Whose Side Did You End Up Taking? *Bats episode spoiler*

[Nerdy Luigi 2,064]

I was on Fluttershy's side the whole time. I mean really, Applejack just overexaggerates how bad it is. Fluttershy had a humane, working solution, while Applejack's was a bit excessive on the contempt of the bats.

[ReverseFaller 2,483]

I was on Applejack's side. Fluttershy seems to be caring more, and more for animals, and less for her friends as the show progresses. Remember in Dragonshy, when she protected her friends? Why didn't she do anything or feel anything in Power Ponies when they were in trouble? At least she's there for the animals.

 

Anyways, Applejack made a very good point. What's she supposed to do, just let the bats eat the all the apples? That was sort of unreasonable of Fluttershy to say. The sanctuary idea was good though. In the end I'm still on AJ's side. I'd want to protect my apples from invasive bats as well.

[duidamasterXD 9,626]

Applejack, quite handily. I don't view her as having any obligation to care for pest animals that are capable of threatening her livelihood. If I were an apple farmer, I honestly don't think I'd even consider keeping them around any longer than I had to, and I don't think just about anyone else would either.

 

They seem to have just arrived, so it's not like this is their home. They're fully capable of finding somewhere to snack that doesn't mess with the Apple family's livelihood. They also seem to go through apples at a ridiculous rate, and however many seeds they spread, I don't think that they'd benefit the farm long term and especially not in the short term. I also don't understand what's stopping them from leaving their sanctuary to go chow down on the rest of the orchard, or why they wouldn't. It makes very little sense to me to keep them around, and while AJ and everyone but Fluttershy handled the situation extremely poorly, I don't think they were wrong in their goals. Just their methods.

Edited December 29, 2013 by DashForever

[Nature's Spell 526]

I'm not sure it is a matter of right and wrong, since AJ'a methods (Twilight's method) ended up backfiring and causing unintended consequences. That often happens when we screw with nature. In the end peaceful coexistence was the better solution.

[XRainbowDash 17]

I was more going with Apple Jack.

[Keypassion 232]

I sided with Fluttershy, or I should say Futtershy since that's what the option in the poll is , because while AJ did make good points about her crops, and thus her livelihood being in danger, she let it cloud her judgement.

[Mand'alor Dash 2,224]

Applejack, of course. Like the pony said, one failed crop means nopony has apples until next year. Even if the trees come back stronger next growing season, many ponies would have already starved to death by then. And on top of that, there's no telling whether or not the bats would just eat the new orchard as well.

[Fluttershyfan94 5,738]

Not really sure I did take Fluttershy's side mainly because of the points she made but I felt like Applejack was right in this case. I guess it depends on whether you want long term solution or short so in the end I sided with Fluttershy.

[Flight 11 89]

Applejack. She made a good point and my bias.

 

Also, many people said that Applejack brainwashed them. Really, Twilight did. She came up with the idea as well as doing it. But I can see why AJ gets the blame.

[Strong Copper 126]

Personally I'm on neither side since I believe both Applejack and Fluttershy had good points.

 

I would have recommended something of a compromise between the two: By all means build the sanctuary for them, but while some ponies were working on that have the rest aid in culling the bat population to more controllable levels. Not only would this help limit the damage to the current crop by the bats, but it would also ensure that the sanctuary wasn't overwhelmed by their numbers in a hurry.

[Sir Wulfington 276]

I was on Applejack's team initially until she went with brainwashing. Brainwashing is very unethical no matter the reason you're doing it for. .

 

That's not true at all, it's only immoral if done for immoral purposes. Actions have no inherent morality, its the effects of those actions that determine whether they're right or wrong. I don't understand why some people are upset with them using brainwashing, they were just trying to get them to stop eating the apples (without even harming them), unless you think that they would've starved to death because they no longer wanted to eat apples, but surely there are other fruits around that they could eat. Well, at least the animals gave no indication of starving without apples, and Fluttershy didn't even use that as a reason she was upset about using the spell on them.

Edited December 29, 2013 by Sir Wulfington

[Fluttershypie124 23]

I found myself not being able to pick a side because both ponies have valid points. Applejack could have just divided a tiny bit of her apple farm and Fluttershy should have just gone with the plan, Twilight then put a spell on them, making fluttershy mad. Not saying it's Twilight's fault though. They probably could have just compromised.  

