet to be discussed canonically.  I recall Lauren Faust stating somewhere in some obscure interview, while on the subject of the Apple parents, that she always intended AJ and Bloom to be parent-less as the result of some vague tragedy.  Like I said, for a kid's show (face it, that's what MLP:FiM is always gonna be at face value) death and child abandonment is such a real and serious subject that it will never see itself mentioned in broad daylight.  

 

But I digress.  I guess what I am saying is that a majority of the "smaller details" concerning our beloved ponies is pretty much left up to the imagination of the fans.

[Winona the Dog 1,981]

I thought this was a excellent Scootaloo episode. I was curious as to why Luna made a random cameo when Scoots was running through the forest. I remember someone saying that Luna would have the power to go into dreams (nice call) anyway it was great seeing her help Scootaloo to overcome he fears. Add that with Scootalove and it became quite a favorite episode of mine.

 

Hell with it I declare it the best episode yet!

[XUNUSEDXXX 3,459]

Also adding on, this is a compilation of some of my favorite snaps from the episode:

 

 

 

 

Too much cuddles to even exist :3 my life is complete

[PurpleBaconEater 37]

I'm still waiting for it to show up on the Youtubes Still no season 3 broadcast in Canada! *SOBS*

 

If anyone could hook me up with a link, I'd be forever grateful!

Found it!

So where can i even watch this episode online cause i don't have the hub

Another small thing I liked was the nod to Scootaloo's Pegasus abilities when she jumped up and was able to hang onto the cloud for a moment.

try this http://mlp-fim.com/ tis works in Canada

 oh and this is good too.  its a live stream that is up late the day before the episode airs. in the time before the episode it plays rand mlp videos, a lot of fan made stuff like pmvs and epic cupcake time and such and then airs the new episode live from the hub (commercials and everything) this link pops up on the firs link i posted, a little while after the stream has started (or the episode, dunno) i saved the link so that i could watch the stream. this week they streamed some of the normal stuff and some episodes with commentary from the VAs and such   it was really cool

 

It's been said that unicorns are, on average, the weakest of the three pony races.  But Sweetie Belle and Rarity have always shown very good physical abilities.  From pulling heavy carts to combat (well, Rarity at least) to obstacle course races, these two handle themselves very well.  They may engage in vigorous physical exercise between their more girly girl activities, possess very good genes (their dad is apparently a football player) or some combination of the two. 

i actually think that their dad is just  a stereotypical father, like the kind that fixes everything with duct tape and goes fishing

Edited December 8, 2012 by PurpleBaconEater

[SongBrony 419]

Saw the episode...So...much....FANBOY! *SPOILERS*

 

 Scoots and Rainbow Dash at the end where RD took Scoots under her wing, both figuratively and literally, was amazing. I hope we see so much more of Scoots and RD together. I really loved when Rainbow Dash told Scoots that she was scared of the stories too. To me it showed that even though she is very full of herself, she is just like any other pony. It's one of the reasons I love Rainbow Dash so much. I saw Luna in the Rusty Horse shoe nightmare made me fanboy as well. I really hope Luna also gets more airtime. Now what I didn't like? How Rarity made her sister and Scoots pull her cart of Luna knows what. I know it's just her character, but I mean come on! It's your sister! Pull it yourself!

 

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to watch the episode again and Fanboy even more.  

[Lando 80]

That was a fantastic episode, handled perfectly and I loved the Luna appearance.  I imagine if someone walked in when I was watching the end, they would question why I had a gigantic grin on my face. Easily one of the best of the season, hell probably one of the best yet! 

[Yellow Diamond 7,564]

I should also like to add this: while the story for this episode was probably submitted many moons ago (Luna would know best), the litany of Brony-pleasing material cannot be ignored. Out of all the episodes in Season 3 thus far, I happen to think "Sleepless in Ponyville" did the best job of balancing the desires of Bronies without descending totally into fanon.

[Jack0vAllTrades 54]

Hey wait a minute, wasn't the Headless Horse mentioned in that ghost story Twilight told to Applejack and Rarity in Look Before You Sleep?

