YMMV / My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic (IDW) Issue 38 to 39

• Broken Base: The ending didn't really gel with a few fans. Granted Diamond Tiara going back to her usual ways was a given since this is set before her Character Development kicked in. But Snips and Snails line of not wanting to hang out with the CMC at the end rubbed most the wrong way after everything they went through and defying their Scrappy status. With most seeing it as a ham-fisted way of restoring the status quo. Though others didn't mind their joke at the end.
• Harsher in Hindsight: Diamond Tiara asking "What's the big deal deal about a crown?", giver her cutie mark, accessory, and name, is played for laughs here. This comic was written and takes place before Crusaders Of The Lost Mark revealed she had substantial self-esteem issues over this. An annoyed looking Silver Spoon in the same panel replies "Seriously, who cares?", and has her leaving Diamond when she gets too insufferable. Given Diamonds reaction, it's another Foreshadowing for the same things happening in the episode.
• Heartwarming Moments:
  • A small one, but Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon telling the CMC, Snips, and Snails to join them in their hiding place to save them from the bear. The two of them didn't need to do that, and were risking letting the bear know where they were, but they still did.
  • Snips and Snails using their horns to dig Sweetie Belle's hoof out of the ground when it gets stuck. They may be dopey, but they aren't leaving behind a fellow classmate.
  • Then when the bear passes over their cave, Diamond Tiara and Apple Bloom cling to each other for dear life. It's a possible Foreshadowing to what happens in Crusaders Of The Lost Mark.
• Nightmare Fuel:
  • The bear chase. Unlike the bears that Fluttershy's been seen with, this one is very much a dangerous wild animal trying to kill them!
  • Diamond Tiara dangling off a tree branch from a cliff, followed by Apple Bloom falling and having to grab her tail.
  • The foals getting trapped by the eroding cliff during a rainstorm.
  • The howling wolf that scares the foals before they go to sleep in the cave.
• Rescued from the Scrappy Heap: Snips and Snails. They are portrayed here as legitimately funny Cloudcuckoolanders and actively help the Crusaders and Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon throughout the issue, most notably using their horns to dig Sweetie Belle's rear hoof out of the ground when it gets stuck.
• Tear Jerker: Diamond Tiara's reaction to being left alone. Especially in light of Crusaders of the Lost Mark.

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