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[SigmasonicX]

THE 2017 PONYGAF MY LITTLE PONY: FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC VIEWING GUIDE

INTRODUCTION
Visual guide assembled by PaulloDEC, written by SigmasonicX, episodes chosen by NeoGAF's MLP community thread, screenshots taken from the MLP Wiki

So with the new movie, you're interested in My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, but are intimidated by the 156 episodes on Netflix alone? Then NeoGAF's episode guide is for you! Episodes with titles like this are RECOMMENDED to watch, and episodes with titles like this have IMPORTANT character introductions or story developments—skip them at your own risk. Some non-recommended episodes also have recommended notes, which indicate songs you should check out even if you don't watch the episodes (easily found on YouTube), and more.

That said, we definitely recommend watching more episodes than those. Every episode lists the major characters involved, and as an update from the previous version of this guide, every episode now has notes showing what people liked and disliked about it, favoring the former. You can use those to see if you'd be interested. It's important to keep in mind that some positive notes are stronger than others, an episode with no negative notes is not necessarily better than one that does, and an episode could have a major flaw but still be great. Plus, even episodes generally considered weak have a lot of things to enjoy.

As for where to start, the best place is the beginning. If you're wondering when the main character gains her wings, as seen in the movie, that happens in the season 3 finale, but that's not a good place to start. If you really insist on starting later, the season 5 premiere is also a pretty decent starting point. Alternatively, this is still a mostly episodic children's show, albeit with increasing continuity as it goes on, so you could just start watching from the latest episode or whatever you catch on TV. Above all else, this guide is designed to let you enjoy the show as you wish!

2016 version of the guide (images only)

Introduction
Season 1
Season 2
What is Equestria Girls?
Season 3
Season 4
Season 5
Season 6
Season 7
Online Shorts

 

[SigmasonicX]

THE 2017 PONYGAF MY LITTLE PONY: FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC VIEWING GUIDE

Image version
SEASON ONE (2010-11)
Bold and underlined episodes are IMPORTANT. Bold episodes and text are RECOMMENDED. [SONG] means the episode has a notable song.

Where it all begins! There is a bit of "early installment weirdness", particularly with the show crew being unsure how intense the action and how complex the dialogue can be, but everything falls into place pretty quickly. Though things may change as the show goes on, it never strays too far from the base established here.

01-02. Friendship is Magic [SONG]

Twilight Sparkle learns of the return of the evil Nightmare Moon, but her mentor, Princess Celestia, tells her to make friends in Ponyville instead of worrying. Though considered one of the weaker two-parters, it's a charming introduction to the world and the characters.

03. The Ticket Master (Twilight Sparkle, Mane Six, Spike)

Twilight receives two tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala, one of the biggest events of the year, and her friends quickly start fighting over who will go with her. This establishes character relationships and the general format for all future "normal" episodes.
+ Funny, and has a Benny Hill chase scene.

04. Applebuck Season (Applejack, Mane Six)
* First episode to focus on someone other than Twilight.
+ Sleep-deprived Applejack being silly is quite funny.

05. Griffon the Brush (Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash)

Rainbow Dash's visiting friend, Gilda the griffon, starts bullying Pinkie Pie and others behind Rainbow's back.
* Gilda's unique nature made her popular, but not necessarily liked, in the early fandom.
+ Fun Pinkie / Rainbow scenes.

06. Boast Busters (Twilight Sparkle, Trixie, Spike)

The Great and Powerful Trixie comes to town boasting of her magic, and everyone's negative response to her makes Twilight unwilling to demonstrate her own skills.
+ Trixie is fun, and was popular enough to eventually become a recurring character. Eventually.
+ First big "Twilight is awesome" scene.
– Mane Six reactions to Trixie are arguably unjustified.

07. Dragonshy (Fluttershy, Mane Six)

The heroes travel to confront a troublesome dragon, bringing along Fluttershy due to her experience with animals. However, her fear only causes problems along the way.
* First adventure story after the pilot.
+ Panicky Fluttershy is adorable, and we see what happens when she gets serious.

08. Look Before You Sleep (Applejack, Rarity, Twilight Sparkle)
+ Strongly establishes Applejack and Rarity's comedic interactions.
+ Socially awkward Twilight is adorable.

09. Bridle Gossip

Twilight criticizes the town's irrational fear of a zebra that lives in the Everfree Forest, until she and her friends all wake up with what appear to be curses. Introduces Zecora, and includes the most popular comedy scene of the early fandom.

10. Swarm of the Century (Mane Six)
* Features MLP versions of the tribbles from Star Trek, called parasprites. They sometimes pop up later.
+ Great comedy, including a Blazing Saddles reference.

11. Winter Wrap Up [SONG] (Twilight Sparkle, Mane Six, Spike)
* Reveals that ponies manually change the season.
+ Has the biggest song of the early fandom, "Winter Wrap Up", which is the first group song, and is highly recommended to watch on its own. All songs are easily found on YouTube.
+ Excitable Twilight is adorable.

12. Call of the Cutie

Applejack's sister, Apple Bloom, realizes that she is one of the few ponies in her class without a cutie mark (a symbol on her flank) and desperately tries to get one. In the end, she joins two other fillies–Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo–to form the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Unpopular at first, they grew on fans by the end of the season.

13. Fall Weather Friends (Applejack, Rainbow Dash)
* Yes, this is a fall episode right after a winter one.
+ Establishes Applejack and Rainbow Dash's rivalry in a fun way.
+ Pinkie plays a small but hilarious role.

14. Suited for Success [SONG] (Rarity, Mane Six)

Rarity offers to make Grand Galloping Gala dresses for her friends, but they quickly start making unreasonable demands.
+ First Rarity solo song, and it's great.
+ Before, Rarity had few fans, but this episode offers huge insight into her character, which made her more popular.

15. Feeling Pinkie Keen (Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Spike)
* Introduces Pinkie's ability to predict the near future, Pinkie Sense.
+ Lots of great slapstick humor.
– Muddled message that many thought was anti-science and pro-religion, though the show crew has clarified that was not their intention.

16. Sonic Rainboom (Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Mane Six)

Rainbow Dash enters an athletic competition judged by her idols, the Wonderbolts, but gets overwhelmed by the pressure.
+ First big "Rainbow Dash is awesome" moment, with the introduction of her signature move, the Sonic Rainboom.

17. Stare Master [SONG] (Fluttershy, Cutie Mark Crusaders)
* Introduces Fluttershy's hypnotic Stare, reveals that Sweetie Belle is Rarity's sister, and has Sweetie Belle's first song.
+ Fluttershy gets to be awesome at the end.
– The CMC can be annoying.

18. The Show Stoppers [SONG] (Cutie Mark Crusaders)
* Establishes more how cutie marks work.
+ Funny song, the first one by the CMC.
– The CMC can be annoying.

19. A Dog and Pony Show (Rarity, Spike, Mane Six)
+ Fun adventure with good comedy.
+ Rarity shows that she shouldn't be messed with.

20. Green Isn't Your Color (Fluttershy, Rarity, Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie)

Rarity tries to impress a famous fashion photographer, Photo Finish, but becomes jealous when Fluttershy catches her eye instead.
+ Doesn't go the usual route these jealousy stories take.
+ Great character interactions, and Photo Finish is hilarious.

21. Over a Barrel [SONG] (Mane Six)
+ The beginning is fantastic.
– But then it reaches the main story...

22. A Bird in the Hoof (Fluttershy, Twilight Sparkle)
+ Panicky Twilight is great.
+ Another Benny Hill chase scene.

23. The Cutie Mark Chronicles [SONG]

The Cutie Mark Crusaders learn about how the Mane Six all gained their cutie marks. Rainbow Dash's story in particular becomes important much later. Has Fluttershy's first real solo song.

24. Owl's Well That Ends Well (Spike, Twilight Sparkle)
* Introduces Twilight's pet owl, Owlowicious.
+ Establishes Twilight and Spike's relationship well.

25. Party of One (Pinkie Pie, Mane Six)

When Pinkie believes her friends are intentionally avoiding her, she goes a bit crazy.
+ Takes the "forgotten birthday" trope and goes in a hilarious direction with it.

26. The Best Night Ever [SONG] (Mane Six)

The Grand Galloping Gala has finally arrived, and everyone is excited, but the night doesn't go as expected.
* Introduces Spitfire and Soarin' of the Wonderbolts.
+ Great song.
+ The girls being pushed to the limits of their patience has some interesting results.

Introduction
Season 1
Season 2
What is Equestria Girls?
Season 3
Season 4
Season 5
Season 6
Season 7
Online Shorts

 

[SigmasonicX]

THE 2017 PONYGAF MY LITTLE PONY: FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC VIEWING GUIDE

Image version
SEASON TWO (2011-12)
Bold and underlined episodes are IMPORTANT. Bold episodes and text are RECOMMENDED. [SONG] means the episode has a notable song.

Season two advances the way characters are handled, notably no longer requiring Twilight to be in every episode and thus allowing others to take center stage. The first showrunner, Lauren Faust, left halfway through production of the season, but despite fan fears, this proved not to lead to the show's doom.

01-02. The Return of Harmony

The heroes must face Discord, an ancient spirit of chaos who seeks to sever their connections to the Elements of Harmony. Discord is played by John de Lancie (Q from Star Trek: The Next Generation), and he proved to be very popular with both fans and the show crew.

03. Lesson Zero (Twilight Sparkle, Spike, Mane Six)

Twilight realizes she hasn't learned a friendship lesson this week, and fearing Celestia's reaction, she goes a bit crazy looking for one before time runs out.
* Modifies how the end-of-episode moral is handled.
+ Crazy Twilight is the best.
+ The other characters have very memorable moments too.

04. Luna Eclipsed

Princess Luna visits Ponyville during Nightmare Night, a Halloween-style celebration of Nightmare Moon's original defeat. Properly introduces Luna, in her "fully powered" form, but it still takes another season for her to appear consistently.

05. Sisterhooves Social (Sweetie Belle, Rarity, Applejack, Apple Bloom)

Sweetie Belle wants to attend the Sisterhooves Social with Rarity, but after they fight, she decides that Applejack makes for a better sister.
* First episode where Twilight doesn't appear at all.
+ Establishes Rarity and Sweetie Belle's relationship with fun and emotional scenes.

06. The Cutie Pox (Apple Bloom, Zecora)
+ Lots of humor mined from Apple Bloom suddenly gaining cutie marks.

07. May the Best Pet Win! [SONG] (Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy)
* Introduces Rainbow Dash's pet tortoise, Tank.
+ Rainbow and Fluttershy's song, "Find a Pet", is incredibly adorable and worth watching on its own, and there are many other cute moments.
– Rainbow is reckless with animals, which rubs some people the wrong way.

08. The Mysterious Mare Do Well (Rainbow Dash, Main Six)
+ Has some neat moments.
– No one comes out of this episode looking good.

09. Sweet and Elite [SONG] (Rarity)

While visiting Canterlot, Rarity becomes popular among the upper crust and puts off returning to Ponyville.
+ Demonstrates that Rarity can carry an episode without the rest of the main cast.
+ Good song, and the ending is full of memorable moments.

10. Secret of My Excess (Spike, Twilight Sparkle, Rarity)

After his birthday, Spike's desire for more presents causes his dragon instincts to go out of control.
+ Explores Spike's relationship to Twilight and Rarity.
+ Fun sequences with Greedy Spike, including a King Kong reference.

11. Family Appreciation Day (Apple Bloom, Granny Smith, Diamond Tiara)
* Reveals how Ponyville was founded, and introduces Diamond Tiara's father, Filthy Rich.
+ Great flashback sequence with a young Granny Smith.

12. Baby Cakes (Pinkie Pie)
* Pinkie's landlords, the Cakes, have twins, and the episode demonstrates that pony babies are weird.
+ Lots of Pinkie humor, and we see her having to be responsible.

13. Hearth's Warming Eve [SONG] (Mane Six)
* Reveals how Equestria was founded, and introduces the Christmas-like holiday Hearth's Warming.
+ Interesting pony history, and we see the heroes play as other characters.

14. The Last Roundup (Applejack, Main Six)
* First speaking appearance of fan-significant background character Derpy. There's a story with this, but let's not get into it here.
+ Fun comedy scenes, including an I Love Lucy reference and a chase scene.

15. The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000 [SONG] (Apple Family, Flim & Flam)

When the Apple Family starts selling their hoof-made apple cider, brothers Flim and Flam arrive with their own cider-making device, leading to a contest of horse vs. machine.
* Flim and Flam become recurring antagonists for the Apple Family.
+ Music Man style song and the best episode moral.
– Wait, why are they having this contest?

16. Read It and Weep (Rainbow Dash, Daring Do)

Rainbow Dash becomes addicted to a Daring Do book while she is stuck in the hospital, and doesn't want anyone to know.
* Daring Do books pop up often after this point.
+ Dash's book is a fun Indiana Jones story, and the "real life" parts are great too.

17. Hearts and Hooves Day [SONG] (Cutie Mark Crusaders, Cheerilee, Big Macintosh)

After the Cutie Mark Crusaders learn that their teacher, Cheerilee, doesn't have a boyfriend, they take it upon themselves to find the perfect stallion, even if it takes a love potion.
+ Fun song and great comedy scenes.

18. A Friend in Deed (Pinkie Pie)

Pinkie Pie meets Cranky Doodle Donkey, and is shocked that he doesn't want to be her friend.
+ "Smile" is one of the catchiest songs of the show, and worth watching on its own.
– Pinkie really rubs a lot of people the wrong way in this episode.

19. Putting Your Hoof Down (Fluttershy)
* Significant for Fluttershy's development, as a lot of her later moments can be seen as her fine-tuning her aggression here to a level she's comfortable with.
+ Iron Will is a fun character, and has a Rocky style theme.
– Ponyville suddenly fills up with jerks to make the story work, and everyone's treatment of Iron Will at the end seems unjustified.

20. It's About Time (Twilight Sparkle, Spike, Pinkie Pie)

Twilight is visited by her future self, who disappears before she can complete her warning. Thus, Twilight goes a bit crazy.
* Though the episode is standalone, details introduced here go on to be relevant to the seasons 4 and 5 finales.
+ More Crazy Twilight! Spike and Pinkie have fun scenes too.