[Yellow Diamond 7,564]

Hey wait a minute, wasn't the Headless Horse mentioned in that ghost story Twilight told to Applejack and Rarity in Look Before You Sleep?

 

 

So were the events of "Sonic Rainboom" when Scootaloo mentioned Rainbow Dash having saved Rarity from plummeting to her doom.

 

Continuity is in full gear!

[Sorte95 46]

This episode was absolutely amazing . It was so good that it's now my favorite episode. Being a fan of Scootaloo myself, it's nice to see Scootaloo finally get some love, and when Rainbow Dash took Scootaloo under her wing as a "sister" was so lovely to watch . Also, having Luna sort of giving out lessons turned to be an brilliant idea.

Credits to the writer of the episode Corey Powell for making such a brilliant episode

[Acoustic Cloud 2,202]

Huzzah!  Finally, scootalove!!!  I've read too many sad fanfics for this day to not come, in which it has happened!

I kinda teared up a little, it's about time this happened.

 

Is it just me, or is Hasbro really watching our fandom and taking the ideas we want to happen?

[Wingnut 6,733]

i actually think that their dad is just  a stereotypical father, like the kind that fixes everything with duct tape and goes fishing

 

That's possible too...his three football cutie mark is open to more than one interpretation.  I'm just a sucker for "don't judge a book by its cover" tropes and Rarity and SB's surprising strength is a perfect example of that. 

[Squid 100]

A lot of people seem to think that Scootaloo being a good friend of Rainbow Dash and doing something special together was a referance to the fandom.

I don't think so.

 

It looks to me as though they've been setting this up to eventually happen from the start. It was inevitable.
The reason people have fanfics and fanart about Scootaloo and RD is because it was bound to happen. Anypony could see that coming.

Scootaloo getting an episode was also inevitable, she's one of the characters, they'd get around to it sometime regardless of the fandom.

[Key Gear 6,662]

I was kinda up for most of the night and am missing sleep due to a hectic last week with lots of less than pleasant hours spent at work... Sooo. Gonna keep this short. 

 

To say that this episode made me happy would not really do it justice. Before this episode, I was so nervous. I had so many expectations, and I was greatly worried that some or all of them would not be met.

 

Look, I wanted to see my favorite character get an episode, but not only that. I wanted to see her get a good episode. An episode where she acquires the best big sister that she could have. An episode where she was challenged but rose to the challenge. An episode where she advances far beyond the RD-lite that so many believe her to be. I could have written a book about what I was looking for. 

 

Hasbro delivered and delivered big. I am. So. Happy right now. I can't give this episode a score. That would be doing a disservice to it. It is simply. The best.

 

So... About the episode. The normally great production values of the show were, as always, up to par. We were treated with another 3d pan. The background music was fantastic, not overpowering but added to the mood immeasurably  The VAs were, as usual, ridiculously good. My hat goes off especially for Madeleine Peters, the voice of Scootaloo. This was her first time with a dominant role in an episode, and she carried the character believably.

 

I cracked up when Dash interrupted Scoot's story and then basically dissed the old G3 show. It is nice to know that the MLP: FiM team has both a sense of humor and a historical perspective. Speaking of this... The dialogue in this episode is simply wonderful. The sister dynamic was done fabulously. 

 

Now, to talk about my expectations. I got everything that I wanted. I wanted to see RD scare Scoots, for Scoots to react, for Scoots to keep reacting, for RD to make a save, and finally, for there to be a hug. I got my wish, with the added bonus of Luna as the master of dreams (mega screen time by Luna standards, I want another Luna episode though). Perhaps this dreamwalking is an explanation for her being missing so often? (Jonke aka Dreamwalker will be pleased greatly.)

 

Now... Back to Scoots... Give me Scootalove. I hate the other stuff that some elements of the fandom find amusing.  (Scootabuse, really? No. Simply, no. There is no force in existence that can make me think that Scootaloo should be subjected to the crap that I've seen out there. Sorry. No. Period.)

