Hey, you didn't think The Young Six would miss out on their own comic tie in, did ya?
Come one, come all, to the School of Friendship's very first sporting event-the Feats of Friendship! As Sandbar, Smolder, Gallus, Ocellus, Yona, and Silverstream prepare for the new competition, they realize they're going to need one more pony to round out their team. Enter Swift Foot, a mysterious new exchange student! But will she help strengthen the Young Six's bonds of friendship-or just drive them apart? Jealousy threatens our favorite youngsters in this brand-new miniseries!
Feats of Friendship is the eighth spin-off series in the My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic comic series, replacing the Spirit of the Forest series.
Notable for being written by Ian Flynn (writer for Sonic the Hedgehog (Archie Comics) and Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW)).
This series provides examples of these tropes (for more, please also visit the character guide):
- A Day in the Limelight: For the Young Six.
- Big Bad: Swift Foot.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Just like Cozy Glow before her, Swift Foot comes off as nice and friendly, but is rotten underneath. (That is, until her Heel–Face Turn).
- Fantasy Counterpart Culture: Thrace is very clearly based on Ancient Greece, and is directly named after the Greece-adjacent classical kingdom Thrace
. Interestingly, the Thracians are Earth Ponies, despite the pre-Equestrian Pegasi having been long established as the show's equivelant to ancient Greece. - Greater-Scope Villain: Swift Foot's father King Diomedes, who is the real mastermind.
Tropes applying to individual issues:
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Issue # 1
- Written by Ian Flynn
- Blank White Eyes: Swift Foot displays these at the end of the issue.
- Breaking the Fellowship: Swift Foot manages to divide the Young Six by pointing out their disadvantages.
- Condescending Compassion: Swift Foot uses this to drive a wedge between the Young Six, claiming that the cultures of the non-pony members aren't given the proper respect, and that Sandbar is being forced to put his friends ahead of himself.
- Fangs Are Evil: Swift Foot displays a pair of fangs while contacting her father.
- Fantastic Racism: Swift Foot doesn't think much of non-pony species, dismissing the rest of the Young Six in their first meeting to talk to Sandbar.
- Freeze-Frame Bonus: In Swift Foot's room, there's a blank spot on the wall where a portait of Celestia used to be, with the portrait lying in the trash.
- Love at First Sight: Sandbar falls head over heels for Swift Foot the instant she steps into the classroom.
- Wham Line: At the end.Swift Foot: I'm calling to report, father. I'm in.
- Wham Shot: At the end Swift Foot pulls off the cutie mark sticker on her flank, revealing an emblem of sorts. Who it signifies, we don't know yet, but it's clearly someone malicious.
Issue # 2
- Written by Ian Flynn
- Accidental Hero: Swift Foot ends up unintentionally winning the first event for her team while running from a wild orthrus.
- Continuity Nod:
- An Orthrus was last seen in "Trade Ya!".
- The final challenge of the issue is a battle against a chimera, a creature last seen in "Somepony To Watch Over Me".
- Ocellus transforms into a Cyclops-clops, one of the fictional creatures from the "Out of the Shadows" storyline.
- Downer Ending: The issue ends with the Young Six arguing heavily, and Swift Foot gloating over her victory.
- Egopolis: King Thrace, upon seemingly being left out as the other pony tribes united, created his own civilization on an island, naming the island "Thrace", and his tribe "Thracians".Swift Foot: In retrospect, he wasn't very creative at naming things.
- Hope Spot: After the chimera is defeated, Swift Foot briefly reflects on whether or not she just witnessed the true power of friendship. This then gives way to the Young Six arguing amongst themselves.
- The Leader: After Swift Foot's false flattery in the previous issue, Gallus tries to take charge of the team, but Swift Foot's other machinations means they barely listen to him.
- Start My Own: After King Thrace seemingly found himself left out of the three tribes coming together for the first Hearth's Warming, he decided to form his own kingdom.
- Summon Bigger Fish: In order to contain the Chimera in the third event, Sandbar forces Ocellus to turn into a Cyclops-clops.
- Unreliable Expositor: King Thrace. The Thracians' belief that friendship is a curse is due to the fact they were not even invited to join the other three tribes during the founding of Equestria despite freezing just like them, forcing them to live on a barren island. However, in the flashback it appears that King Thrace (who was representing his tribe) didn't even bother to try joining in and were just sitting there in the sidelines freezing while watching the whole thing unfold while we never see any signs of rejection from the three tribes or that they were even aware of the Thracians' existence.