[Geek0zoid 1,467]

I didn't end up picking a side. I'm not one for taking sides anyways. But, looking at it from a more logical perspective, I'd have to go with AJ. The fruit bats really wanted nothing more than the apples in the orchard. If they weren't taken care of in a timely matter, the orchard would die out. The apples are pretty much AJ's pride and joy. She couldn't just let the bats carry on.

 

Although, I could also  where Shy was coming from, too. If there was a certain section of the orchard cut off exclusively for the bats, it COULD work. The bats would have their own apples so the fruit bats can provide for their families. But, if said families were to run out of apples in their part, what're they going to do? They'll return to the orchard and begin hoarding apples again. Apples don't go overnight, y'know. 

 

Applejack's argument seems more reasonable, but I'm still neutral. Only for the sake of the fact that I don't like taking sides in any argument, whether it's in a cartoon or not.

Edited December 29, 2013 by StevenEarthPony

[Miz-Jynx 14]

I sided with AppleJack immediately, but eventually came around to Fluttershy's side after being convinced as the episode progressed.  I get ponies are incredibly in tune with nature, but altering it THAT much?  And Twilight not being the voice of reason and instead happily agreeing to messing with an animals nature to benefit themselves?  I kept wondering what the bat's were supposed eat now that their main diet was magically ripped from them.  Twilight disappointed me in this episode.  I expected better from her.

[Inactive01 5,298]

I like how everyone tends to take Fluttershy side just because it's Fluttershy. It's kind of funny but I understand completely.

I find it even funnier that you didn't read everyone's posts about taking Fluttershy's side. There was logical basis for her viewpoint.

[Winona the Dog 1,981]

I find it even funnier that you didn't read everyone's posts about taking Fluttershy's side. There was logical basis for her viewpoint.

I did read thier posts.

 

I think I saw a bit of a trend where some people posted they went with Fluttershy because they were biased towards her.

 

I didn't mean that by its thier sole reason.

[Inactive01 5,298]

I did read thier posts.

 

I think I saw a bit of a trend where some people posted they went with Fluttershy because they were biased towards her.

 

I didn't mean that by its thier sole reason.

Cool beans. I think you shoulda clarified that a bit better then .

 

My biggest reason, like I said, was the need to unify all nature and consider it when making a decision. It was influenced by my crush, but I would have agreed with Fluttershy regardless.

[FaZe Vinyl 521]

I sided with Fluttershy, and not because she is my best pony, but because she was trying to find a solution that benefited both parties, not just one.

 

Not necessarily. If the bats destroy the crops, then no apples for anyone, and you have starvation. So you go from Flutters considering the bats, to Applejack defending herself and (quite indirectly) all the residents of Ponyville. Though, I do believe she was exagerating, as they could probably get aid from Appleosa and other towns.

I find it even funnier that you didn't read everyone's posts about taking Fluttershy's side. There was logical basis for her viewpoint.

I think he means that a lot of people thought that both had good ideas/opinions, but some have said they sided with Fluttershy simply because of bias.

 

 

 

 

 

Before I share my thoughts, I would like to say that Applejack and Fluttershy are about the same in my book, though I think I like Flutters slightly more.

 

 

That being said, I'll take Applejack's side any day of the week. You can't control the bats, so what happens if they decide not to go to the sanctuary, or take both? A lot of people are forgetting that the Apple family runs a business in Sweet Apple Acres, so they also need to consider profit in the whole thing, so naturally you would want to minimalize the amount of overhead you have to spend to take care of the bats. It's easy to suggest the more costly option when you aren't the one paying for it.

[duidamasterXD 9,626]

 

 

They're creatures that need caring too. They're a part of this world and the ponies have to understand that.

 

This isn't their natural habitat though, and they haven't been there nearly long enough to call it home. I don't see the problem with making them settle somewhere else, especially if they're potentially endangering a family's livelihood. I also don't see why Applejack has to go out of her way to accommodate pest animals.

[Metemponychosis 1,236]

Actually, I thought that they were destructive pests for AJ's livelihood who also were innocent creatures merely being part of nature's cycle, which is actually the case. I sided with Fluttershy though. AJ was being so obnoxious next to Fluttershy that actually seemed to understand the niche occupied by the bats that it made me wonder if most ponies even know what they are doing during Winter Wrap Up.