 

Now... I am so stoked... This episode... Finally provided the renewal of the portrayal of the RD that I, basically, fell in love with when watching Sonic Rainboom (don't take this out of context). Rainbow Dash may be rough around the edges, but she is soft and huggable on the inside. I look forward to seeing more of this portrayal of Dash - her awesome heart for her friends, her willingness to fight things through for both herself and others, her LOYALTY to her friends, and her guarded sentimentality. Let's go go go Wonderbolts episode!

 

This episode is my new favorite. Yes, people. RD is more than just some mindless, egotistical bully. That argument for disliking the character is completely kneecapped. RD is Scoots big sister, and a GREAT pony - in every way. RD haters. Time to admit you were wrong. I'm right here and waiting, ready to accept your acknowledgements of RD as best pony.

[NavelColt 22,876]

 

I was kinda up for most of the night and am missing sleep due to a hectic last week with lots of less than pleasant hours spent at work... Sooo. Gonna keep this short. 

 

To say that this episode made me happy would not really do it justice. Before this episode, I was so nervous. I had so many expectations, and I was greatly worried that some or all of them would not be met.

 

Look, I wanted to see my favorite character get an episode, but not only that. I wanted to see her get a good episode. An episode where she acquires the best big sister that she could have. An episode where she was challenged but rose to the challenge. An episode where she advances far beyond the RD-lite that so many believe her to be. I could have written a book about what I was looking for. 

 

Hasbro delivered and delivered big. I am. So. Happy right now. I can't give this episode a score. That would be doing a disservice to it. It is simply. The best.

 

So... About the episode. The normally great production values of the show were, as always, up to par. We were treated with another 3d pan. The background music was fantastic, not overpowering but added to the mood immeasurably  The VAs were, as usual, ridiculously good. My hat goes off especially for Madeleine Peters, the voice of Scootaloo. This was her first time with a dominant role in an episode, and she carried the character believably.

 

I cracked up when Dash interrupted Scoot's story and then basically dissed the old G3 show. It is nice to know that the MLP: FiM team has both a sense of humor and a historical perspective. Speaking of this... The dialogue in this episode is simply wonderful. The sister dynamic was done fabulously. 

 

Now, to talk about my expectations. I got everything that I wanted. I wanted to see RD scare Scoots, for Scoots to react, for Scoots to keep reacting, for RD to make a save, and finally, for there to be a hug. I got my wish, with the added bonus of Luna as the master of dreams (mega screen time by Luna standards, I want another Luna episode though). Perhaps this dreamwalking is an explanation for her being missing so often? (Jonke aka Dreamwalker will be pleased greatly.)

 

Now... Back to Scoots... Give me Scootalove. I hate the other stuff that some elements of the fandom find amusing.  (Scootabuse, really? No. Simply, no. There is no force in existence that can make me think that Scootaloo should be subjected to the crap that I've seen out there. Sorry. No. Period.)

 

Now... I am so stoked... This episode... Finally provided the renewal of the portrayal of the RD that I, basically, fell in love with when watching Sonic Rainboom (don't take this out of context). Rainbow Dash may be rough around the edges, but she is soft and huggable on the inside. I look forward to seeing more of this portrayal of Dash - her awesome heart for her friends, her willingness to fight things through for both herself and others, her LOYALTY to her friends, and her guarded sentimentality. Let's go go go Wonderbolts episode!

 

This episode is my new favorite. Yes, people. RD is more than just some mindless, egotistical bully. That argument for disliking the character is completely kneecapped. RD is Scoots big sister, and a GREAT pony - in every way. RD haters. Time to admit you were wrong. I'm right here and waiting, ready to accept your acknowledgements of RD as best pony.

 

 

I'm glad you brought up RD and her reputation, because that's something else I want to talk about. You're absolutely right when you say her reputation has garnished a lot of hate since the start of season two, because of all the times her roughness has been portrayed, without her inner soft side that was shown a few times in season one. This episode really does a great job of giving you a taste of both, and of Dash's personality when you get down to it. For example, is Dash very observant? No, she was clueless and oblivious when Scoots was whimpering in the morning because that's just how she is. Some people just suck at reading emotions and noticing things with people like that. But when she was actually finally aware of what was going on when Scoots talked to her, she was more than willing to comfort her and oblige by Scoots want for her as a sister figure and mentor. Pegacuddles ensued.