- Virtue Is Weakness: Swift Foot (and the Thracians as a whole) considers friendship to be a "vile lie" and a "weakness", which she hopes to expose by ruining the Feats of friendship.
- Wham Line: These thoughts after the recounting of how the three pony tribes united.Swift Foot: While forgetting the '''fourth tribe''' that was there that day.
Issue # 3
- Written by Ian Flynn
- Abusive Parents: King Diomedes appears to be this; when Swift Foot releases she's late, she fears his wrath. And he responds to her surprise at being chosen for the mission (which he takes as a refusal) with anger, she bows down in terror.
- Achievements in Ignorance: In reconciling their friendships, the Young Six unknowingly reform Swift Foot by proving to her how strong friendship really is.
- An Aesop: Friendship can be hard work sometimes, but with a healthy dose of forgiveness and communication, you can make it work... and it is totally worth it.
- Becoming the Mask: Swift Foot ends up becoming the very friend she only pretended to be before.
- Big Sister Bully:
- Swift Foot's twin older sisters, Blonn-Di and Shining Light, who weren't very nice to her, purposefully not telling her that their father had summoned her for a mission until it was late in the day, getting her into trouble as a result.Swift Foot: You made me late!
Blonn Di: It's our word against yours, brat.
Swift Foot: Shining Light?
Shining Light: What? It's your fault for being so easy to pick on. - Her eldest sister, Terri Belle, seems to avert this, being more curt and guiding.
- Swift Foot's twin older sisters, Blonn-Di and Shining Light, who weren't very nice to her, purposefully not telling her that their father had summoned her for a mission until it was late in the day, getting her into trouble as a result.
- But Now I Must Go: Swift Foot leaves Ponyville during the medal ceremony, deciding to try and bring friendship to the other Thracians.
- Continuity Nod: The final challenge for the Young Six's team is a magical construct of a hydra, a creature last seen in "Feeling Pinkie Keen".
- Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: King Diomedes is convinced that sabotaging the Feats of Friendship will destroy Equestria's belief in friendship itself, leaving them ripe for conquest.
- Heel–Face Turn: Swift Foot, after seeing the Young Six reconcile their friendship, realizes just how powerful friendship is, and casts aside her society's anti-friendship beliefs.
- Irony: In the previous issue, Swift Foot, in her attempts to drive the Young Six apart, made Gallus think he should lead the group. During the final round of the Feats of Friendship, Gallus actually proves himself to be a good leader, coming up with a winning strategy.
- Mirror Match: Part of Gallus' strategy for taking on the hydra is for Ocellus to turn into another hydra.
- My Hovercraft Is Full of Eels: The result of Silverstream trying to speak yak.Silverstream: I was trying to say "we do care and we're trying" in yak.
Yona: Haw! You are saying "we need more mayo for the trout bike!" - Never My Fault: Shining Light claims she and Blonn Di bullying Swift Foot is her fault because she's "so easy to pick on".
- Oblivious Guilt Slinging: When Swift Foot questions how the Young Six can still want her on their team after everything she's done, Silverstream responds by saying she only showed nothing but compassion and concern for them and their cultures. Swift Foot of course knows she did the exact opposite.
- Punny Name: Two of Swift Foot's sisters, Blonn Di (Blondie) and Terri Belle (Terrible).
- The Reveal: Swift Foot is revealed to be a princess and daughter of Diomedes, the new king of the Thracians.
- Sequel Hook: At the end of the issue, Swift Foot leaves Ponyville, intending to enlighten her fellow Thracians of The Power of Friendship... and is ready to fight to protect her new friends if they refuse.
- Shout-Out: The Thracians and the royal family are all references to Diomedes of Thrace and his carnivorous mares in Greek Mythology. King Diomedes is named after Diomedes, of course, and his children's names are references to the names of the mythical Diomedes' mares: Swift Foot references Podargos (the swift), Blonn Di Xanthos (the yellow), Shining Light Lampon (the shining), and Terri Belle references Deinos (the terrible).
- Tears of Remorse: Swift Foot weeps when the Young Six once again offer her their friendship, as she now regrets everything she did to them.
