S04:E23 - Inspiration Manifestation

[SciTwi 61]

I really loved this epi! It's always interesting seeing a ponies darker side. This one was Raritys!

[CC_Maud_Pie 6,431]

I thought this episode was funny especially at the beginning where Rarity was crying and eating lots of ice cream and chocolates. Seriously, how can you eat lots of dopamine and still be sad? I also liked the quote "I'm so excited! I'm so excited" and when Spike ate a book.

[radPie 7]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

But seriously, how can Rarity eat that much? If I was her I would be sick.

Forget the clothes, I'm sick because I can't stop eating.

 

 

You see Rarity, this is why you're my least favorite.

[RainbowTashie 378]

Title: Inspiration Manifestation

Air Date: April 26th, 2014

Synopsis: Spike finds a spell to help Rarity recover from a creative block, which has good and bad effects.

 

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A Rarity and Spike episode? Written by Corey Powell no less? Let's hope this ends well now then.

okay 4 of the mane six have had their fair share of crazy i'm hyped for a rd/aj insanity overload!

[Justin_Case001 4,888]

This may be the strangest episode in the entire series.  Maybe tied with Power Ponies.  It wasn't bad.  No, not at all.  But very strange feeling, imo.  It was good, though.  I think the reason if feel so strange to me is the implications of this book.  Did anyone else wonder what the true extent of the book's power is?  It seemed that if left alone, Rarity may have in fact become Discord.  Anything she can think, she can do?  Isn't that Discord?  I guess the difference being that she's still moral.  I guess if you snuck up behind her and killed her, that would be the end of it.  Can't do that to Q.  But still, it just seems weird to me that a book this powerful could exist.  Why did the sisters have it?  Where did it come from?  Why didn't they keep in in a vault in Canterlot, where they could protect it?  Did they forget about it?  In fact, why didn't they destroy it long ago?  I assume it's not indestructible, like the One Ring.  I mean, apparently, Spike can just digest it, so I guess it's nothing but paper.  It's just a mere book.  It's the spell that's so powerful and dangerous.  But it's just weird, you know?

 

There's one other thing this episode introduced that kind of blew my mind--apparently Twilight can use her magic to pass solid matter through other solid matter.  OMG.  Since when does Twi have no clipping mode???!!! That kind of changes everything, if you think about it...

[Sunny Fox 5,950]

This may be the strangest episode in the entire series.  Maybe tied with Power Ponies.  It wasn't bad.  No, not at all.  But very strange feeling, imo.  It was good, though.  I think the reason if feel so strange to me is the implications of this book.  Did anyone else wonder what the true extent of the book's power is?  It seemed that if left alone, Rarity may have in fact become Discord.  Anything she can think, she can do?  Isn't that Discord?  I guess the difference being that she's still moral.  I guess if you snuck up behind her and killed her, that would be the end of it.  Can't do that to Q.  But still, it just seems weird to me that a book this powerful could exist.  Why did the sisters have it?  Where did it come from?  Why didn't they keep in in a vault in Canterlot, where they could protect it?  Did they forget about it?  In fact, why didn't they destroy it long ago?  I assume it's not indestructible, like the One Ring.  I mean, apparently, Spike can just digest it, so I guess it's nothing but paper.  It's just a mere book.  It's the spell that's so powerful and dangerous.  But it's just weird, you know?

 

There's one other thing this episode introduced that kind of blew my mind--apparently Twilight can use her magic to pass solid matter through other solid matter.  OMG.  Since when does Twi have no clipping mode???!!! That kind of changes everything, if you think about it...

Dragons are inherently magical, so Spike eating the book doesn't mean it was nothing but paper. His dragon fire simply transport scrolls rather than burning them.

 

As for phasing through solid matter, Pumpkin Pie did it easily enough as part of her "random magical bursts", so it's not entirely without prescendent. 

[Justin_Case001 4,888]

Dragons are inherently magical, so Spike eating the book doesn't mean it was nothing but paper. His dragon fire simply transport scrolls rather than burning them.

Oh damn, how did I miss that?!  Duh!  His fire could have transported the book to oblivion for all we know.  EARTH TO JUSTIN_CASE!

 

As for phasing through solid matter, Pumpkin Pie did it easily enough as part of her "random magical bursts", so it's not entirely without prescendent. 

Pumpkin Pie?  I think you mean Pumpkin Cake, right?  But yeah, that's a thing, so...

[Dulset Tarn 441]

Ugh, recycling the "tell the truth to solve the problem" thing from Cutie Pox, and in a no less contrived way...

Why would Rarity not remember what happened? She wasn't possessed or corrupted, she was just sorta unfettered. There's no reason why she wouldn't know what she did.

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,161]

wasn't possessed or corrupted, she was just sorta unfettered. 

 

Can you explain that one a bit? That makes no sense to me. That really look like dark magic which either completely possessed her, and at least took control.

[Dulset Tarn 441]

Can you explain that one a bit? That makes no sense to me. That really look like dark magic which either completely possessed her, and at least took control.

Really? I mean, just look at her actions. Everything she does is stuff she already wanted to do. All the book did was give her the power to do whatever she wanted, as well as add an unhealthy need to constantly express her creativity, hence "unfettered".

 

If the book possessed her, or corrupted her, she'd show signs of doing things for reasons she can't explain, or just behaving totally out of sync with her usual self. And while she obviously wasn't her normal self, everything she did makes sense for Rarity to do.

 

I mean, assuming the book took control of her, are you saying it just wanted to make dresses and have everything look sparkling and pretty? No, it simply "unlocked" Rarity's creativity while unshackling her from her moral quandaries.