 

As a side point, unrelated to your post, people are often unaware they snore unless told, so Dash telling Scootaloo she 'better not snore' was for ironic purposes only when she herself ended up snoring. She probably doesn't know.

Edited December 8, 2012 by ~Chaotic Discord~

[Emerald Glow 40]

Just when you think they'd run out of shout outs to the fans, they find ways to incorporate a dozen more.    And the best part is, they do it without looking like they're trying to pander to the bronies! 

I have more to say as soon as I finish reading the thread (and may do a longer writeup on ye olde blog), but THIS. The Brony fan service has been done so well this season I hate to call it fan service. Almost Warner Brothers-esque in the way they can write a story for multiple generations of fans--a CMC story no less! This season started a tad slow IMHO but has been improving very week.

[Akemi Homura 7,680]

Scootaloo: "But we haven't even sung any campfire songs yet!"

 

So let's gather 'round the campfire, and sing our campfire song!

Our C-A-M-P-F-I-R-E S-O-N-G song!

And if you don't think that we can sing it faster than you're wrong!

But it'll help if, you just sing, along!

BUM BUM BUM!

[Music Chart Fan 818]

I find it kind of funny that many people here are saying that they loved the episode mostly based on the 2-3 minutes of Luna/Scootaloo interaction and Rainbow Dash/Scootaloo interaction near the end of the episode. I thought the rest of the episode before that was really no better or worse than the standard episode.

 

Some thoughts/observations of mine:

 

Rarity forcing Sweetie Belle to do all of her work was a little annoying to watch. There have been plenty of times where my older brother asked me to do things and I did them, but in my case, it was more of a trade-off; the things I was asked to do would benefit both of us, or my older brother would implicitly or explicitly do things for me in exchange for my doing things for him. That kind of dynamic did not seem to be present in the episode; it seemed very one-sided, although we don't know whether Rarity did anything for Sweetie Belle off-screen.

 

Some of the things Scootaloo said/did to impress Rainbow Dash were a little ridiculous, but I understand what the creators were getting at. I know I have done my fair share of cringe-worthy attempts to impress my older brother, other siblings, and people at school.

 

Why does Rarity still wear what I presume are sunglasses even while lounging by the campfire at night?

 

I like how the "campfires" they had consisted of 3-4 sticks which would only produce a very small flame and burn out in a matter of seconds. Also, Applejack is not using the bow drill correctly; the idea is to create a single ember from a fireboard (i.e. not the kindling or fuel itself) which is placed in highly flammable tinder and carefully built up into a flame. I guess she couldn't just use matches or a lighter.

 

Would Scootaloo really be able to ride and power her scooter while asleep? I guess ponies could theoretically sleep while standing (humans obviously can't), but I thought that they had to be in a specific position so as to be able not to use any muscle power while doing so. And obviously if Scootaloo is asleep, why does she continue to flap her wings and power the scooter?

 

If Scootaloo needed an excuse for why she didn't want to go to sleep, she could have said that she couldn't sleep very well in her sleeping bag laying on the ground. One of the least pleasant parts of camping for me is trying to sleep; I almost always wake up in some uncomfortable position 5 or 6 times during the night, which never happens when I'm sleeping in bed.

 

If Scootaloo thought the Headless Horse was in the cave and that it was dangerous, it was really nice of her to run away and leave her friends behind to deal with whatever the Headless Horse would do to them.

 

Scootaloo loses her scooter twice, first when she drives while sleeping, and then at the end.

 

Yep, I noticed that too, although I suppose the first time she lost it, she could have gone back to get it.

 

And how did Rainbow know to rescue Scootaloo from falling, if she had earplugs in, and Scootaloo was pretty far away and down a cliff where the sound couldn't travel as well? Must be her superhero instincts kicking in.

 

Good catch! Very true, especially given how the noise of the rushing water around and over the waterfall might have drowned out Scootaloo's screaming. Rainbow Dash doesn't even have the deus ex machina "Pinkie sense" as a fallback explanation, either!