21. Dragon Quest (Spike, Twilight Sparkle)
* Introduces dragon society and Spike's pet phoenix... who never returns, outside of a background photo next season showing Spike returning it to its parents.
+ Starts out with interesting and emotional scenes...
– ... But it drops the ball on dragon society so hard that it takes until season six for them to revisit it.

22. Hurricane Fluttershy (Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash)

All of Ponyville's pegasi have to work together to accomplish a task, but Fluttershy feels she'll just hold them back.
+ 80's style training montage.
+ Fluttershy is adorable, and Rainbow demonstrates her character development through interactions with her.

23. Ponyville Confidential (Cutie Mark Crusaders, Diamond Tiara, Rarity)
+ Features fun gossip about the characters, including a great reaction from Rarity.

24. MMMystery on the Friendship Express (Pinkie Pie, Twilight Sparkle)
+ Funny imagination scenes and an entertaining mystery.

25-26. A Canterlot Wedding [SONG]

Twilight's brother (just introduced), Shining Armor, is getting married to Princess Cadance (just introduced), but Twilight finds the situation too suspicious to celebrate. The early fandom was dreading this episode, but it turned out to be a sensation. Introduces a recurring antagonist and contains a Disney-style villain song.

Introduction
Season 1
Season 2
What is Equestria Girls?
Season 3
Season 4
Season 5
Season 6
Season 7
Online Shorts

 

[SigmasonicX]

THE 2017 PONYGAF MY LITTLE PONY: FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC VIEWING GUIDE

WHAT IS EQUESTRIA GIRLS?
Equestria Girls is a series of movies, TV specials, and online shorts based around an alternate universe where the ponies are all multicolored humans attending high school. Not exactly the most inspiring premise, but like the show itself, it was better than anyone could have expected. Still, it's definitely up to the individual whether it's as good as the show or not. The show itself never acknowledges this spinoff, so feel free to skip all of it if you wish.

The movies all generally follow the premise of the students of Canterlot High getting ready to attend some school event, such as a dance or camping trip, only for a magical threat to cause trouble, and then things go Sailor Moon, complete with transformations. The TV specials and shorts focus more on slice of life stories.

The biggest appeal of Equestria Girls lies not with the main characters of the show, who generally don't get a chance to shine, but rather Sunset Shimmer, the villain of the first movie who turns good and becomes one of the main heroes. Besides that, it has the same writers as the show, so people just enjoy seeing more of the ponies interacting, even if they are humans. It also has the same people handling the music, so there are some great songs, which tend to go more for a pop-style than the show.

Equestria Girls is much heavier on continuity than the show, such that it's not recommended to skip any of them to watch a later one. That said, some are generally considered better than others, notably the second movie, Rainbow Rocks. The first three movies each take place after the finales of seasons 3, 4, and 5 respectively, and directly reference events from them, but it drifts further from the show after that point.

The movies and TV specials will be mixed in with the season guides, but the online shorts will be listed separately. Again, feel free to skip them all if you wish, since the show never acknowledges them.

Introduction
Season 1
Season 2
What is Equestria Girls?
Season 3
Season 4
Season 5
Season 6
Season 7
Online Shorts

 

[SigmasonicX]

THE 2017 PONYGAF MY LITTLE PONY: FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC VIEWING GUIDE

Image version
SEASON THREE (2012-13)
Bold and underlined episodes are IMPORTANT. Bold episodes and text are RECOMMENDED. [SONG] means the episode has a notable song.

Development of season three was tumultuous. Cartoons like this tend to go for 65 episodes then end, and it seems like the answer to whether the show was ending here changed constantly. The most notable effects of this are the shorter episode count and a season finale that acts like a series finale, but is only allowed to be one episode with barely anything leading up to it. Though generally considered the weakest season of the show, there is still a lot worth watching.

01-02. The Crystal Empire [SONG]

When the Crystal Empire returns after 1000 years, Twilight is tasked with protecting it from King Sombra with her friends, but to move on to her next level of study, she's told to stop him herself. The Crystal Empire becomes a recurring location, though they do little to explore its potentially interesting aspects.

03. Too Many Pinkie Pies (Pinkie Pie, Main Six)
+ Lots of great gags.
– For some, it's right in the title. Also, I guess Twilight is a mass murderer now or something.

04. One Bad Apple [SONG] (Cutie Mark Crusaders, Diamond Tiara)
* Introduces Apple Bloom's cousin, Babs Seed, who the CMC befriend by the end.
+ The song "Babs Seed" is a lot of fun, and worth watching on its own.

05. Magic Duel (Twilight Sparkle, Trixie, Zecora)

Trixie (season 1's "Boast Busters") returns with a magical amulet, and wanting revenge for being shamed, challenges Twilight to a Sword in the Stone style magic duel.
+ The magic duels are neat, and there are good gags.

06. Sleepless in Ponyville (Scootaloo, Rainbow Dash, Luna)

In order to impress Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo hides that she's scared by her ghost stories during a camping trip, only to start getting nightmares.
* Marks a major shift in Scootaloo and Rainbow's relationship, and finally gives Luna something to do, as the guardian of dreams.
+ Adorable Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash interactions, and Luna returns.

07. Wonderbolts Academy (Rainbow Dash, Wonderbolts)
+ Wonderbolts training is pretty fun.
– Why does Rainbow want to join the Wonderbolts, again?

08. Just for Sidekicks (Spike, Pets, Cutie Mark Crusaders)
* Occurs simultaneously with "Games Ponies Play".
+ Fun interactions between Spike and the pets.

09. Apple Family Reunion [SONG] (Applejack, Apple Family)
– Doesn't stand out much.

10. Spike At Your Service (Spike, Applejack)
– Spike at his most incompetent.

11. Keep Calm and Flutter On

Fluttershy is tasked with reforming Discord, which not even her friends believe she can do. Discord becomes a recurring character after this. The ending is rushed, but his reformation is revisited in season 4.

12. Games Ponies Play (Mane Six, Cadance)
* Occurs simultaneously with "Just for Sidekicks". Introduces Ms. Harshwinny, official games inspector for the Equestria Games.
+ Nice to see Cadance and Shining Armor in a slice of life story, and there are some fun moments.

13. Magical Mystery Cure [SONG]

Twilight discovers that her friends' cutie marks–and destinies–have been switched by a mistake she made. This full-musical episode rushes through story developments clearly intended for a series finale, which it was for a time, but it's filled with great songs, including Celestia's first. The ending is explored more in season 4.

Movie - Equestria Girls [SONG]

After the events of "Magical Mystery Cure", Twilight's Element of Magic is stolen by a thief, Sunset Shimmer. She follows her through a portal to another dimension, where she transforms into a human, and must explore a high school filled with oddly familiar people.
* Nothing Equestria Girls is acknowledged by the show, and all of it can safely be skipped.
+ "Helping Twilight Sparkle Win the Crown" is a very catchy song, and worth watching on its own.
+ Twilight figuring out being human is hilarious, she has good scenes with other characters, and there are a ton of fun callbacks to the first season.
– Sunset is a seriously terrible villain, and the actual story is very contrived.
– They force a romance between Twilight and a human teen, Flash Sentry, though they have the bare minimum of scenes together.

Introduction
Season 1
Season 2
What is Equestria Girls?
Season 3
Season 4
Season 5
Season 6
Season 7
Online Shorts

 

[SigmasonicX]

THE 2017 PONYGAF MY LITTLE PONY: FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC VIEWING GUIDE

Image version
SEASON FOUR (2013-14)
Bold and underlined episodes are IMPORTANT. Bold episodes and text are RECOMMENDED. [SONG] means the episode has a notable song.

With the series continuing, the crew was left with the difficult task of keeping Twilight a princess without fundamentally changing her character. The first few episodes assured fans that she was the same pony they grew attached to, but then they barely did anything with her for a while. Thankfully, by the end of the season, they got the hang of writing her again. This season experiments with an overall storyline, with the ponies unknowingly collecting items in standalone episodes that would unlock a mysterious chest introduced in the opening two-parter.

01-02. Princess Twilight Sparkle

When the Everfree Forest goes out of control, the Mane Six once again must journey into it, but things aren't the same now that Twilight is a princess. Establishes how good Discord acts and begins a season long storyline. It's recommended that you watch at least one of episodes 8, 10, 11, 16, or 21 of this season even if you're sticking to these important episodes.

03. Castle Mane-ia (Mane Six)

The girls all separately find themselves at the ruins of the Castle of the Two Sisters, unknowingly scaring each other.
* Modifies how the end-of-episode moral is handled.
+ Back-to-basics story with good character interactions.

04. Daring Don't (Rainbow Dash, Daring Do, Mane Six)
* Reveals that Daring Do is real.
+ Fun adventure scenes.
– Major parts of the premise don't make sense.

05. Flight to the Finish [SONG] (Scootaloo, Cutie Mark Crusaders, Rainbow Dash, Diamond Tiara)

After taunting from Diamond Tiara, Scootaloo becomes ashamed the fact that she can't fly at her age.
* Continues the Equestria Games storyline started by season 3's "Games Ponies Play", but it isn't necessary for this episode.
+ Emotional scenes between Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash.

06. Power Ponies (Spike, Mane Six)
* Gives superhero identities to the Mane Six, which sometimes appear later.
+ Neat to see the characters as superheroes, and much better than season 2's "The Mysterious Mare Do Well".

07. Bats! [SONG] (Fluttershy, Applejack, Mane Six)
* Fluttershy turns into a vampire, which is occasionally referenced later.
+ Danny Elfman style song, amusing scenes, and Vampire Fluttershy.
– Introduces an interesting conflict between Fluttershy and Applejack, and resolves it off screen.

08. Rarity Takes Manehattan [SONG] (Rarity, Coco Pommel, Mane Six)

Rarity helps one of her rivals in a fashion competition, only for her to turn around and plagiarize her designs, making Rarity question her generosity.
* Rarity finds her key to the locked chest here. Introduces Coco Pommel, a then one-off character who surprised everyone with her popularity.
+ Great showcase of Rarity's skills, and a generally pleasant episode.

09. Pinkie Apple Pie [SONG] (Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Apple Family)

Pinkie discovers ambivalent evidence that she's distantly related to the Apple Family, and to find concrete proof, they go on a road trip to talk to the Apple Family's historian, Goldie Delicious. Hijinks ensue.
+ Great song and good comedy.

10. Rainbow Falls (Rainbow Dash, Wonderbolts, Mane Six)
* Rainbow finds her key to the locked chest here. Continues the Equestria Games storyline. Prominently features background characters Bulk Biceps and Derpy.
+ Some cute scenes.
– Why does Rainbow want to join the Wonderbolts, again?

11. Pinkie Pride [SONG] (Pinkie Pie)

In this full-musical episode, a new "super duper party pony" arrives: Cheese Sandwich. When he sweeps the town off its feet, Pinkie questions if she's really meant to plan parties. Cheese is played by comedy singer Weird Al.
* Pinkie finds her key to the locked chest here.
+ Tons of fun musical numbers, including Cheese doing a brief polka cover of a season 2 song.

12. Three's a Crowd [SONG] (Twilight Sparkle, Discord, Cadance)
* Has Discord's first song.
+ Great comedy with Discord being a jerk, and it's nice to see Cadance spend time with Twilight.

13. Simple Ways (Rarity, Applejack)
+ Fantastic voice work for Rarity.
– Rarity acts unusually immature about her crush.

14. Filli Vanilli [SONG] (Fluttershy, Rarity)

When a member of Rarity's a cappella group, the Pony Tones, loses his voice, Fluttershy steps up to replace him–provided that she can hide behind the curtain and dub over him while he lip-synchs.
+ Great singing, and even among Fluttershy episodes, this is an incredibly charming and adorable story.
– Pinkie really rubs people the wrong way here.

15. Twilight Time (Cutie Mark Crusaders, Twilight Sparkle, Diamond Tiara)

The Cutie Mark Crusaders realize that Twilight is a lot more popular now that she's a princess, and take advantage of their friendship to become cool with the other kids.
* Reveals that Twilight is teaching the CMC different skills.
+ Twilight as a teacher is nice, and there are other good moments, including Twilight eating a hayburger like a slob.

16. It Ain't Easy Being Breezies (Fluttershy, Mane Six)
* Fluttershy finds her key to the locked chest here.
+ The rude Breezy leader, Seabreeze, is funny, and there are cute moments.
– The conflict is resolved early, resulting in clear padding at the end.

17. Somepony to Watch Over Me (Apple Bloom, Applejack)
+ There's a neat action scene at the end, and overprotective Applejack is hilarious.
– Or she's incredibly obnoxious, depending on the person.

18. Trade Ya! (Mane Six)
* Has a cameo from a Make a Wish Foundation recipient: the pony with the leg harness.
+ Great character interactions in a fun setting.
– The climax raises all sorts of questions.

19. Maud Pie (Pinkie Pie, Mane Six)

Pinkie is excited to introduce one of her sisters, Maud, to her friends, but they have a hard time getting along with her due to her deadpan nature.
* Maud isn't one of the sisters seen in season 1's "Cutie Mark Chronicles", but they do appear later.
+ Maud is a very charming character, and was an instant hit with fans.

20. For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils (Sweetie Belle, Rarity, Luna, Cutie Mark Crusaders)

After a fight between them, Sweetie Belle sabotages a dress that Rarity made for an important client, and she starts having nightmares.
+ Neat dream sequences, and a good exploration of Sweetie Belle and Rarity's relationship.

21. Leap of Faith [SONG] (Applejack, Granny Smith, Flim & Flam)
* Applejack finds her key to the locked chest here.
+ Good Flim Flam Brothers song.

22. Testing Testing 1, 2, 3 [SONG] (Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle, Mane Six)

Only one thing stands in the way of Rainbow Dash's goal of joining the Wonderbolts Reserves: the written exam. She is forced to turn to Twilight for help with studying.
+ Fantastic interactions between teacher Twilight and bored student Rainbow.
+ Pinkie raps in a song parodying 90's educational videos.
– Pinkie raps.

23. Inspiration Manifestation (Spike, Rarity)
+ Rarity's magic going out of control makes for good scenes.

24. Equestria Games (Spike, Twilight Sparkle)
* Ends the Equestria Games storyline. Reveals that the crystal ponies consider Spike a hero. Technically has Spike's first long song.
+ Some good comedy, and the parts of the Games we see are neat.
– There's barely any focus on the Games. There is some cringe humor (based on characters embarrassing themselves), notably with Spike's song; listing as a negative because many on PonyGAF innately hate cringe humor.

