Hello there! I see you've come back for more ponies, huh? Well brace yourselves, because the first episode commentary is here!
I know I told you people that this would be updated once a week, but hey, yesterday it was Sunday, and today is Monday, so technically, it is a new week!
For this liveblog, I'll be watching the episodes in order, so that means that today's episode, "Friendship Is Magic, Part 1", is the very first one. It is also, as I've already told you, the only one I've watched before. Will my opinion on it change after a rewatch? Let's find out! But first of all...
Recap:
As soon as the episode starts, we're treated to a class lecture on Equestrian history. The short version is that, a long time ago, two alicorn (winged unicorn) sisters ruled over the land. The oldest was in charge of bringing up the sun every day, and the youngest brought up the moon every night. After a while, the younger one realized that their pony subjects loved the day and failed to give a flying buck about the night, so, in a graceful display of maturity, she trew a hissy fit: She became Nightmare Moon (GASP!) and threatened to bring forth eternal night! (GASP!). So the older sister used the most powerful magic on existence, the magic of the Elements of Harmony, to defeat her, and vanquished her to the moon (presumably through a swift buck in the flank).
After those 36 seconds of catchiness, we see Twilight Sparkle running around with a book, while other ponies talk behind her back about how weird she is and how she cares more about books than people. It's sort of like the beginning of Beauty and the Beast, except without a song. She's running towards her house-slash-library. Once there, we meet her dragon slave assistant Spike, who gets into some background slapstick shenanigans while Twilight frantically looks through her books and rambles about "The Mare in the Moon", and how she will come back to Equestria in the longest day of the thousandth year or something, and bring forth nighttime eternal! (GAAASP!)
Concerned about the possibility that Equestria might not see the light of the day again (GAAAAAAAASP!), Twilight decides to send a letter to Princess Celestia, the ruler, but since she's apparently too lazy to do it herself, it's poor Spike who has to write. I sure hope he gets paid, at least. Twilight's letter is full of doomsays and complicated words, and when it's finished, Spike protests that Princess Celestia is going to be busy because of the upcoming Summer Sun Celebration, but Twilight makes a huge fuss about how it's precisely that day when Nightmare Moon (GAAAAAASP!) will return, so Spike sends it to Celestia with his funky dragon magickz.
Spike belches out the response (No, really) in ten seconds flat, so I guess Celestia is a very fast writer. Celestia tells Twilight not to worry, because that whole "Mare in the Moon" thing is a load of bologna, and also says that she needs to get a life (I'm paraphrasing), so she sends her to the neighboring town of Ponyvile to check on the festival preparations and, most importantly, to make some friggin' friends. She's transported there in a carriage pulled by a pair of pegasi. And what a curious pair of pegasi they are. Not only do they look exactly the same, as if they were clones, but they also make normal horse noises, instead of talking like the other horses in this show. I think Celestia is to blame, I've heard she's been experimenting with genetic engineering.
Unfortunately for the princess, Twilight has decided she’ll limit herself to checking on the preparations, since she wants none of that pesky “friendship” thing. Still, Spike urges her to talk to somebody, and she does talk to somebody indeed, it’s just that this “somebody” is Pinkie Pie, the local nutcase, who runs away as soon as she sees her. She must be really ugly by pony standards.
The first stop our heroes have to make in Ponyville is the cosy little farm of Sweet Apple Acres, which is in charge of the festival’s food. It’s there where we first meet everybody’s favourite country mare, Applejack. She eagerly welcomes Twilight in her silly pony southern accent, and declares her a friend. She also offers her a sample of the food, and by “a sample” I mean a pile bigger than herself, and introduces her to her extended family, all named after apples. And Twilight didn’t even ask. Ah, hospitality. Goofy country music plays during this entire sequence, adding another layer of epicness to an already rather epic scene.
After being forced to have “brunch” with the Apple family, and with a noticeable belly bulge, Twilight goes check on the weather. Yes, gentlemen, here in Equestria even the weather is taken care of by someone, and her name is Rainbow Dash.