 

Finally, I was a little put off by the large expansion of Luna's power in this episode. I do understand that it is nice to see Luna getting more screen time, taking a larger role in-world, having unique powers to differentiate her from Celestia, and making her more likable. However, Luna's ability to enter into ponies' dreams seems a bit beyond anything which ponies were able to do in-world previously, contributes to the overtones that Celestia and Luna are the Equestria equivalent of God, and raises MANY questions.

 

How does Luna riffle through everyone's dreams to find and put a stop to bad ones, considering the sheer number of ponies there would be in the whole world? Assuming Equestria has a day/night cycle like Earth where daytime in one part of the world is nighttime in another part, wouldn't Luna be on duty stopping bad dreams constantly? Also, take note that Luna says that it is her DUTY to come into ponies' dreams. Did the ponies of Equestria give her this duty and willingly surrender the privacy of their dreams to do so? Why can't the ponies of Equestria handle their nightmares themselves? Her statement about this being her duty could also be interpreted as Luna saying that she is doing this because it is her job, not because she cares particularly deeply about Scootaloo's well-being (at least not more than she does about anyone else).

[Sepraxian 36]

I loved how they used Luna in this episode. At first, I thought that Luna in Scootaloo's dream is, well, a part of the dream, that there's no proof that Luna is actually capable of visiting dreams. But then, we see Luna's presence in reality, which proves the point. I like it when the show proves something it states. I mean, we still don't know if Celestia actually controls the sun.

 

This episode is weird. It's one of those episodes I like to call "relaxation episodes", where nothing of interest happens, but you still like what you watch.

 

The best part of the episode is that one little bit where Sweetie Belle looks at "sweating" Rarity with unusual happiness (after the first night). It's so powerful, I feel inspired to help people every time I see that face full of cheer.

[Emerald Glow 40]

Luna watching dreams...just seems creepy.  This is like Inception, except she doesn't need to even be near you to enter your dream.

 

So THAT'S why there's no crime or dissent against the government in Equestria.  The Princesses can enter the minds of all their subjects.

Well that's...DARK...

 

You've a point though. At least it appears to be a benevolent dictatorship? More Brave New World than 1984 at least.

[Radiance64 7,051]

Man, this episode... it was okay. I remember fearing that last week's episode, Magic Duel, was going to be laden with fan service... thank goodness it really wasn't. But this episode... it was all over the place. First off, I'm not really a Scootalove shipper, but I'm not against it. I think this episode might've had too much though, it was just too obvious for me. It wasn't a huge problem though, no, there were other problems- Rarity, while I love her with all my heart, was a total jerk here. I would have prefered some funny sequence where she overdramatacizes being against going, and while I suppose we got that, she decided to go anyway and take a bunch of crap and have Sweetie Belle drag it all for her... to me it was not funny at all, and strangely out of character. And we got teased about Scootaloo flying again! Instead of her flying herself, Dash was just holding her, never have I had such a short moment between squealing in delight and saying 'oh come on!' And then between the lame scary stories(one we've heard before!), Scootaloo's overreaction to them, and the bait and switch for another good Sweetie Belle song and instead whatever the heck she sang, I couldn't find a whole lot to love in this episode. But if there was one thing done right, it was Luna- this certainly explains why we don't usually see her! She's not gaming, she's entering and helping people with their nightmares! Although I can't help but think her appearance might have also been fueled by fan service, it was at least handeled well, and canonizes a rather beautiful thing to me, it's basically a new magical ability! They could potentially have dream-entering episodes now! So awesome. So yeah, all in all, while I did have problems with the episode, it wasn't all bad, and decently enjoyable. It was alright.

[NavelColt 22,876]

Good catch! Very true, especially given how the noise of the rushing water around and over the waterfall might have drowned out Scootaloo's screaming. Rainbow Dash doesn't even have the deus ex machina "Pinkie sense" as a fallback explanation, either!

Luna, who's clearly been stalking Scootaloo all night, invaded Rainbow Dash's dreams and somehow informed her of the incoming danger, and she either woke Dash up, or Dash then woke up herself. That's the theory I've seen going around.

Edited December 8, 2012 by ~Chaotic Discord~