25-26. Twilight's Kingdom

Twilight feels that she hasn't lived up to her title as princess. Meanwhile, Discord is sent to track down the evil Tirek. This will decide the fates of both Twilight and Discord, and solve the mystery of the locked chest. Features a great song sung by all four princesses. Tirek is an update to the villain of the original 80's My Little Pony TV special.

Movie - Equestria Girls: Rainbow Rocks [SONG]

After the events of "Twilight's Kingdom", three sirens from Equestria enter Canterlot High's Battle of the Bands, and while the "Humane Five" are able to bring in pony Twilight for help, it may be up to the reformed Sunset Shimmer to save the day.
* Make sure to watch the after-credits scene!
+ Has the biggest soundtrack of anything MLP. The villain songs are great, and are recommend to watch on their own: "Battle", "Under Our Spell", and "Welcome to the Show". That last one is also the hypest climax of the entire MLP franchise.
+ People really liked Sunset's redemption.
– But it comes at the expense of every other hero, who is unhelpful at best. Though less so than the other movies, the story is still pretty contrived.
– Still tries to make Flash Sentry and Twilight a thing. Thankfully, they stop after this.

Introduction
Season 1
Season 2
What is Equestria Girls?
Season 3
Season 4
Season 5
Season 6
Season 7
Online Shorts

 

[SigmasonicX]

THE 2017 PONYGAF MY LITTLE PONY: FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC VIEWING GUIDE

SEASON FIVE (2015)
Bold and underlined episodes are IMPORTANT. Bold episodes and text are RECOMMENDED. [SONG] means the episode has a notable song.

Season 5 had subtle but significant shifts in how it told its stories. Notably, it fully abandons friendship reports to demonstrate the morals and is heavier on callbacks, particularly in the 100th episode. With Twilight having settled into her role as Princess of Friendship, this comes up more in episodes not specifically about it, and her friends now start making more headway toward their own goals. The season also introduces map episodes, where particular characters are summoned by a map in Twilight's castle to solve an unknown friendship problem.

01-02. The Cutie Map [SONG]

A mysterious map in Twilight's castle activates, leading the heroes to a strange town where everyone has the same cutie mark: an equal sign. This is the first two-parter to not focus on Twilight significantly more than the other main characters. The map sends the heroes on missions periodically from now on.

03. Castle Sweet Castle [SONG] (Twilight Sparkle, Mane Six, Spike)
+ Sleepy Twilight is great, the ending is sweet, and there's some good comedy.

04. Bloom & Gloom (Apple Bloom, Apple Family, Cutie Mark Crusaders, Luna)

After Apple Bloom learns that her cousin, Babs (season 3's "One Bad Apple"), has gotten her cutie mark, she once again becomes anxious about getting her own. One day, she finally wakes up with a cutie mark, but it's one she doesn't want.
+ Fun story with many imaginative moments and a nice ending.

05. Tanks for the Memories [SONG] (Rainbow Dash)
* Though Rainbow's pet tortoise, Tank, goes into hibernation, he shows up awake later without comment.
+ Emotional episode, especially when you consider that Tank's hibernation is meant to be an analogy for death. "I'll Fly" is Rainbow Dash's first solo song, and is worth watching on its own.

06. Appleoosa's Most Wanted (Cutie Mark Crusaders, Applejack)
* Introduces the idea that some ponies don't understand their cutie marks, which is important for later CMC episodes.
+ Some fun slapstick.

07. Make New Friends but Keep Discord (Discord, Fluttershy)

The Grand Galloping Gala has arrived again, and Discord is aghast when Fluttershy invites someone else as her plus one. To show that he isn't jealous, he invites a slime monster called the Smooze. The Smooze is an update to the villain of the 80's My Little Pony: The Movie.
+ Hilarious episode with great character interactions. And Celestia actually wears a dress to the Gala this time!

08. The Lost Treasure of Griffonstone (Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie)

The Map sends Rainbow and Pinkie to the griffon city of Griffonstone, where they encounter Gilda (season 1's "Griffon the Brush Off") and a town in squalor.
* Map episode for Rainbow and Pinkie.
+ Interesting interactions between Gilda and the ponies, fun griffon characters, and a minor but great role for Twilight.

09. Slice of Life (Background Characters)

While the heroes fend off a monster, the town prepares for the wedding of Cranky and Matilda (season 2's "A Friend in Deed"). This is the 100th episode, and it chooses to celebrate the various background and side characters that have appeared throughout the show.
+ Even if you haven't paid too much attention to them, the episode is still an enjoyable watch. And if you are familiar with them, it's amazing seeing fan-popular ponies get focus in the actual show.

10. Princess Spike (Spike, Twilight Sparkle, Cadance)
+ More Sleepy Twilight.
– Spike being dumb, and there's some bad writing with the climax.

11. Party Pooped (Pinkie Pie, Rutherford, Mane Six)
* Introduces the yaks of Yakyakistan, and their prince, Rutherford.
+ Slapstick with angry yaks, great comedy with Pinkie, Twilight having to be diplomatic and revealing her scariest food, and Pinkie having to be responsible.

12. Amending Fences (Twilight Sparkle, Spike)

Twilight decides to meet up with her old classmates from Magic School after realizing how bad a friend she used to be. The reunion goes well, until she discovers that one of them, Moondancer, became a shut-in. After "Slice of Life", this was an unexpected second showcase of background characters.
+ Fantastic look at Twilight's character, with great comedy and a nostalgic feeling. Many like this much more than "Slice of Life".

13. Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep? (Luna, Mane Six)

Luna's nightmare, the Tantabus, escapes into the dreams of other ponies. She and the Mane Six must track it down before it becomes powerful enough to break into the real world.
* Thus far, the only time the Mane Six's "Rainbow Power" forms have appeared since the season 4 finale.
+ Fun dream sequences, particularly at the end, and some surprisingly dark moments.

14. Canterlot Boutique [SONG] (Rarity)

Rarity fulfills her dream of opening a shop in Canterlot, but finding success there may require giving up on what she enjoys about dressmaking.
* The Canterlot Boutique becomes a recurring location.
+ Spiritual sequel to season 1's "Suited For Success", complete with a similar song. Like it, this is a great look at Rarity's character.

15. Scare Master (Fluttershy, Mane Six)
* Believe it or not, this is the last Fluttershy episode to focus on her overcoming her shyness.
+ Fun Halloween / Nightmare Night episode with a sweet story of Fluttershy pushing her own boundaries and a pleasantly surprising ending.

16. Rarity Investigates! (Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Wonderbolts)

Rainbow Dash is finally flying with the Wonderbolts, but it proves short-lived when she's accused of a crime against them. It's up to Rarity to prove her innocence, as a film noir detective.
+ Rarity's goes all in on the theme, and it's amazing. Regardless of there being only one possible culprit, the clues are handled well, with them being subtle but clearly noticed by Rarity.

17. Made in Manehattan (Rarity, Applejack, Coco Pommel)
* Map episode for Rarity and Applejack. Takes place simultaneously with "Brotherhooves Social".
+ Charming episode about community service, with some cute moments.

18. Brotherhooves Social [SONG] (Big Macintosh, Apple Bloom)
* Takes place simultaneously with "Made in Manehattan".
+ Good beginning and absolutely fantastic ending, delving into Big Mac's character.
– Most of the episode is Apple Bloom being embarrassed by a crossdressing Big Mac, which falls into PonyGAF's hatred of cringe humor.

19. Crusaders of the Lost Mark [SONG]

The Cutie Mark Crusaders help one of their classmates compete in a class president election against Diamond Tiara, but end up discovering another side to her. This is a full-musical episode, and marks the fifth anniversary of the series premiere. It's a much-watch even if you aren't a fan of Cutie Mark Crusaders episodes.

20. The One Where Pinkie Pie Knows (Pinkie Pie, Cadance, Twilight Sparkle)
* Reveals that Cadance is pregnant.
+ Great reactions from Pinkie as she desperately tries not to spoil the above surprise to Twilight.

21. Hearthbreakers (Apple Family, Pie Family)

The Apples visit the Pies to celebrate Hearth's Warming (a Christmas-style holiday), but they are confused by their holiday traditions.
+ Fun episode with good interactions. Pinkie's family, especially her other sisters, were instant hits with the fans.

22. What About Discord? (Twilight Sparkle, Discord, Mane Six)
+ Totally-not-jealous Twilight is great, and it's a good look at her character.
– Scenes with Discord's inside jokes drag.

23. The Hooffields and McColts (Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy)
* Map episode for Twilight and Fluttershy.
+ Twilight and Fluttershy are adorable, and the warring family parts have good slapstick.

24. The Mane Attraction [SONG] (Applejack)
+ Guest stars Tony award winner Lena Hall, who sings multiple fantastic songs in this episode. The song "The Magic Inside" is worth watching on its own.

25-26. The Cutie Re-Mark [SONG]

Starlight Glimmer, from the season premiere, wishes to demonstrate to Twilight that her friendships aren't important by using the power of the Map to rewrite the past, so that the Mane Six never met. In her attempts to stop her, Twilight finds herself in various alternate futures, each with a different villain winning.

Movie - Equestria Games: Friendship Games [SONG]

The Twilight Sparkle native to the human world finally appears, as a student from a rival school who is curious about the strange events at Canterlot High. When the schools meet for an athletic competition, a device she built to scan magic starts creating dimensional breaches, and the heroes scramble to keep the games on track.
* With no need for pony Twilight to pop by to have a Twilight, Equestria Girls largely separates itself from the show at this point. Human Twilight is nicknamed by fans as SciTwi (Scientist Twilight).
+ Strongest overall soundtrack of the movies, but there's no real standout song worth recommending on its own.
+ Great interactions between SciTwi and the Humane Five. Starts the amazing running gag of Flash Sentry getting dunked on every film.
– The villainous principal is lame, and the opening and marketing hyped up how each hero has a rival, but it barely factors into the story.
– Even for Equestria Girls, parts of the movie are absolute nonsense, particularly when it comes to magic.

Introduction
Season 1
Season 2
What is Equestria Girls?
Season 3
Season 4
Season 5
Season 6
Season 7
Online Shorts

 

[SigmasonicX]

THE 2017 PONYGAF MY LITTLE PONY: FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC VIEWING GUIDE

SEASON SIX (2016)
Bold and underlined episodes are IMPORTANT. Bold episodes and text are RECOMMENDED. [SONG] means the episode has a notable song.

Season 6 controversially adds Starlight Glimmer as essentially a seventh main pony character. Similar to how Princess Twilight was handled, Starlight tends to appear only if the episode is specifically about her. Though the season as a whole isn't that different in quality from the previous, multiple significant episodes unfortunately are on the weaker end. We chose not to recommend them, instead just noting how they're important. This doesn't mean they're bad, so check them out if they interest you.

01-02. The Crystalling

While the Mane Six travel to the Crystal Empire to meet Cadance and Shining Armor's new baby, Flurry Heart, Twilight convinces Starlight to reunite with her childhood friend, Sunburst. However, Starlight is anxious about how he'll react to her now. Flurry is yet another alicorn, but people largely stopped caring by this point. This is the closest the show has gotten to a "slice of life" two-parter.

03. The Gift of the Maud Pie (Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Maud Pie)
+ Fun interactions with Maud, and in one scene, Rarity out-Pinkies Pinkie.

04. On Your Marks [SONG] (Apple Bloom, Cutie Mark Crusaders)
* Establishes that the CMC now help other ponies earn and understand their cutie marks.
* The first episode to have none of the Mane Six, even as cameos. This appears to chronologically happen right after season 5's "Crusaders of the Lost Mark", unless the CMC really waited weeks for their next meeting.
+ Has Apple Bloom's first solo song, which is pretty good, and fun individual scenes.
– The different parts don't connect well.

05. Gauntlet of Fire (Spike, Ember, Twilight Sparkle, Rarity)

Spike is summoned to the Gauntlet of Fire, where dragons compete for the title of Dragon Lord. When he overhears competitors saying they'll attack Equestria if they win, Spike decides he can't let that happen.
* This follows up on season 2's "Dragon Quest", but all you need to know is that Spike encountered a mean teenage dragon named Garble.
+ Introduces Princess Ember, who was very popular with fans, and provides much-needed nuance to dragon society.
+ A Spike episode where he's competent the entire time, for once.

06. No Second Prances

Twilight asks Starlight to make a new friend on her own, but when she chooses Trixie, Twilight worries she'll be a bad influence. Trixie appeared in season 1's "Boast Busters" and season 3's "Magic Duel", but she's finally made a recurring character here.

07. Newbie Dash (Rainbow Dash, Wonderbolts, Scootaloo)
* Rainbow Dash finally joins the main Wonderbolts team, with the callsign Rainbow Crash.
+ Pretty funny episode, unless you don't like...
– Cringe humor from Rainbow embarrassing herself while trying to get a better callsign. Compared to other goal-achievement episodes, oddly little weight is given to this.

08. A Hearth's Warming Tail [SONG] (Starlight Glimmer, Mane Six)

Hearth's Warming Eve is here once again in this full-musical episode. After Twilight learns that Starlight doesn't care about the holiday, she reads to her an Equestrian version of A Christmas Carol.
+ Fun adaptation with fantastic songs, including Luna's first solo song. Has a top 10 cutest Twilight moment.

09. The Saddle Row Review (Rarity, Mane Six)

Rarity has opened a new shop in Manehattan and is ready to read the reviews, but her friends worry what she'll learn about how opening night really went. This episode follows the format of The Office and Parks & Rec, cutting back and forth between the opening night and interviews.
* Starting from this episode, Coco Pommel is only ever addressed as Ms. Pommel, for legal reasons.
+ The format makes for an unusual and hilarious story where everyone gets a chance to shine.

10. Applejack's "Day" Off (Applejack, Rarity, Twilight Sparkle)
+ Some funny moments, and some people like the relaxed pace and lesson about working efficiently.
– When I say relaxed pace, I mean it spends minutes just on Applejack walking around the spa to find out why the steam room isn't heating up quickly.

11. Flutter Brutter [SONG] (Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Mane Six)

Fluttershy has had enough of her freeloading younger brother, Zephyr Breeze, and forces him to get a job.
+ Good showcase of Fluttershy's character development; from this point on, there are no more Fluttershy episodes about her being too shy. We get to see her parents, and Zephyr is pretty funny.
– Though some find Zephyr annoying.