Rainbow’s meeting with Twilight follows the ages old trope of the crash. Better revise those landing lessons, Rainbow. Since Twilight’s gotten a little dirty, Rainbow cleans her up with some rain n’ rainbows, which messes up her mane quite a bit. Rainbow and Spike both ROTFL at the sight. Rainbow then reveals that she’s been practicing to become a member of the Wonderbolts, a group of acrobat ponies, which makes her lack of landing skills all the more incriminating. Twilight teases her that they’ll never accept a Pegasus that can’t clear the sky, but Rainbow promptly shuts her up by clearing it up in ten seconds. Yes, the whole sky, apparently. We may have a new world record!
Next, Spike and Twilight go to Rarity’s workshop, to check on the festival decorations. Twilight Sparkle finds the decorations beautiful, Spike finds Rarity beautiful. Twilight’s mane is still messed up, and Rarity, being a fashionista, can't stand to see her like this, so she takes her to the dressing room and... Puts her in a variety of dresses, for whatever reason. She also obsesses over Canterlot, Twilight's hometown. In pure Snagglepuss fashion, Twilight decides to "Exit, stage right!" before she, in her own words, "decides to dye [her] fur a new color".
And last, but not least, is the music, which is covered by Fluttershy and her singing birds (Which is a good name for a choral ensemble, if you ask me), who are practising for the night. Fluttershy, like most tropers, has trouble socializing. Unlike most tropers, she's cute. When Twilight asks her for her name she has a little trouble letting the words out (She sounds like a little mouse), but as soon as Spike approaches, she goes into full "EEEEEE OMG ADOWABLE" mode over him. The ladies just can't resist Spike's charms. So enamored is Fluttershy with Spike, that she follows our duo to the place where they're staying for the night, the Ponyville library, while Spike tells her his life story. His whole life story.
Upon entering the library, it turns out that Pinkie Pie has decided to throw Twilight a SURPRISE PAR-TAY! Everyone is there! Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Derpy... Twilight is not very amused, and she's even less so when she ends up accidentally drinking tabasco sauce. "Aw, she's so happy she's crying!", says Pinkie, and then eats a cupcake with tabasco, because really, why not?
After such an exhausting day, Twilight goes to her room to attempt to catch some Zs, but she can't due to all the PARTYHARD going on. Spike enters the room with a lampshade on his head, go figure why. I wish we could see what's going on in that party. Or most likely I don't. In any case, chances are high many ponies will wake up with terrible headaches tomorrow. Spike tells Twilight to lighten up, but she doesn't because she's curmudgeonly like that. She then complains that all this friend making is preventing her for learning about the Elements of Harmony. Friend making? Like EW! I mean really, who would want to make friends? It turns out that Twilight is still worried about the Nightmare Moon (GAAAAAAAAAASP!) thing, but she doesn't have much time to think about it, because it's time to watch the sunrise! Summer Sun Party, here we go!
Our six main characters go to what I suppose is the town hall or something, where Fluttershy's birds give a beautiful chirp concerto in C minor, and the mayor gives a speech in some sort of accent (Or maybe it's just me. Does Mayor Mare really have an accent?). Apparently, Princess Celestia is supposed to be there, but she's nowhere to be seen. I suppose this is some sort of bad omen, because everyone freaks out.
And maybe they are right.
Suddenly, a cloud of sparkly dark blue fog begins to materialize in the middle of the room and...
KABOOM!
 |
IT'S FRIGGIN NIGHTMARE MOON! (GAAAAAAAAAASP!)
So Twilight Sparkle was right? Making friends really was a waste of time?
Everyone is freaking out, this time for a good reason. The Cutie Mark Crusaders huddle together, but the group won't be formed until a later episode, effectively making this a continuity error. Rainbow Dash tries to charge against Nightmare Moon, but Applejack grabs her tail with her teeth. "WOAH DERE, NELLY!", says Applejack in silly southern. Pinkie tries to guess who that black mare who just appeared is, and Applejack shoves an apple in her mouth to shut her up. More proof Applejack is awesome. Apparently, only Twilight remembers who the mysterious mare is. She's Nightmare Moon (GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASP!), and she's here to shroud Equestria in eternal nighttime! (GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASP!)
TO BE CONTINUED...
Moral of the episode: If someone whines and moans about everything and anything, then s/he's most likely in the right.
(Review on next page!)
Comments