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,161]

Really? I mean, just look at her actions. Everything she does is stuff she already wanted to do. All the book did was give her the power to do whatever she wanted, as well as add an unhealthy need to constantly express her creativity, hence "unfettered".

 

If the book possessed her, or corrupted her, she'd show signs of doing things for reasons she can't explain, or just behaving totally out of sync with her usual self. And while she obviously wasn't her normal self, everything she did makes sense for Rarity to do.

 

I mean, assuming the book took control of her, are you saying it just wanted to make dresses and have everything look sparkling and pretty? No, it simply "unlocked" Rarity's creativity while unshackling her from her moral quandaries.

 

That seems away from how the episode played out; at least in my view.

 

Whether or not Rarity was technically doing what she wanted to do is irrelevant; the fact is that it was taken to an extreme that Rarity wouldn't have attempted to reach is essentially my point.

 

Granted, yeah, Rarity can be fairly eccentric at times, but I don't think she'd normally go that far.

[Dulset Tarn 441]

That seems away from how the episode played out; at least in my view.

 

Whether or not Rarity was technically doing what she wanted to do is irrelevant; the fact is that it was taken to an extreme that Rarity wouldn't have attempted to reach is essentially my point.

 

Granted, yeah, Rarity can be fairly eccentric at times, but I don't think she'd normally go that far.

That's what I said. That's why it's distinctly not being possessed.

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,161]

That's what I said. That's why it's distinctly not being possessed.

 

I might be missing what you're getting at here.

 

So the fact that she's crossing the line to the point where she's inconveniencing ponies at will, and potentially putting all of Ponyville at risk is evidence of no possession?

[Dulset Tarn 441]

Yes, because possession is a completely different kind of thing.

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,161]

Yes, because possession is a completely different kind of thing.

 

Well, if we're sticking to the Earthly religious connotation of possession by demons of sorts then I would suppose you're right, but it seemed that whatever was in that book it had some sort of sentience.

 

Of course I could be off base, but it seemed like possession to me.

[Dulset Tarn 441]

Well, if we're sticking to the Earthly religious connotation of possession by demons of sorts then I would suppose you're right, but it seemed that whatever was in that book it had some sort of sentience.

 

Of course I could be off base, but it seemed like possession to me.

Fair enough, based on what?

That claim of sentience must have some evidence behind it, right?

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,161]

Fair enough, based on what?

That claim of sentience must have some evidence behind it, right?

 

 

This about all I can really offer, and I won't guarantee that my view is 100% infallible.

 

http://youtu.be/MehhhtF6uz4?t=1m

 

I'm look how the magic is just flying away as opposed to fully dissipating; like a form of ancient magic that hides until it finds it's next victim. As it stands, the magic could very well be dissipating off screen and the whole possession angle could be wrong. This was just how I saw everything at first.

[Dulset Tarn 441]

This about all I can really offer, and I won't guarantee that my view is 100% infallible.

 

http://youtu.be/MehhhtF6uz4?t=1m

 

I'm look how the magic is just flying away as opposed to fully dissipating; like a form of ancient magic that hides until it finds it's next victim. As it stands, the magic could very well be dissipating off screen and the whole possession angle could be wrong. This was just how I saw everything at first.

Eh, doesn't really make sense to me if it's just a spell from a spellbook rather than some kind of force sealed inside.

But here I am again expecting any of the writing in season 4 to make sense.

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,161]

Eh, doesn't really make sense to me if it's just a spell from a spellbook rather than some kind of force sealed inside.

 

Honestly; you could very well be right, and I can see where you're coming from. It could very well just be dark magic from an ancient age (it did come from the castle ruins anyway).

 

Honestly, I like the sound of that... *Goes to expand on Sombra head canon.*

 

 

 

But here I am again expecting any of the writing in season 4 to make sense.

 

To each their own.

[Sunny Fox 5,950]

 

Pumpkin Pie?  I think you mean Pumpkin Cake, right?  But yeah, that's a thing, so...

Yes, Pumpkin Cake... that's what I meant to say.

[Justin_Case001 4,888]

@ & @Dulset Tarn, the book is The Mask.

 

 

It brings your innermost desires to life in an extreme and often destructive way.  But in The Mask, the wearer obviously remembers everything, so I don't really have an answer to that one.  You each have valid points.  I'm on the fence.

[Torn 17]

this was actually the first episode i saw in the entire show  

[Obstinance 21]

This is one of my favorite episodes, mainly because it's a cautionary tale that is a twist on the classic warning that what you want isn't necessarily what's best.

[TailsIsNotAlone 3,695]

This is one of my favorite episodes, mainly because it's a cautionary tale that is a twist on the classic warning that what you want isn't necessarily what's best.

Agreed. That's more important than what kind of dark magic was contained in the book and whether Rarity was fully in control of herself. The only thing I didn't like was the absence of a conversation (or rather, confession) between Spike and Twilight about what was going on. We were just left to assume he had told her off-camera. And dragons must have really good digestion.  Although Spike telling the truth neutralized the magic, I guess his stomach also neutralized the book itself. And that's probably for the best.

 

 

Rarity achieved a balance between funny and creepy and was a treat to watch the whole time: uninhibited, unhinged, yet still as classy as ever. One can only imagine what other unicorns would have done if they got a hold of that book instead. I wonder if Twilight would have been as easily affected. 

[JonasDarkmane 19,785]

I liked the episode, it would have been a meh for me if Spike would not have told Rarity off, which I liked to see for once.