12. Spice Up Your Life [SONG] (Rarity, Pinkie Pie)
* Map episode for Rarity and Pinkie.
+ Fun Indian-influenced song, and interesting to see Rarity and Pinkie work together.

13. Stranger Than Fan Fiction (Rainbow Dash, Daring Do)

Rainbow visits a Daring Do convention and befriends a pony named Quibble Pants, until she discovers he hates everything after book 3. A rift forms between them, but they must work together when they're swept up in a real Daring Do adventure. Quibble is voiced by comedian Patton Oswalt.
+ Hilarious episode filled with meta jokes, including a fan convention staple you wouldn't expect in a kid's show.

14. The Cart Before the Ponies [SONG] (Cutie Mark Crusaders, Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash)
+ Catchy song, and other fun moments, including Cheerilee as a Cheerileader.
– The adults act pretty dumb, and the cart racing isn't crazy enough.

15. 28 Pranks Later (Rainbow Dash, Mane Six)
+ Zombies! A pretty neat episode, as long as you keep in mind that...
– Rainbow acts like it's season 1 again, reverting all of her character development. Has the same general story as season 2's "The Mysterious Mare Do Well" of all things, but it's better than that, at least.

16. The Times They Are a Changeling [SONG] (Spike, Thorax)
* Introduces Thorax, a mild-mannered good changeling (season 2's "A Canterlot Wedding"), who plays a major role in the season finale.
+ Neat to learn more about changelings, and Spike and Thorax have nice scenes together. Has Spike's first real solo song, "A Changeling Can Change".
– Rushed resolution.

17. Dungeons and Discord (Discord, Spike, Big Macintosh)

While Fluttershy and the others go on a trip, a bored Discord decides to join Spike and Big Macintosh in their "Guys Night". He's horrified when he discovers they spend it playing a role playing game, Ogres & Oubliettes.
+ Great comedy, not just from the guys, but also from Fluttershy not taking any crap. It's also nice to see Discord connect with someone besides her or Twilight.

18. Buckball Season (Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie)
+ Fun episode filled with adorable moments, including Smug Fluttershy. Demonstrates Rainbow's character development, and randomly makes Snails (from season 1's "Boast Busters" and other episodes) pretty cool.

19. The Fault in Our Cutie Marks [SONG] (Cutie Mark Crusaders)

The Cutie Mark Crusaders have settled into their new role, but they might have an impossible task when an excitable young griffon named Gabby asks them to help her get a cutie mark.
+ Good song, nice lesson, and Gabby was an instant hit with the fans.
– Some found Gabby very annoying.

20. Viva Las Pegasus (Applejack, Fluttershy, Flim & Flam)
* Map episode for Applejack and Fluttershy.
+ Interesting new Las Vegas setting with fun visuals, including clever substitutions for gambling. Good use of characters.

21. Every Little Thing She Does (Starlight Glimmer, Twilight Sparkle, Mane Six)

Twilight has Starlight spend quality time with her friends while she's away, and wishing to finish this quickly, Starlight uses a mind control spell on them, as you do. Of course, this goes out of control.
+ Hilarious episode with great character moments, demonstrating how Starlight still struggles with her previous villainous nature.
– If you strongly feel that Starlight was forgiven too easily for her actions, or are concerned about power levels, then I have bad news for you.

22. PPOV (Pony Point of View) (Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie)
+ Pinkie's story is funny, and Rarity's is hilarious thanks to Salty Sea Dog Applejack.
– Boring Applejack tells her story last, and the explanation for what really happened is weird.

23. Where the Apple Lies (Apple Family, Rich Family)
* First episode besides "Cutie Mark Chronicles" to mostly take place years in a character's past.
+ Neat to see Ponyville years in the past, it's fun to see young Applejack and Big Mac, and the episode is a good "escalating lies" story with a great climax.

24. Top Bolt (Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Wonderbolts)

The Map sends Twilight and Rainbow to the Wonderbolts Academy, where they find a promising pair of recruits who are holding each other back in their attempts to help the other.
* Map episode for Twilight and Rainbow. Has a cameo from a Make a Wish Foundation recipient: the recruit who tells Twilight and Rainbow that they are her favorite ponies.
+ Spiritual sequel to season 4's "Testing Testing 1, 2, 3", with great interactions between Twilight and Rainbow. The new characters are likable, and Vapor Trail in particular was popular with fans.

25-26. To Where and Back Again

Starlight returns to her village to attend a festival, only have a panic attack when they ask her to help organize it. When she returns to Ponyville, she discovers that everyone is acting strangely. She must team up with Thorax ("The Times They Are a Changeling") and other misfits to confront the source of this problem, and overcome her fear of reverting to her old self.

Equestria Girls: Legend of Everfree [SONG]

Canterlot High goes on a field trip to Camp Everfree, and the girls hope to take a break from their magic adventures. Twilight (from the human world) in particular fears that she'll turn into Midnight Sparkle again if they encounter more magic. While there, they discover that the legendary monster Gaia Everfree is supposedly wrecking the camp, and they suddenly gain new uncontrollable powers.
* Doesn't tie into season 6 at all. Gives SciTwi her own love interest, who's better than Flash Sentry, at least. On a side note, oddly depicts Filthy Rich as a pure villain, despite "Where the Apple Lies" this very season presenting him as nice and reasonable.
+ This is the closest to a slice of life story the movies get, and it's pretty enjoyable when focusing on that. SciTwi has nice scenes with Sunset, and Flash Sentry gets dunked on even more than last time.
– The Scooby Doo style main story isn't great, characters besides SciTwi and Sunset don't do much of note, and the new powers are amazingly useless.

Introduction
Season 1
Season 2
What is Equestria Girls?
Season 3
Season 4
Season 5
Season 6
Season 7
Online Shorts

 

[SigmasonicX]

THE 2017 PONYGAF MY LITTLE PONY: FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC VIEWING GUIDE

SEASON SEVEN (2017)
Bold and underlined episodes are IMPORTANT. Bold episodes and text are RECOMMENDED. [SONG] means the episode has a notable song.

As of this guide's creation, season 7 is still airing, and will continue to air after the movie premieres, but the first half is on Netflix, so we decided to cover it anyway. Starlight Glimmer is more strongly integrated into the main cast, appearing more often in episodes not specifically about her, but she still doesn't quite form a Mane Seven. Map episodes switch to sending a single non Mane Six character this season, though only one of these episodes is in the first half. Until the finale airs, it's hard to say how the season's story connects, and thus what episodes are important, so currently none are. Due to movie production, there are only five songs total this season, with three in the first half. Equestria Girls also released three half-hour specials, collected on Netflix as Tales of Canterlot High.

01. Celestial Advice (Twilight Sparkle, Celestia, Starlight Glimmer, Spike)

As the ponies celebrate the defeat of Chrysalis, Twilight comes to a startling realization: maybe it's time she sent her student, Starlight, off on her own, like Celestia did for her. As she frets over the risks, Celestia offers a listening ear.
* The first one-part season premiere, and after seven seasons, Celestia finally appears as a character tag!
+ Twilight's overactive imagination over what could happen to Starlight is great, and we get to see Celestia's perspective of events leading up to the first episode. Other characters, including Discord and Ember, are pretty fun too.

02. All Bottled Up [SONG] (Starlight Glimmer, Trixie, Mane Six)

While the Mane Six are out, Starlight and Trixie accidentally teleport the Cutie Map to an unknown location. While they search for it, Trixie's cavalier attitude annoys Starlight so much that she fears she could snap, so she uses magic to literally bottle up her anger.
+ Starlight and Trixie are a fantastic pair, and the Mane Six subplot is also really fun, with an incredibly catchy semi-self-parody song.

03. A Flurry of Emotions (Twilight Sparkle, Flurry Heart, Cadance, Spike)
+ Confirms that Twilight is BAE (Best Aunt Ever). Twilight and Flurry's interactions are cute, and we finally see Cadance and Shining Armor spend time together.
– Baby-based humor annoys some people.

04. Rock Solid Friendship (Pinkie Pie, Maud Pie, Starlight Glimmer)

Pinkie tries to convince Maud to move to Ponyville, and while the rocks don't interest her, a friend just might. Pinkie does everything she can to make friendship blossom, but she might just be getting in the way.
+ Expands Maud past her joke nature, making her a full-fledged character. Has tons of charming and funny character interactions.

05. Fluttershy Leans In (Fluttershy)
* Randomly brings back Big Daddy McColt from season 5's "The Hooffields and McColts" and assumes you remember him.
+ Good showcase of Fluttershy's character development, and it has a giraffe.
– We're meant to sympathize with the supervisor with the vague idea and no concrete plans, and be angry at the people she hires for getting it wrong. Also, really padded: a surprising amount of time is spent just on Fluttershy trying to open a door.

06. Forever Filly (Rarity, Sweetie Belle, Cutie Mark Crusaders)
+ Some fun scenes, including a photoshoot with wacky costumes, and shows Sweetie Belle's character development.
– Some found Rarity treating Sweetie like a young child annoying.

07. Parental Glideance (Scootaloo, Rainbow Dash, Wonderbolts)

Scootaloo is shocked to learn that Rainbow didn't tell her parents that she became a Wonderbolt. When they come back into her life and embarrass her with over-enthusiastic cheering, the reason why becomes clear to everyone—everyone but Scootaloo.
* Hints at Scootaloo's troubled home life.
+ Great comedy, it's neat to finally see Rainbow's parents, and it's surprisingly emotional.
– Rainbow Parents being embarrassing counts as cringe humor for some.

08. Hard to Say Anything [SONG] (Big Macintosh, Cutie Mark Crusaders)
* Big Mac starts dating Sugar Belle (season 5's "The Cutie Map") here.
+ Great song, "Battle for Sugar Belle", and it works as a sufficient summary of the episode. Big Mac's love rival, Feather Bangs, is funny, and some meta-humor comes from him having the same voice actor as Flash Sentry from Equestria Girls.
– Padded, and Sugar Belle herself gets surprisingly little focus, given the show.

09. Honest Apple (Applejack, Rarity)
+ Fun new side characters, with a standout scene where Applejack meets a pony who hates apples, Strawberry Sunrise. Rarity has a fantastic scene that you can find by searching for "mlp honest apple guitar rarity".
– Rarity is an idiot, and Applejack is an idiot and a jerk. Cringe humor from Applejack destroying the dresses she's judging.

10. A Royal Problem (Starlight Glimmer, Celestia, Luna, Twilight Sparkle)

The Map sends Starlight alone to Canterlot, where she discovers growing tension between Celestia and Luna. Starlight switches their cutie marks, taking drastic action to straighten things out before Nightmare Moon or something even worse appears.
* Map episode for Starlight.
+ Great comedy. Large chunks of the episode are actually from Luna and Celestia's perspectives, and they're really interesting. Celestia's section in particular has something that threw the fandom into a frenzy. Twilight is intensely adorable here.
– If you don't like Starlight forcing her magic onto others, then I have bad news.

11. Not Asking for Trouble (Pinkie Pie, Rutherford, Mane Six)
+ Pinkie is presented well, there's a fun alternate art style sequence, and Yak worldbuilding starts out interesting...
– ... But then you wonder how the Yaks possibly survived this long.

12. Discordant Harmony (Discord, Fluttershy)

Discord invites Fluttershy to his realm for a tea party, but he worries that she won't be comfortable there and tries to make everything normal. But what happens when a spirit of chaos isn't chaotic?
* First Discord episode to not be about him being a jerk.
+ The last third of this episode, when Fluttershy visits, is absolutely fantastic, showcasing her character development beyond just being assertive, and is generally incredibly sweet. Pinkie also has a brief but nice scene.
– It turns out Discord talking to himself just isn't that interesting, and that takes up most of the episode.

13. The Perfect Pear [SONG] (Apple Family)

After the mysterious Grand Pear returns to Ponyville, the Apple Siblings wonder why the Apples hate the Pears so much. They talk to several ponies to learn the story of their father, Bright Mac, and the mother they knew as Buttercup, but was born Pear Butter. Grand Pear is voiced by William Shatner of Star Trek fame, and Pear Butter is voiced by actress Felicia Day.
* Closest thing yet to confirmation that the Apple Parents are dead.
+ We finally see the Apple Parents. Very sweet episode, for the flashback love story, the present day story of the siblings learning about their parents, and the resolution. It's also interesting to see various characters when they were younger, including Granny Smith.
– The Apple Parents meet as creepy talking babies.

Tales of Canterlot High - Dance Magic [SONG] (Rarity, Humane Seven, Crystal Prep)

Canterlot High needs money fast to pay for repairs at Camp Everfree, and Rarity has the perfect idea: win a music video competition. But preparing for it uses up all the money they built up, and when students from Crystal Prep steal her idea, she feels cornered.
+ A Rarity story that can only be done in Equestria Girls, where she's responsible for the entire group's success, and it's handled well. Has a fun imagination sequence with an alternate art style. The final music video, "Dance Magic", is worth watching on its own.

Tales of Canterlot High - Movie Magic (Humane Seven)

The girls are invited to the set of an upcoming Daring Do movie, where they learn someone is sabotaging production and stealing props.
+ Some fun costumes.
– A story that Scooby Doo would be ashamed of. Look, I'll just tell you the culprit is the director's niece, Juniper Montage. See image.

Tales of Canterlot High - Mirror Magic (Sunset Shimmer, Starlight Glimmer, Humane Seven)

Sunset Shimmer makes a short trip back to Equestria, where she runs into Starlight Glimmer. They become quick friends, and go back to the human world for a tour. But forget all that interesting stuff, the girls must face the worst villain in the entire MLP franchise!
+ Great interactions between Sunset and Starlight, both as ponies and as humans. Pinkie has some funny moments.
– The villain is terrible. Seriously. And you can't even just watch the first half of the episode to avoid her, they intercut the Sunset/Starlight stuff with her scenes.

Introduction
Season 1
Season 2
What is Equestria Girls?
Season 3
Season 4
Season 5
Season 6
Season 7
Online Shorts

 

[SigmasonicX]

THE 2017 PONYGAF MY LITTLE PONY: FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC VIEWING GUIDE

ONLINE SHORTS
Bold episodes and text are RECOMMENDED. [SONG] means the episode has a notable song.

Under construction.