[Inactive01 5,298]

This isn't their natural habitat though, and they haven't been there nearly long enough to call it home. I don't see the problem with making them settle somewhere else, especially if they're potentially endangering a family's livelihood. I also don't see why Applejack has to go out of her way to accommodate pest animals.

Just because it's not their natural habitat doesn't mean they can't migrate to a new area like Sweet Apple Acres. Maybe it was the closest area they could go without using too many energy reserves within themselves to live. I don't know if there was an area closer than Sweet Apple Acres because the show never provided that possibility, but under the assumption I placed, it's the best way for the bats to live.

 

And who said the vampire fruit bats were pests? Pests don't benefit pony society, like parasprites. You've already assumed that Applejack's position is true. The vampire fruit bats spewed out the seeds which made growing apple trees easier. Applejack didn't have to do all the seed planting on her own. The fruit bats did it for them. Sure the current crop was destroyed, but like I said, Fluttershy already suggested a separate area exclusively for the bats so that problem would be rectified.

Edited December 30, 2013 by Sterling Crimson

[Metemponychosis 1,236]

I think that it will benefit this discussion if we remember that Fluttershy needed time to talk to the bats. Time so that she would understand their language and tell them to leave AJ's prized (or soon to be prized apple) alone.

 

This is what the sanctuary was for. Also, if Fluttershy can talk to the bats, she can also tell them to only eat from the sanctuary. Problem solved. AJ benefits from the good things the bats do. And that is exactly what happened in the end.

[duidamasterXD 9,626]

 

 

Just because it's not their natural habitat doesn't mean they can't migrate to a new area like Sweet Apple Acres. Maybe it was the closest area they could go without using too many energy reserves within themselves to live. I don't know if there was an area closer than Sweet Apple Acres because the show never provided that possibility, but under the assumption I placed, it's the best way for the bats to live.

 

What's wrong with them settling somewhere else though? If the show had gone the route of finding a more suitable habitat for them rather than going the insane brainwashing route, what's the problem with that?

 

 

 

You've already assumed that Applejack's position is true. The vampire fruit bats spewed out the seeds which made growing apple trees easier. Applejack didn't have to do all the seed planting on her own. The fruit bats did it for them. Sure the current crop was destroyed, but like I said, Fluttershy already suggested a separate area exclusively for the bats so that problem would be rectified.

 

Still though, does the benefit from that outweigh the apples they eat every day? The Apple family seems to be capable of maintaining a large orchard as it is, and they have done that for decades. It just bothered me that Fluttershy was acting as if these animals she seems to have never encountered before were automatically wonderful blessings to the farm. Yes, Applejack had no more experience with them other than Granny Smith's stories, but they were completely destroying the crop that she relied on to survive, and caused massive hardships the last time they showed up.

 

I also don't understand what keeps the bats from leaving their sanctuary and snacking on the rest of the orchard.

[Fhaolan 4,468]

Unfortunately, I *am* a farmer. I do livestock (sheep, for wool production) rather than crops, but I deal with similar problems due to vermin, predators, and pests hurting the sheep. From my perspective both sides didn't do a very good job of presenting their options.

 

Applejack was used to normal fruit-bats, who voluntarily confined themselves to one section of the orchard as mentioned in the episode. She must already have known the advantages of those bats, so what Fluttershy was telling her was not news. However, these were not those bats, but were a different breed and they were behaving like locusts wiping out large swaths of orchard.

 

Fluttershy had already tried to reason with them via her animal empathy abilities, and failed. Since that attempt didn't pan out, and they were already ignoring the existing sanctuary, there was no basis for Applejack to believe Fluttershy's option would work.

 

But then, Twilight's automatic answer of 'change the appetite of the bats' spell would also not pass the sanity check since she tried that before with the parasprites, and the results were disastrous. Again, there was no basis for Applejack to believe that option would work correctly either.

[Pat.Rio.T. 304]

I took Fluttershy's side, because it's true, it was only the bats' nature, and in the long run, even though they were destroying Applejack's current crop, it would eventually grow bigger than before. And if they had kept them in a segregated portion of the orchard, they would have plenty of crop left over and the bats could just run their course. Also I am a little biased.