I'm wondering if Discord's chuckle at learning that there exist a pony named "Tree Hugger" is a form of Lampshade Hanging. Usually, no attention at all is given to the weird names of the ponies....
I have doubts about Discord being a Villain Protagonist here. I know it seems like an obvious fit at first, but you have to remember that he's not really a villain any more.
When I asked about this trope to settle a similar question about Rainbow Dash in Tanks for the Memories, the answer that I got from a mod (here
) was that it's not a trope that's meant to apply temporarily. So if you accept the idea that Discord isn't a villain any more, he can't qualify for Villain Protagonist "in the context of one episode."
I see this as more of a continuation of his Reformed, but Not Tamed status. Considering Fluttershy is his first friend (c.f. "Keep Calm and Flutter On") and is still the only pony who spends any time with him, his jealousy is almost excusable, and is certainly justified considering his background. He still has much to learn about Friendship and Magic, and I expect the writers to get a lot of mileage out of handing him the Conflict Ball this season.
It still fits. He may not be a villain as far as the whole series is concerned, but for this episode he's the source of all the strife and problems. He's pretty much having a relapse into villainy, most obvious when he threatens to banish Tree Hugger to another dimension. He's also indubitably the focus character of the episode. Thus he's the Villain Protagonist for one episode.
I think the important thing to remember is that Discord isn't just a villain for this one episode. He started as a villain, and while he's on his way to reforming, he still stumbles and slides back into old habits. I'll admit, Villain Protagonist might not fit here, but it fits more than in "Tanks for the Memories".
Checking the Villain Protagonist trope, it mentions that it applies to a whole story, and that something limited to an episode would be a Villain Episode. So, we should discuss whether this is an example of this trope specifically, rather than Villain Protagonist.
Villain Episode is about changing perspective for one episode only, not the character's nature, so we're still faced with the same question about Discord's permanent classification.
^^ I actually would say that Villain Protagonist is an even worse fit for that episode. Rainbow Dash has never been an actual villain, and character classifications (regarding whether a character is a hero or a villain) aren't supposed to apply for single episodes. The solution we used there was to use Temporarily a Villain instead, since it was unusual behavior for Rainbow Dash.
Discord is a trickier case because he's pretty much been through a Heel–Face Revolving Door. However, I feel that overall, he's been presented as...well, a "non-villain" since his initial Heel–Face Turn, if not necessarily the most trustworthy guy around.
Yes, looking back, both tropes don't fit. His more important role in the episode fits with A Day in the Limelight.
Do we really need to add She Cleans Up Nicely as a trope just because everyone's dressed up? Does that really count as "surprisingly attractive"? The example as it was written doesn't even specify any particular characters apart from Celestia, who is the last character I would have applied it to. (She's always had an appearance as elegant as one would expect from The High Queen, even if she wasn't always wearing formal attire.)
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I didn't like the entry either; I think it should stay out. The Gala itself falls under Dances and Balls, and girls/women getting farpitzed and getting up-dos for Dances and Balls is Too Meaningless To Trope.
EDIT: The only in-universe reaction to the up-dos and the dresses is Applejack's She Is All Grown Up reaction to Applebloom, which is a completely different trope.
Edited by pvsage
I think we could use a judgment call on Actually Pretty Funny. I had deleted it previously because I was under the impression that the target of the joke herself (in this case Twilight) had to find it funny for the trope to fit; in this case, Twilight doesn't find it funny at all.
EDIT: Request for judgment call retracted; I see now that this trope applies when those close to the insultee laugh, and that if Twilight also found it funny it would be Insult Backfire.
tl;dr: Disregard this remark.
Edited by pvsage
K.Lynch96
During Discord's comedy routine, after his "materializing out of thick air" joke, he says the words, "tough crowd" while facing the camera. Would this qualify as an example of Breaking the Fourth Wall, an Aside Glance, or neither?
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Neither, as the camera's POV is from the audience within the show. Not even sure it's a Fourth Wall Psych, as we already know he's addressing the Gala goers as an audience by that point. The phrase itself is Stock Shtick though.
Edited by pvsage
I don't know if anyone will get to read this, specifically the ones behind it, but I've been watching the edit war going on here and it's getting annoying. Constantly changing the edits back and forth is nothing short of childish and takes the fun out of tropes.
For those responsible, PM each other and learn to compromise, k?
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See my query on Ask The Tropers. I've never seen anything quite like this before, but it doesn't look to me like a mere Edit War.
In this episode, the Cutie Mark Crusaders (more specifically, Apple Bloom) react negatively to Discord's visit, despite being an honorary member of the CMC in the IDW Comics. Does this count as a Plot Hole, or something else? Just wondering, because no one else has mentioned it.