As might be expected from a property like this, there are several shorts in addition to the TV and movie material. Equestria Girls gets far more focus in this area, due to it only releasing 3-4 episodes worth of material a year otherwise, and a large chunk of them use new songs. There are some shorts for Friendship is Magic, but they tend to reuse show footage and focus more on being informative than telling stories. The new dialogue makes them worth checking out, though, and later ones have some neat editing. Equestria Girls shorts are listed first.

Music video
Before the Equestria Girls movies, there was a 2011 commercial featuring a parody of "California Gurls" called "Equestria Girls", sung by Pinkie's singing voice, Shannon Chan-Kent. It was crazy enough seeing a commercial with a new song done in the style of fan-made PMVs (Pony Music Videos), but the online-only extended version featured a mindblowing shoutout to bronies and the first official use of the fan name DJ-PON3.

Rainbow Rocks prequels
These shorts were released before Rainbow Rocks. Five shorts explain how the girls got their instruments, and aren't particularly interesting, but are nice for seeing Equestria Girls versions of characters like the Diamond Dogs and the Flim Flam Brothers. These shorts oddly have the girls use magic in front of everyone, and no one reacts. The music videos, however, are pretty fun, and the first, featuring DJ-PON3, is definitely recommended.
Music to My Ears [SONG] (DJ-PON3)
Guitar Centered (Rainbow Dash, Trixie)
Hamstocalypse Now (Fluttershy, Rarity)
Pinkie on the One (Pinkie Pie, Humane Five)
Player Piano (Rarity)
A Case for the Bass (Applejack, Flim & Flam)
Shake Your Tail [SONG] (Humane Five, Twilight Sparkle)
Perfect Day for Fun [SONG] (Humane Five, Twilight Sparkle)

Rainbow Rocks encore
Still not satisfied by the huge soundtrack of Rainbow Rocks? Then have even more songs! All of these are pretty good and worth checking out, with "My Past is Not Today" being particularly popular. That short also explains Sunset's outfit change in Friendship Games.
Life is a Runway [SONG] (Rarity)
Friendship Through the Ages [SONG] (Humane Five, Twilight Sparkle, Sunset Shimmer)
My Past is Not Today [SONG] (Sunset Shimmer)

Friendship Games prequels
These shorts lead into Friendship Games, but in an even looser way than the Rainbow Rocks prequels. None of them are worth checking out, other than "All's Fair in Love and Friendship Games" showcasing fan-popular characters Lyra and Bon Bon, and it getting really weird. "A Banner Day" is about Flash Sentry hanging out with background humans that don't have pony equivalents. Sounds interesting!
The Science of Magic (Sunset Shimmer, Humane Five)
Pinkie Spy (Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash)
All's Fair in Love and Friendship Games (Lyra, Bon Bon)
Photo Finished (Photo Finish)
A Banner Day (Flash Sentry)

Summertime Shorts
This series of shorts aired on TV throughout the summer of 2017, explaining the name, though they're still in the process of being officially uploaded online. The first few shorts oddly take place during the first Equestria Girls movie, but the others are all at some point after Legend of Everfree. Only the songs are particularly worth checking out. Every short without a song is animated by a different studio, explaining the differences. Since they aren't linked, these will have short descriptions.
Make Up Shake Up (Rarity, Applejack) - While the girls prepare for the dance in the first movie, Rarity tries to put makeup on Applejack.
A Photo Booth Story (Humane Five, Twilight Sparkle, Photo Finish) - Photo Finish gets the girls to pose for photos during the dance.
Raise the Roof (Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Applejack, Rainbow Dash) - The girls compete in a dance off during the dance.
Steps of Pep (Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy) - Pinkie and Fluttershy are cheerleaders, and the latter's cheers are quiet.
Mad Twience [SONG] (SciTwi) - SciTwi uses love science to make a robot in an 80's style music video.
Monday Blues [SONG] (SciTwi, Sunset Shimmer) - SciTwi and Sunset sing a duet as they struggle their way to school on a rainy Monday. Shows Sunset's home.
Pet Project (Sunset Shimmer, Fluttershy) - Fluttershy helps Sunset find a pet. She chooses a lizard she names Ray.
Subs Rock (Celestia) - Celestia is a substitute teacher for a class, but her principal duties keep interrupting her.
Shake Things Up [SONG] (Applejack) - Applejack is bored at work and starts doing fancy tricks.
The Art of Friendship (Pinkie Pie, Sunset) - Pinkie tries to find inspiration for art class.
Epic Fail (Humane Seven) - The girls reflect on all of their epic fails.
The Canterlot Movie Club (Cutie Mark Crusaders, Pinkie Pie) - The, er, Canterlot Movie Club search for their lost movie tickets.
Get the Show on the Road [SONG] (Humane Seven) - The girls repair a bus to take their band on tour.
Leaping Off the Page (Rainbow Dash) - Rainbow gets overly invested in reading her Daring Do book.
Coinky-Dink World [SONG] (Pinkie Pie) - Pinkie tries to hook up two diners at the restaurant she works at.
Good Vibes [SONG] (Humane Seven, Flash Sentry, Trixie) - Everyone cheers each other up at their jobs in the mall.

Hot Topic Hot Minute
Notably, Twilight's short includes a clip from Equestria Girls of pony Twilight, before it was known that the movie would start in the pony world, which caused a lot of confusion.

Rarity's Boutique

Heartfelt Scrapbook

Celestia Thing

Netflix Birthday Video

Introduction
Season 1
Season 2
What is Equestria Girls?
Season 3
Season 4
Season 5
Season 6
Season 7
Online Shorts

 

[SigmasonicX]

Didn't read any fanfics, but I ended up reading Monochromatic's crazed ramblings about a Parent Trap style RariTwi story. The constant interjections made it pretty funny. I also learned she has an alt account where she also posts RariTwi stories, so I guess I have that in my backlog now.

On another shipping note, through this video, I came across the blog SciSet Daily, which is about SciTwi and Sunset's romance. What stuck out to me is that it's been consistently updating daily for a year, apparently, and it has a continuous story that actually develops. I can't think of any other MLP blogs that actually do that. The artist also did ED's current header. I don't plan on reading it, but I'm sure this will interest someone. I looked at the newest story arc, and the art and writing seem good.

 

[SigmasonicX]

I keep forgetting to do this, and I need to get this out of the way before the movie. Time to watch the second G1 special and the G1 movie! The former now, the latter sometime later.

Escape from Katrina
This special established the existence of cat people in the MLP franchise, as seen by Capper in the new movie. This is actually the TV show version, so I'm not sure if they cut anything for this, since they already split it into two episodes.

Looks like Sundance and (Baby) Moondancer are the main ponies of this special; I forgot the latter was a G1 character. Yeesh, those ponies have a slave camp right next to them and they don't even realize!

That nursery based on building blocks (spelling out BABY) is weird. Lyrics aside, Meghan's singing is pretty nice. Transitioning from the sleeping ponies to sleeping Katrina is weird.

Oh hey, Katrina has weather powers! Another connection to the new movie!

Jeez, the Rainbow of Light is weaksauce. How did it wreck Tirek but keep missing Katrina?

Meghan, you saw Katrina right? You're really just going to give the Rainbow of Light to clumsy Moondancer when she's still around? And indeed, she's captured right away, though she put up more of a fight than I expected.

The furry things are just hanging out around where they were enslaved? Talk about lazy.

Yeesh, they're threatening Katrina to turn good as she's sliding down a sheer wall to her doom. It worked, though.

The instruments of the songs are pretty good. Shame about the lyrics.

Katrina actually is a decently interesting character, with all the hinting about how she used to be better but changed, and her relationship with the lizard guy. They don't explore it much, but I'd say the actual process of her reformation is handled better here than Sunset's in the first EQG movie.

 

[SigmasonicX]

My Little Pony: The Movie (80's)
I watched The Cinema Snob's review just a few days ago, so it's already fresh in my mind what's coming up.

This long section of animals just messing around during winter is pretty pointless.

The witch sequences are more interesting, but they also can't just let a scene be, there's always some random gag or gross out moment. I actually do like this sequence of Hidea explaining how all their relatives are doing better than them, but it's barely a song.

So Lickity Split is getting a ton of focus, with her not fitting in because she wants to stand out. How does this character arc actually develop? Also, this is an annoying song.

Oh hey, I guess earth ponies are called earthlings. Happy music plays as they discover Lickity Split is gone. Yeesh, that's a bloody cockroach.

Brief parts of the witch sister's song are alright, but most of it is really annoying.

Oh hey, horns can itch after all. And it occurs to me that none of the ponies besides Lickity Split are getting much focus.

So, does them not getting the flume for the Smooze have any follow up? Yeesh, that's a hard cut from the Smooze forming to the bushwillies playing around. So, the ponies already know about the Smooze? The taller sister's mouth was still moving when the bat sandwich flew away, but no words came out.

They didn't establish Meghan and "the real world" at all until this point, more than 30 minutes in.

Some of the animation with the Smooze is pretty neat. The Smooze losing to then defeating the Rainbow of Light is set up weirdly, because the witches react to it losing and leave, but then immediately the Smooze defeats it.

Yeesh, no wonder the witch sisters didn't want to get the flume. Muchick's song is pretty pointless, especially since even after he gives the ponies a home, they point out they still have to beat the Smooze. Grundels have another pointless song.

The witches are acting like the Rainbow of Light actually defeated the Smooze, which is why they needed the flume, but that wasn't established well.

That flower catapult trick from Meghan made no sense. Oh what, the flutter pony in the well couldn't get out because her wings were wet, but as soon as she was pulled up, she was able to fly.

These evil trees are neat. Wow, way to just get yourselves caught in that giant spider's web. Who knew spider webs required the spider's concentration to remain intact.

I don't know why the flutter ponies insisted on staying out of this at first when they could defeat the Smooze so easily. I didn't realize the Rainbow of Light actually survived this.

In the end, the grundels didn't do anything. Their kingdom was Smoozed, but instead of restoring their old one, they just gave them a new place.

Overall, there were some fun moments, but it's less interesting than the other G1 specials.

==

Art dump.

Flurry Heart by abc002310
Sketchy Fluttershy by Graphene Draws
Twilight Sparkle by mirroredsea

Aurora-colored dress by Plainoasis
Softly, Slowly by mirroredsea
Equestria 2019 - Wub Runners by Ruhisu

Dj P0n3 by Bronyraimu
Stickers by The-Butcher-X
Fluttershy by 1420517047

Get It Off (Re-remake) by otakuap - It never goes away.
LUNA by abc002310
Celestia by abc002310

Play your part by CrazyDragonQueen
Chrysalis kimino by BlazeMizu
Help is coming by utauYan

Hugs! by Scarlet-Spectrum
Celestia by Sunsettide - First online art from this artist!
Oktociderfest by dsp2003

Via by Sunsettide
Princess Princestia by TracerHorse
She's Cute Oh No by MomoMistress

Twilight Sparkle by abc002310
Sunset Shimmer by abc002310
Sunset Shimmer in autumn

Applejack Day Off by aJVL
Fly away by INowISeeI

The fan game Starved for Light released new concept art, and it looks nice, though they're just asking for a C&D.
The grand fan musician anthology Ponies at Dawn is out!

My Tiny Pony - Pinkie Pie by doubleWbrothers - Next in the series of videos about troublesome super small ponies.

 

[Trigonometrize.]

Happy 7th anniversary everyone!

 

[SigmasonicX]

Happy 7th anniversary everyone!

Time to party!

Whoops, party's over.

Looks like this completely slipped the mind of everyone at ED.

EDIT: Everybody Talks by ZX is a decent PMV celebrating 7 years.

 

[SigmasonicX]

Did a bit of work on the Online Shorts part of the episode guide. I was planning on finishing it up this weekend, but didn't get around to it. Still, what's there should be useful.

THE 2017 PONYGAF MY LITTLE PONY: FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC VIEWING GUIDE

ONLINE SHORTS
Bold episodes and text are RECOMMENDED. [SONG] means the episode has a notable song.

Under construction.

As might be expected from a property like this, there are several shorts in addition to the TV and movie material. Equestria Girls gets far more focus in this area, due to it only releasing 3-4 episodes worth of material a year otherwise, and a large chunk of them use new songs. There are some shorts for Friendship is Magic, but they tend to reuse show footage and focus more on being informative than telling stories. The new dialogue makes them worth checking out, though, and later ones have some neat editing. Equestria Girls shorts are listed first.

Music video
Before the Equestria Girls movies, there was a 2011 commercial featuring a parody of "California Gurls" called "Equestria Girls", sung by Pinkie's singing voice, Shannon Chan-Kent. It was crazy enough seeing a commercial with a new song done in the style of fan-made PMVs (Pony Music Videos), but the online-only extended version featured a mindblowing shoutout to bronies and the first official use of the fan name DJ-PON3.

Rainbow Rocks prequels
These shorts were released before Rainbow Rocks. Five shorts explain how the girls got their instruments, and aren't particularly interesting, but are nice for seeing Equestria Girls versions of characters like the Diamond Dogs and the Flim Flam Brothers. These shorts oddly have the girls use magic in front of everyone, and no one reacts. The music videos, however, are pretty fun, and the first, featuring DJ-PON3, is definitely recommended.
Music to My Ears [SONG] (DJ-PON3)
Guitar Centered (Rainbow Dash, Trixie)
Hamstocalypse Now (Fluttershy, Rarity)
Pinkie on the One (Pinkie Pie, Humane Five)
Player Piano (Rarity)
A Case for the Bass (Applejack, Flim & Flam)
Shake Your Tail [SONG] (Humane Five, Twilight Sparkle)
Perfect Day for Fun [SONG] (Humane Five, Twilight Sparkle)

Rainbow Rocks encore
Still not satisfied by the huge soundtrack of Rainbow Rocks? Then have even more songs! All of these are pretty good and worth checking out, with "My Past is Not Today" being particularly popular. That short also explains Sunset's outfit change in Friendship Games.
Life is a Runway [SONG] (Rarity)
Friendship Through the Ages [SONG] (Humane Five, Twilight Sparkle, Sunset Shimmer)
My Past is Not Today [SONG] (Sunset Shimmer)

Friendship Games prequels
These shorts lead into Friendship Games, but in an even looser way than the Rainbow Rocks prequels. None of them are worth checking out, other than "All's Fair in Love and Friendship Games" showcasing fan-popular characters Lyra and Bon Bon, and it getting really weird. "A Banner Day" is about Flash Sentry hanging out with background humans that don't have pony equivalents. Sounds interesting!
The Science of Magic (Sunset Shimmer, Humane Five)
Pinkie Spy (Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash)
All's Fair in Love and Friendship Games (Lyra, Bon Bon)
Photo Finished (Photo Finish)
A Banner Day (Flash Sentry)

Summertime Shorts
This series of shorts aired on TV throughout the summer of 2017, explaining the name, though they're still in the process of being officially uploaded online. The first few shorts oddly take place during the first Equestria Girls movie, but the others are all at some point after Legend of Everfree. Only the songs are particularly worth checking out. Every short without a song is animated by a different studio, explaining the differences. Since they aren't linked, these will have short descriptions.
Make Up Shake Up (Rarity, Applejack) - While the girls prepare for the dance in the first movie, Rarity tries to put makeup on Applejack.
A Photo Booth Story (Humane Five, Twilight Sparkle, Photo Finish) - Photo Finish gets the girls to pose for photos during the dance.
Raise the Roof (Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, Applejack, Rainbow Dash) - The girls compete in a dance off during the dance.
Steps of Pep (Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy) - Pinkie and Fluttershy are cheerleaders, and the latter's cheers are quiet.
Mad Twience [SONG] (SciTwi) - SciTwi uses love science to make a robot in an 80's style music video.
Monday Blues [SONG] (SciTwi, Sunset Shimmer) - SciTwi and Sunset sing a duet as they struggle their way to school on a rainy Monday. Shows Sunset's home.
Pet Project (Sunset Shimmer, Fluttershy) - Fluttershy helps Sunset find a pet. She chooses a lizard she names Ray.
Subs Rock (Celestia) - Celestia is a substitute teacher for a class, but her principal duties keep interrupting her.
Shake Things Up [SONG] (Applejack) - Applejack is bored at work and starts doing fancy tricks.
The Art of Friendship (Pinkie Pie, Sunset) - Pinkie tries to find inspiration for art class.
Epic Fail (Humane Seven) - The girls reflect on all of their epic fails.
The Canterlot Movie Club (Cutie Mark Crusaders, Pinkie Pie) - The, er, Canterlot Movie Club search for their lost movie tickets.
Get the Show on the Road [SONG] (Humane Seven) - The girls repair a bus to take their band on tour.
Leaping Off the Page (Rainbow Dash) - Rainbow gets overly invested in reading her Daring Do book.
Coinky-Dink World [SONG] (Pinkie Pie) - Pinkie tries to hook up two diners at the restaurant she works at.
Good Vibes [SONG] (Humane Seven, Flash Sentry, Trixie) - Everyone cheers each other up at their jobs in the mall.

Hot Topic Hot Minute
Notably, Twilight's short includes a clip from Equestria Girls of pony Twilight, before it was known that the movie would start in the pony world, which caused a lot of confusion.

Rarity's Boutique

Heartfelt Scrapbook

Celestia Thing

Netflix Birthday Video

Introduction
Season 1
Season 2
What is Equestria Girls?
Season 3
Season 4
Season 5
Season 6
Season 7
Online Shorts

Seventh Anniversary Celebration
Derpibooru had a big event to produce art for this, and here's the tag. I'll post the more impressive ones at some later point.

An Equestrian Symphony by Rarity Advocate - Nearly 40 minutes of music devoted to pony. I don't know how to judge a symphony, but it's alright from what I've listened to so far.

Videos
Frigid & Friends - Incomplete but still cute animated about the OC Frigid Drift, whose videos I've posted in the past.
Princess Twilight Sparkle 3D Cake by How to Cook That, to tie into the movie.

It was Pinkie Pie day over at ED earlier this week, which included bringing back a lot of old art and comics. Copypasted from what I posted in the Discord chat.

Let's start with the depressing! Carnations and Forget-Me-Nots - I remember when that comic came out. I thought was bit too try-hard.

Oh, I remember liking this one. Twilight's expressions are good. Answering the Call

The Mythbusters comic is a classic. Today on Mythbusters: ponies

Oh hey, the artist of that Mythbusters comic still does some pony art, with at least three pieces this year. Most recent SFW one: Eyes Turned Skyward

I often mention this, but it's still a shame that the Time Off series was never completed. Time Off: Uplifting

Looking at this guy's other art (and no, he didn't make anything recently), here's one I don't recall seeing before that I like. Crepuscular in Nature - Also has a funny in hindsight description: "I say it's a fascinating thought, imagining how these ponies would look and act had they instead been humans. Though I can't say I regularly have such thoughts... so yes, it is fascinating."

This Salon article ED posted started out sort of alright, talking about how more women were joining the fandom, though the header art and the use of "females" by the interviewees was a red flag. But then it shifted to entirely focus on brony sex toys and kinks. Ugh. Bronies: the adult male fandom for My Little Pony might be the best male led nerd group for women.

End copypaste.

Let Me Think by Noctilucent-Arts
Dragon War by Nemo2D
Homemade by FluttershytheKind

Sky by MomoMistress
Luna by glacierclear
Good morning by Mechagen

Glimmy, The Shadow of War by VanillaGhosties
Sad Rara by PoisonJoke
Pinkie Pie MOVIE Ver by AKAINU7

Starlight by GamiJack
Twilestia - After a long day by YumeYuuheii
Wondercolt Sunset by NCMares

Kite by Ramiras

October Fluttershy
Rarity by abc002310
Flickering by Chirpy-chi - Animated at the link.

Hi by Haden-2375
Discord by Sunsettide
Small Sanctuary by InuHoshi-to-DarkPen

Lady Luna, Mistress of the Moon by FoughtDragon01
Rainbow Rain by Camyllea
Discord by Bra1nEater

Rainbow Dash (head) by Akweer
Sundress by Amarynceus
Midnight Swim by xXMarkingXx

Straighten Up Pinkie by DocWario - I didn't get this until I read the comments, but Fluttershy attempted to straighten Pinkie's hair, so Pinkie wan't to curl Fluttershy's.
Autumn is Here by MomoMistress

In the webcomic Friendship is Dragons (latest issue), it's been adapting "Best Night Ever", and the way it's handling Blueblood is clever. He actually is attracted to Rarity here, but he's the leader of the Thieves Guild and a stalker, so it looks like they'll be intentionally wrecking the Gala.

 

[Toothless]

After really enjoying the movie, I've decided I'm going to rewatch the series/continue it when I reach season 5, one episode a day. I'll post my thoughts here on every episode:

Friendship is Magic, Part 1: The first episode is pretty interesting. It feels a lot more rudimentary than I remember, aiming for an appropriately young demographic, unlike season 2 which goes more anarchic with its humor. There’s a lot of cringey stuff in the first half of this episode in particular. The characters seem very simplistic but that’s fine since Faust is trying to introduce seven main characters in a single pilot and none of them have had their great character development yet. Still Rarity and Fluttershy’s introductions turn the episode around pretty well. Spike is also awesome from the beginning. It’s kinda funny to think that Equestria has only really had one active princess for 1000 years but four years from this pilot they’ll have four princesses and a chaos god all helping run things. The art style feels a lot cheaper than I remember but I chalk that up to the first season not being the phenomenon it became with the budget being raised In later seasons. Still this is a decent pilot and I look forward to watching part 2 tomorrow.

 

[SigmasonicX]

After really enjoying the movie, I've decided I'm going to rewatch the series/continue it when I reach season 5, one episode a day. I'll post my thoughts here on every episode:

Ooh, we haven't had episode commentary in long time. Though if you're just watching one a day, you'll be here a while, haha.

When I first started the series, I was only really familiar with it through GIFs, so I was surprised to see that Rarity wasn't the main character. I had assumed Twilight was a Team Rocket style ineffectual villain, from that "The Ticket Master" GIF of her being tossed up and down and her having darker fur then everyone else. I was pleasantly surprised she was actually the main character.

The first episode does have a lot of "early installment weirdness", particularly with how childish the characters are and the music. We never hear the guitar version of the theme again, for instance, after it plays during the scene where Twilight runs home, leading to Spike's introduction. You can hear how Applejack's voice is much higher than it is later. Fluttershy's interest in Spike is dropped, but it was actually meant to establish a sort of love triangle.

While I consider the pilot among the weaker two parters, there are things it did well that the movie could have used. At the time, people cited Twilight's sarcasm and distaste for other ponies as a way for them to ease them in, and the movie only did this sort of thing with the villains. And of course, it focuses on the actual main characters for the whole thing, instead of overloading people with characters.

 

[Toothless]

Ooh, we haven't had episode commentary in long time. Though if you're just watching one a day, you'll be here a while, haha.

When I first started the series, I was only really familiar with it through GIFs, so I was surprised to see that Rarity wasn't the main character. I had assumed Twilight was a Team Rocket style but ineffectual villain, from that "The Ticket Master" GIF of her being tossed up and down and her having darker fur then everyone else. I was pleasantly surprised she was actually the main character.

The first episode does have a lot of "early installment weirdness", particularly with how childish the characters are and the music. We never hear the guitar version of the theme again, for instance, after it plays during the scene where Twilight runs home, leading to Spike's introduction. You can hear how Applejack's voice is much higher than it is later. Fluttershy's interest in Spike is dropped, but it was actually meant to establish a sort of love triangle.

While I consider the pilot among the weaker two parters, there are things it did well that the movie could have used. At the time, people cited Twilight's sarcasm and distaste for other ponies as a way for them to ease them in, and the movie only did this sort of thing with the villains. And of course, it focuses on the actual main characters for the whole thing, instead of overloading people with characters.

I figure it'll take a while, but hey, that means i get to savor it more. I think I honestly thought Rainbow was the main character first time around, simply because she's got most of the memes and the best design (imo). Yeah, the theme showing up in the music feels very odd to me, and that adds a lot to the "PBS Kids" vibe of the pilot to me. And wait, there was supposed to be a love triangle between Spike, Fluttershy and Rarity? That's really bizarre. And eh, I still like the movie more than this if just because it's fun to see the ponies go on an adventure clearly outside Equestria. Then again, part 2 of the pilot is a better than the first part from my memory, so maybe I'll dig that more later today.

 

[SigmasonicX]

I figure it'll take a while, but hey, that means i get to savor it more. I think I honestly thought Rainbow was the main character first time around, simply because she's got most of the memes and the best design (imo). Yeah, the theme showing up in the music feels very odd to me, and that adds a lot to the "PBS Kids" vibe of the pilot to me. And wait, there was supposed to be a love triangle between Spike, Fluttershy and Rarity? That's really bizarre.

Well, not so much love. The thing where Fluttershy obsessed over learning more about Spike from her introduction was originally intended to be a consistent character trait. It's hard to say if that would have developed into a crush, but I think we can guess how fans would have interpreted it.

Also, Pinkie was supposed to be the only character who sang, for another bit of weird trivia.

And eh, I still like the movie more than this if just because it's fun to see the ponies go on an adventure clearly outside Equestria. Then again, part 2 of the pilot is a better than the first part from my memory, so maybe I'll dig that more later today.

Oh, I wasn't comparing the quality of the two. It's just that having a more cynical and sarcastic perspective character at the start might have helped people get into things more easily, compared to how the movie handled it.

 

[Toothless]

Well, not so much love. The thing where Fluttershy obsessed over learning more about Spike from her introduction was originally intended to be a consistent character trait. It's hard to say if that would have developed into a crush, but I think we can guess how fans would have interpreted it.

Also, Pinkie was supposed to be the only character who sang, for another bit of weird trivia.

Oh, I wasn't comparing the quality of the two. It's just that having a more cynical and sarcastic perspective character at the start might have helped people get into things more easily, compared to how the movie handled it.

I suppose that's true on the movie. I'm glad they avoided those other two ideas too since imo just Pinkie singing would be dull and Fluttershy not being obsessed Spike makes her a much more fit for kindness. Speaking of which...

Friendship is Magic, Part 2: The second part of the pilot is still a mixed bag. I can’t really say it does a poor job introducing the characters, but it still feels much more on-the-nose than I remember this show being. Applejack and Fluttershy blatantly stating their elements is the worst of it, and the episode feels like it’s rushing through vignettes so that way the elements at the end make sense. That said, Rarity’s scene is fantastic and there’s some good humor here and there. Still, this is all clear setup for the lore of the world and characters that, upon rewatch, feels more like a refresher than a good watch. Hopefully I start enjoying these more once I get into the slice of life episodes (I’d be surprised if I don’t but still) as I found the pilot very rudimentary as a two parter.

 

[SigmasonicX]

Friendship is Magic, Part 2: The second part of the pilot is still a mixed bag. I can’t really say it does a poor job introducing the characters, but it still feels much more on-the-nose than I remember this show being. Applejack and Fluttershy blatantly stating their elements is the worst of it, and the episode feels like it’s rushing through vignettes so that way the elements at the end make sense. That said, Rarity’s scene is fantastic and there’s some good humor here and there. Still, this is all clear setup for the lore of the world and characters that, upon rewatch, feels more like a refresher than a good watch. Hopefully I start enjoying these more once I get into the slice of life episodes (I’d be surprised if I don’t but still) as I found the pilot very rudimentary as a two parter.

It's clear that at this point, they weren't sure what they would be allowed to get away with. I recall that they originally had a much cuter design for the manticore, and were pleasantly surprised when they got notes back saying to make it scarier. Similarly, dragons were originally going to be much prettier until they got the go-ahead to make them menacing.

And of course, there's Nightmare Moon herself, who mildly inconveniences our heroes and wrecks the mustache of a random river serpent. It's funny comparing her here to all of her later appearances in flashbacks, etc., where they try to bring her up to the standard of later villains. IIRC, she doesn't even fire an energy blast, or directly attack anyone besides her charging toward Twilight.

For the actual "element trials", Rarity's worked best, since it demonstrates something not readily apparent about her personality, using a solution none of the others would have thought about. Fluttershy's also worked in that regard. Every other trial simply required not being an idiot.

I remember being really impressed by Twilight's brief fight with Nightmare Moon, because it was a TV-Y fight that had actual strategy, with Twilight teleporting behind her.

There are other weird things about this episode. For one thing, a lot of what we learn about Nightmare Moon here gets contradicted later, most notably by "Luna Eclipsed". Celestia doesn't actually appear until the final scenes. And of course, there's the fact that Luna takes so long to start consistently appearing.

The pilot is generally accepted as a weak story, and for that reason, many recommend other "first episodes" for people to watch. I myself did that, but I have come to think that it's really better to start at the start, at the beginning of the characters' journeys. After all, Twilight developing from a cynical grump who just wants to get through this quickly to someone celebrating the magic of friendship makes her the perfect viewpoint character for this show.

 

[Trigonometrize.]

I've never met anyone that loves the pilot. The only good scene is Fluttershy's intro — perfectly executed (though in retrospect, her drop off of interest in Spike is a little weird. I guess the novelty wore off when she found out it's Spike).

"Now listen here. What I'm saying to you is the honest truth. Let go, and you'll be safe."

 

[DrForester]

I enjoy the pilot quite a bit. I thought it was a great into to the world, and unlike most the other 2-part episodes, was a good ensemble story.

I'd put the S2, S5, and S6 openers above it, but still think it was a good way to start out the show.

 

[Sciz]

And of course, there's Nightmare Moon herself, who mildly inconveniences our heroes and wrecks the mustache of a random river serpent. It's funny comparing her here to all of her later appearances in flashbacks, etc., where they try to bring her up to the standard of later villains. IIRC, she doesn't even fire an energy blast, or directly attack anyone besides her charging toward Twilight.

I dunno, this always made sense to me. She's still Luna, ultimately, just with all the caps on her jealousy and vaingloriousness ripped off. Protecting ponies still ranks highly on her priority list, hence she goes for scare tactics and blockades over direct force.

 

[SigmasonicX]

I dunno, this always made sense to me. She's still Luna, ultimately, just with all the caps on her jealousy and vaingloriousness ripped off. Protecting ponies still ranks highly on her priority list, hence she goes for scare tactics and blockades over direct force.

I suppose that makes sense.
But wait, she did try to kill them by destroying that cliff!

On another note, a week late, but here's a bunch of seventh anniversary art

Anniversary by dankflank

Celestia by pabbley
Tempest party by drake
Congrats by variant

Derpy by meggchan
7th Year of Magic by riza23
Wish by thebatfang

Cake by pirill

Seven years of ponies and friendship by FlutterThrash
Friendship is Magic turned 7 today by raikoh
Hugging by n0nnny - This GIF of just Twilight is the actual anniversary image, but this is the final version. Linking to Derpibooru because source blog is NSFW.

Happy birthday MLP <3 <3 by tcn1205
Happy 7th Anniversary My Little Pony by JonFawkes

 

[Toothless]

For the actual "element trials", Rarity's worked best, since it demonstrates something not readily apparent about her personality, using a solution none of the others would have thought about. Fluttershy's also worked in that regard. Every other trial simply required not being an idiot.

I remember being really impressed by Twilight's brief fight with Nightmare Moon, because it was a TV-Y fight that had actual strategy, with Twilight teleporting behind her.

There are other weird things about this episode. For one thing, a lot of what we learn about Nightmare Moon here gets contradicted later, most notably by "Luna Eclipsed". Celestia doesn't actually appear until the final scenes. And of course, there's the fact that Luna takes so long to start consistently appearing.

The pilot is generally accepted as a weak story, and for that reason, many recommend other "first episodes" for people to watch. I myself did that, but I have come to think that it's really better to start at the start, at the beginning of the characters' journeys. After all, Twilight developing from a cynical grump who just wants to get through this quickly to someone celebrating the magic of friendship makes her the perfect viewpoint character for this show.

Yeah, if I was being harsh on Fluttershy's trial, it's more that I wasn't into her blatantly saying "Kindness" at the end of it. It's a much better scene than any that isn't Rarity's. Saving Celestia's reveal to the end is kinda weird, especially when Luna disappears for a long while after it.

I enjoy the pilot quite a bit. I thought it was a great into to the world, and unlike most the other 2-part episodes, was a good ensemble story.

I'd put the S2, S5, and S6 openers above it, but still think it was a good way to start out the show.

From what I remember the S2 opener was my favorite two-parter, but that's mostly due to how it suddenly went very dark from what S1 had to offer.

The Ticket Master: The premise of this episode is really amusing to me because Celestia just saw Twilight make all these friends; why make her pick a BEST friend so soon? The ending where it seems like she just slipped her mind salvages the odd premise, but it still is funny to me. Not a fan of Fluttershy humming the theme and is Blueblood Luna’s son or... what? These issues are really just nitpicks though, because this episode is actually pretty fun despite the generic plot line. It functions well as a second pilot as we really get to know all seven leads well throughout and there are a ton of fun gags, including that awesome Benny Hill scene. The charm that originally drew me to the show is finally present and I look forward to my next episode, in spite of it being an Applejack episode.

 

[SigmasonicX]

The Ticket Master: The premise of this episode is really amusing to me because Celestia just saw Twilight make all these friends; why make her pick a BEST friend so soon? The ending where it seems like she just slipped her mind salvages the odd premise, but it still is funny to me. Not a fan of Fluttershy humming the theme and is Blueblood Luna’s son or... what? These issues are really just nitpicks though, because this episode is actually pretty fun despite the generic plot line. It functions well as a second pilot as we really get to know all seven leads well throughout and there are a ton of fun gags, including that awesome Benny Hill scene.

That reminds me, there's a series of fan videos with Celestia sarcastically reacting to Twilight's letters, which could be worth checking out.

For Blueblood, the Word of Faust is that he's related to Celestia and Luna's aunt, but that doesn't make much sense with how the lore has developed. The common theory is that he's actually a descendant of Princess Platinum (portrayed by Rarity in the play from season 2's "Hearth's Warming Eve").

One fun fact about the episode is that it was the first one written, back when the show was planned to have 12-minute episodes. It was then padded out to its current length. While you can probably see the seams after learning that, they were able to fill the time remarkably well, with several memorable scenes. Notably, the Benny Hill chase scene, which stuck out to me when I first watched it too.

The charm that originally drew me to the show is finally present and I look forward to my next episode, in spite of it being an Applejack episode.

 

[Village]

Question

Does anyone here keep track of some of the commissions the comic artists do at conventions and such?

 

[SigmasonicX]

Question

Does anyone here keep track of some of the commissions the comic artists do at conventions and such?

You can generally find them on Derpibooru by searching for that artist, but there are complications. The biggest one being that the artists don't post all of their commissions online, so it's up to the commissioner to post it. Often they don't, or if they do, it's on a Twitter account no one notices.

 

[SigmasonicX]

Patreon clamping down on adult content. This seems huge for a lot of pony fan artists.

 

[Trigonometrize.]

Patreon clamping down on adult content. This seems huge for a lot of pony fan artists.

Kind of strange that there's not a clear distinction between artistic depiction and real life. Are they really not going to allow someone's incest drawing of Twilight and Shining Armor fucking?

 

[ShinySylvee]

Kind of strange that there's not a clear distinction between artistic depiction and real life. Are they really not going to allow someone's incest drawing of Twilight and Shining Armor fucking?

It could be worse then that, they could potentially categorize show porn as bestiality or ban EQG porn due to them likely being underage. I doubt that Patreon will care about pony stuff but it could potentially happen.

EDIT: Also I don't really think that it would fall under either of those categories but the case could be made

Lightning round early episode thoughts:

The Pilot is probably the worst 2-parter for me. It's not awful but it feels like a lot of wasted potential because it's really clear that they have the kiddie gloves on. Nightmare Moon has one of my favorite designs but she never directly confronts the Mane 6 until the very end, instead choosing to indirectly hinder them instead. It suffers from the episode feeling fairly formulaic as it introduces each character one at a time and then later each one has to step in and do something to save the day. It's not as bad here as in a lot of other Season one episodes and it's kinda necessary but it's still a bit iffy and since it's having to work to establish everything the actual story suffers for it.

Ticket Master I remember liking a lot more before then I do now. It was one of my favorite Season 1 episodes but looking back it's fairly repetitive. As I mentioned before Season one had a lot of episodes where each character takes a turn doing/reacting to something and this episode is basically nothing but that. It does a much better job at showing off each of the character's personalities then the pilot though. I mentioned it a while back but it's weird going back to season 1 episodes because the production quality is noticeably lower, a lot of the VAs are still figuring out the characters, and many of the plots feel like they're 11 minute stores that have to be stretched out to fit 22 minutes.

 

[SigmasonicX]

Now that things have escalated with Chris Savino, I feel it's worth bringing up in this thread. He's been fired from Nick for the sexual harassment claims against him, dating back years. What makes him relevant here is that he actually did write some episodes of FiM: "Boast Busters" and "Stare Master".

This new information about him could really put a damper on those episodes. While the premise for "Boast Busters" called for a boastful male unicorn, it was actually Savino who came up with the character of Trixie and her speaking style (source: Lauren's comment). If there's one bit of solace, it's the fact that Trixie has developed significantly past what's presented in that episode, without his input.

GAF threads about this:
Nickelodeon Suspends Chris Savino (Creator of The Loud House)
The Loud House' Creator Chris Savino Fired By Nickelodeon

 

[Toothless]

For Blueblood, the Word of Faust is that he's related to Celestia and Luna's aunt, but that doesn't make much sense with how the lore has developed. The common theory is that he's actually a descendant of Princess Platinum (portrayed by Rarity in the play from season 2's "Hearth's Warming Eve").

One fun fact about the episode is that it was the first one written, back when the show was planned to have 12-minute episodes. It was then padded out to its current length. While you can probably see the seams after learning that, they were able to fill the time remarkably well, with several memorable scenes. Notably, the Benny Hill chase scene, which stuck out to me when I first watched it too.

The Princess Platinum theory makes sense. I'm surprised he's never returned to the show after season 1, honestly. Seeing that apparently Gilda and Trixie have returned multiple times makes confused why they haven't returned to the Blueblood well. As for the padding, I don't really mind it. Mostly because it allows all the main characters to really have equal screentime, and honestly, if Ticket Master happened a few seasons later, I doubt I would've got any Spike in it anyway.

it's weird going back to season 1 episodes because the production quality is noticeably lower, a lot of the VAs are still figuring out the characters, and many of the plots feel like they're 11 minute stores that have to be stretched out to fit 22 minutes.

Yeah I agree, especially on the first two points. The animation is a lot stiffer than I remember in these episodes, and Applejack's voice is distractingly high for me. I'm sure it'll get better, but it's a lot rougher than I remember.

Applebuck Season: Talky Big Mac is bizarre. That honestly kinda overshadows the rest of the episode to me. It’s as decent as an Applejack episode can be; her going crazy is always fun. Big Mac just shouldn’t be talking so much. I do find it interesting that the episode really avoids showing her actually harvesting the orchard. We see bits and pieces of it as Twilight talks to her, but really, it’s all just the escalation of her exhausted state that we see. Fluttershy is once again the best part of the episode, and this episode also really showcases why the over-focus on Twilight’s friendship reports hurt the first season. Forcing Twilight to be an audience surrogate hurts this really being an Applejack episode, and although I’m not a big fan of her, I definitely the episode would be improved if it was more from her perspective. The gag of Pinkie in slow motion is great too. Overall, decent for an Applejack episode but just average overall.

 

[SigmasonicX]

Yeah I agree, especially on the first two points. The animation is a lot stiffer than I remember in these episodes, and Applejack's voice is distractingly high for me. I'm sure it'll get better, but it's a lot rougher than I remember.

Compared to most other US/Canadian Flash cartoons, season 1 is still pretty nice, especially looking at its contemporaries. Plus, the art style goes a long way. Regarding Applejack's voice, I recall hearing that it was the first one Ashleigh Ball used in her audition, and they just said, "Perfect! Let's go with that!" But it turned out it absolutely wrecked her vocal cords, which is why she deepened her voice until it reached its current level.

Applebuck Season: Talky Big Mac is bizarre. That honestly kinda overshadows the rest of the episode to me. It’s as decent as an Applejack episode can be; her going crazy is always fun. Big Mac just shouldn’t be talking so much. I do find it interesting that the episode really avoids showing her actually harvesting the orchard. We see bits and pieces of it as Twilight talks to her, but really, it’s all just the escalation of her exhausted state that we see. Fluttershy is once again the best part of the episode, and this episode also really showcases why the over-focus on Twilight’s friendship reports hurt the first season. Forcing Twilight to be an audience surrogate hurts this really being an Applejack episode, and although I’m not a big fan of her, I definitely the episode would be improved if it was more from her perspective. The gag of Pinkie in slow motion is great too. Overall, decent for an Applejack episode but just average overall.

Big Mac was only in the very beginning of the episode, right?

I don't think shifting the focus to Applejack would have really helped this story, given that the driving force is the other characters trying to change her mind. Now, Applejack could have used more focus episodes that actually focused on her to avoid the background pony jokes, but this story wouldn't have worked for that.

While some season one episodes did make strange contortions to incorporate Twilight's friendship report, I don't think this was one. She was heavily involved throughout the episode, and played enough a part in the learning experience to actually learn from it.

As for Twilight being the audience surrogate, I thought it mostly worked in the first season, as we're just getting to know these characters exactly like she is. I could see the argument that they should have moved away from this in the second half of season one, as opposed to season two, but I think it was absolutely the right move at the start.

Anyway, this episode is memorable for me both on its own merits and how often footage was used in early fan videos. My Real Ponies, the John Madden video (An average day in Ponyville? Or something like that), that 1000 subscriptions video with Touhou music, etc. Silly Pony Applejack was great, from baked bads to the bunny stampede.

Fun fact: apple bucking originally involved hitting your head against the tree. That was supposed to be why Applejack was getting so loony, not just simple tiredness.

 

[Sciz]

Friendship reports were kinda hokey but also consistently heartwarming, and then 100% justified by Discord's episode anyway.

 

[ShinySylvee]

Yeah I agree, especially on the first two points. The animation is a lot stiffer than I remember in these episodes, and Applejack's voice is distractingly high for me. I'm sure it'll get better, but it's a lot rougher than I remember.

Applebuck Season: Talky Big Mac is bizarre. That honestly kinda overshadows the rest of the episode to me. It's as decent as an Applejack episode can be; her going crazy is always fun. Big Mac just shouldn't be talking so much. I do find it interesting that the episode really avoids showing her actually harvesting the orchard. We see bits and pieces of it as Twilight talks to her, but really, it's all just the escalation of her exhausted state that we see. Fluttershy is once again the best part of the episode, and this episode also really showcases why the over-focus on Twilight's friendship reports hurt the first season. Forcing Twilight to be an audience surrogate hurts this really being an Applejack episode, and although I'm not a big fan of her, I definitely the episode would be improved if it was more from her perspective. The gag of Pinkie in slow motion is great too. Overall, decent for an Applejack episode but just average overall.

It's kinda weird because the Pilot doesn't have these issues, at least not to the extent that most of the first season episodes did. It does get better as the season goes on though.


Rewatching Applebuck Season made me realize there's some legit good gags in the episode. Unfortunately the actual plot is fairly painful for me to sit through with it having an extremely obvious conclusion and the main character being unreasonable up until the episode ran out of time so they had to accept help. This episode was definitely one of the biggest that was hurt by the 22 minute run time as the episode is extremely repetitive.

Yeah Big Mac was weird to see in the episode. At this point anything other then just one word responses is treated like a joke so him speaking fairly casually is odd.


To build on what Sigma said, it's also odd going back to old episodes because like 2/3rds of the lines are memes now. The whole time you're just going "oh yeah I remember that from this video."

 

[Toothless]

Compared to most other US/Canadian Flash cartoons, season 1 is still pretty nice, especially looking at its contemporaries. Plus, the art style goes a long way. Regarding Applejack's voice, I recall hearing that it was the first one Ashleigh Ball used in her audition, and they just said, "Perfect! Let's go with that!" But it turned out it absolutely wrecked her vocal cords, which is why she deepened her voice until it reached its current level.

Yeah, it's definitely better than some other Flash cartoons, but like I'd honestly say I like Foster's more. Then again that always had a bigger budget.

Big Mac was only in the very beginning of the episode, right?

He shows up again near the climax with a big line too. It's just weird.

I don't think shifting the focus to Applejack would have really helped this story, given that the driving force is the other characters trying to change her mind. Now, Applejack could have used more focus episodes that actually focused on her to avoid the background pony jokes, but this story wouldn't have worked for that.

While some season one episodes did make strange contortions to incorporate Twilight's friendship report, I don't think this was one. She was heavily involved throughout the episode, and played enough a part in the learning experience to actually learn from it.

As for Twilight being the audience surrogate, I thought it mostly worked in the first season, as we're just getting to know these characters exactly like she is. I could see the argument that they should have moved away from this in the second half of season one, as opposed to season two, but I think it was absolutely the right move at the start.

I get all your points. I suppose it's just that I'm more into the later seasons' styles of storytelling compared to the more simplistic nature of season 1. I guess I just gotta get used to it for the time being.

Friendship reports were kinda hokey but also consistently heartwarming, and then 100% justified by Discord's episode anyway.

That's a good point. I remember getting goosebumps in the Discord episode when they're brought up.

To build on what Sigma said, it's also odd going back to old episodes because like 2/3rds of the lines are memes now. The whole time you're just going "oh yeah I remember that from this video."

The Oatmeal meme in Ticket Master got me pretty good though.

Griffon the Brush-Off: This is a really good introduction to both Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash stories. Both are very in-character and both nail what make both characters so likable despite their obvious flaws and flirting with obnoxiousness. Fluttershy has the best line of the episode with “I’m a year older than you,” but it still remains Pinkie and Rainbow’s episode in every sense. Gilda is an interesting antagonist especially since before she really starts bullying everyone, she’s pretty sympathetic if in a state of arrested development. The only reason her comeuppance works is the twist involved, and one I’m glad I forgot before I watched this episode. The best episode so far, with a lot of memorable moments and two great characters at the center of it.

 

[Sciz]

Griffon the Brush-Off is a great episode right up until Gilda's jerk rampage, which reeks of the script wandering off in its own direction and being forcibly hammered back into line to fit the predetermined moral. Everything up until that moment paints it as an episode about how your friend is still your friend even if her social circle is bigger than just you, and then it derails into something about good friends and bad friends sorting themselves out.

Bleh. Seven years on and I'm still sour about that.

 

[SigmasonicX]

Yeah, it's definitely better than some other Flash cartoons, but like I'd honestly say I like Foster's more. Then again that always had a bigger budget.



He shows up again near the climax with a big line too. It's just weird.



I get all your points. I suppose it's just that I'm more into the later seasons' styles of storytelling compared to the more simplistic nature of season 1. I guess I just gotta get used to it for the time being.



That's a good point. I remember getting goosebumps in the Discord episode when they're brought up.



The Oatmeal meme in Ticket Master got me pretty good though.

Griffon the Brush-Off: This is a really good introduction to both Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash stories. Both are very in-character and both nail what make both characters so likable despite their obvious flaws and flirting with obnoxiousness. Fluttershy has the best line of the episode with “I’m a year older than you,” but it still remains Pinkie and Rainbow’s episode in every sense. Gilda is an interesting antagonist especially since before she really starts bullying everyone, she’s pretty sympathetic if in a state of arrested development. The only reason her comeuppance works is the twist involved, and one I’m glad I forgot before I watched this episode. The best episode so far, with a lot of memorable moments and two great characters at the center of it.

Griffon the Brush-Off is a great episode right up until Gilda's jerk rampage, which reeks of the script wandering off in its own direction and being forcibly hammered back into line to fit the predetermined moral. Everything up until that moment paints it as an episode about how your friend is still your friend even if her social circle is bigger than just you, and then it derails into something about good friends and bad friends sorting themselves out.

Bleh. Seven years on and I'm still sour about that.

In short, I agree with Sciz, but it's nice that they address it again in season 5.

But more importantly, if you haven't already, make sure to join PonyGAFchat. Quote to see:

 

[Battlechili]

I saw The My Little Pony Movie not too long ago at the theater, and I think it was really good!

It was also a collection of film and game tropes I've already seen before in other works, but nonetheless, it was great. Tempest made a great antagonist, and her song "Open Up Your Eyes" towards the end was pretty excellent, though I'm a sucker for songs sung by villains in these sorts of films. She was threatening and made her power very much apparent to the viewers, yet at the same time the movie did well enough (if a bit too easily) to make her endearing and not just evil for the sake of evil. She had a reason for her being the way she was. The Storm King was pretty cool too, though he unfortunately didn't get much characterization. He was just your typical evil villain character, but he was at least funny. I will say though that while the animation and art themselves were excellent, they used CGI a lot to give locations the appearance of having depth and also for certain magic scenes, and it just looked really out of place. The movie was also tonally bizarre, and I think it might've scared one of the kids watching because towards the end one kid in the theater started crying and her father had to take the child out. Its just strange, like its trying so hard to be serious at parts while still trying to be cutesy in others. Overall I liked it though, and despite needing to be at least a bit more creative and original, its something I could recommend.

Also as a result of watching the movie I now feel like I should catch up on the series. I haven't watched it since season 3. The movie has reinvigorated my interest in things.

 

[Slamtastic]

That discord invite is dead. Hit a guy up.

 

[Ogodei]

That discord invite is dead. Hit a guy up.

Yeah PonyGAF. I missed talking about the episode on Saturday :-/

 

[draetenth]

Well, at least we have this thread to talk about the last two episodes before the show goes on break.

 

[SigmasonicX]

Hey everyone!
Post your favorite ponies!

My favorites are Twilight and Rarity, and nothing beats them together

 

[ShinySylvee]

The two-parter was written by Josh Haber, who has written or co-written the past 4 two-parters that have aired going all the way back to Cutie Re-Mark. His history has been a bit inconsistent, although I've personally been a very large fan of both Cutie Re-Mark and To Where and Back Again, and found the Starlight and Spike parts of the Crystalling to be pretty neat. At this point he more or less seems to be their epic story guy since McCarthy and Larson have both either moved on to do movies or have moved on altogether. His heading of the show back in season 6 has been fairly controversial, but all of that aside how does he fare here? Alright, I suppose.

To start things off the episode had a bit of buildup to it, in a similar vein as Twilight's Kingdom. Unfortunately I feel like many of the stories introducing all of the pillars were not very interesting and were all in fairly weak episodes overall. The only one that I thought was particularly good was Mistmane's and she barely does anything in the episode. In fact, none of the pillars aside from Starswirl don't really do much of consequence in the episode, who didn't have an establishing episode at all. I'll probably talk about the non-Starswirl pillars and their future in the show in-depth at a later date, but at this point I'll just say that most of the comic stories were better then the brief ones that we got in the show and I hope that they can build upon these characters in later seasons as they have interesting visual designs but at this time don't feel like they're really living up to their potential. It's nice to see some continuity through the season and have it build up to the finale, especially in a fairly unexpected way (or at least unexpected if you didn't read the description of the episodes) but I do feel like it could have been more interesting. It doesn't really feel like the finale builds upon those stories. Rather it just feels like they exist so when they showed up in the finale people weren't going "ok who are all these people?"

A lot of the Mane 6 suffer similar fates as their ancient counterparts, especially once the plot gets rolling. The fetch quest in the first part seems to largely exist just so they have something to do, because aside from that all of them besides Twilight and Starlight do very little to actually impact the plot of the story. My favorite of the diversions is definitely Rainbow's. Garble was fairly fun back in Gauntlet of Fire and he's similarly amusing here. Also Rainbow just taking off with the shield rather then beating it from Garble in the race was unexpectedly funny. Rarity's was kind of silly, the caretaker had been watching over it for years and never cleaned it up? Or hired someone else to do it? AJ's feat of extreme strength was similarly immersion-breaking. It was nice seeing Daring Do in Pinkie's one, and Fluttershy's was pretty unremarkable. As a whole the ordeal is too brief to really feel like gathering all of the items is much of an achievement and just feels like a diversion, although I suppose given how little they appear outside of the quest having the Mane 6 go on it is better then nothing.

One thing I will say though with all of the Pillars is that it's really cool that they're actually delving fairly deep into the lore of the show. One of the things that I always really liked about the show is that there was actually a lot of worldbuilding that went into it and it's awesome that they seem to be focusing more on expanding it. Starswirl was always a character that I was hoping would eventually make an appearance in the show one way or another and so the idea that he might end up being a mainstay and play a significant role going forward has me giddy. The brief cameo with the Sirens was a fitting callback. And learning of the origin of the Tree of Harmony was neat too, and the explanation is pretty satisfactory. It's played such a central role to the show so far so finding out where it came from was nice. I just hope that some of this stuff can be followed up on. As I said before the Pillars weren't introduced in the best way and aside from Starswirl none of them really have much to do here, so I hope that later they can be fleshed out in Season 8.

As for the main plot it's a bit predictable at times but overall I liked it quite a bit. The dynamic between Twilight, Starlight, and Starswirl is engaging and makes a lot of sense. Twilight's idolization of Starswirl is well-established and it builds off the portrayal that she had back in Royal Problem where she was extremely worried about Starlight challenging the Royal Sisters even when they had a problem. Starlight likely sees herself in Stygian and when Starswirl says that people like him are beyond redemption she fittingly takes it personally. It's also nice to see how differently Twilight and Starlight react around Starswirl as similarly to Royal Problem it does a great job at highlighting the differences between the two characters. And Starswirl is established fairly well as an elitist old magician that is difficult to impress and is reluctant to admit he's wrong. It's understandable why he would jump to the conclusion he did, although all the rest of the pillars not inquiring about it at all felt a bit weird. Maybe they all just decided to agree with Starswirl since he was the de facto leader. Bringing it back together it was fitting that despite Starlight spending most of the episode disagreeing with Twilight, when it came down to it she stuck by her and vouched for her effectiveness in helping people. Seeing Starlight rub it in that she was right to Starswirl at the end was pretty satisfying too.

Unfortunately I feel like the Pony of Shadows was one of the weaker villains that the show has had. His visual design is fairly unimpressive. His backstory is interesting but we barely got to see any of Stygian before the transformation so hopefully we'll be able to see more of that in Season 8. Perhaps the biggest problem is that he never actually feels like a threat. Right off the bat he gets rebuffed by Twilight, and then when he tries to take her out Starlight helps and the two are able to handle him pretty effectively to the point where he runs away soon after. And during the final confrontation there's never really any point where it feels like the good guys have any remote chance of losing. He never really gets a chance to show off how powerful he actually is, rather we're just told that he's a serious threat. The only real tension is whether or not the ponies will have to give up the Elements of Harmony to stop him. Lastly personally his obsession with darkness and his voice make it extremely hard to really take him seriously. He doesn't do anything entirely wrong but at the same time he's never really gotten a chance to shine because he is barely even in the 2-parter and both times he appears he's instantly defeated.

One last note about the climax, it's kinda weird that there's all of those characters there but the only ones that end up actually doing anything are Twilight and Starlight while everyone else just sort of stands there.

Presentation-wise things are largely just adequate here aside from the fantastic opener. I really like when the show deviates and goes for alternate art styles, and it was cool to see here. Beyond that there were some memorable expressions but aside from that most of the shots were adequate but nothing spectacular, which is a bit disappointing because it is the finale and most of them have traditionally gone above and beyond in that department. Voice-wise the actor for Starswirl is pretty fitting and he pulls it off nicely. As I said before the Pony of Shadows was tough to take seriously, and Stygian was fairly unremarkable when he didn't have a massive filter over his words.The music at the beginning sounds like it's from somewhere. Was it already used before?

As a whole the dynamic between Twilight, Starlight, and Starswirl was very interesting and that combined with all of the new lore made the finale enjoyable for me, even though there were a couple of more iffy parts, some of which were more or less unavoidable. Most 2-parters have troubles making just the Mane 6 all feel relevant, and this episode had 14 characters to worry about. It's inevitable that some are going to feel left out and the fetch quest attempting to remedy this a bit was a gesture that was at least appreciated even though it wasn't all that effective. If I were to rank it among the other Haber 2-parters I would put it far above The Crystalling but put it a bit below Cutie Re-Mark and To Where and Back Again. (Although it's worth mentioning that those two are among my favorite 2-parters that the show has had) I would say it was a satisfying ending to what has been one of the best seasons of the show, even if there were a couple issues with it.

 

[Jawmuncher]

Has discord shown up in the latest season?

 

[SigmasonicX]

Has discord shown up in the latest season?

Yes, he has! Going to post more about him later, but everyone else go ahead and talk about him, and I'll respond later.

 

[Lupin the Third]

Please someone tell me all about Discord as he relates to PonyGAF, preferably privately if possible.