I barely even remember them. I only remember Fancy Pants as "that guy Rarity met once in season 2".

As far as the Round Robin goes, I currently have 6 people (Rainbow, Kyler, Rytex, Lord Vatek, Meta Four and myself). Hopefully we can get a few more.

Post of the Day #2275

I think their appeal was that Fancy was a genuinely pleasant character in a sea of two-dimensional stuck-up socialites and he had some good interactions with Rarity, he picked up steam as a character at least certain sections of the fandom cared about, and by the time he had faded from relevance he and Fleur had picked up enough momentum to remain as reasonably popular characters in the fandom. This sort of separate evolution of fandom trends compared to show canon is something I always found mildly fascinating, honestly.

Also, it looks like MLP is back in full on Netflix. Hooray, I think? I have no idea what's going on anymore.

Anyway, regarding the latest episode: was I reading way too much into this, or was Rockhoof the TV-Y version of suicidal?

Also, it looks like MLP is back in full on Netflix. Hooray, I think? I have no idea what's going on anymore.

Hey, you're right! And there's no longer a removal date listed. I guess they were just stalling for time the whole time while negotiating a longer contract like I suspected.

Sorry. I have been struggling to log into mobile.

Anyway, the "Fluttershy becomes a dragon" rumour was started by a voice actress making a mistake. She was talking about the fact that Flutterguy had the same voice actor as the dragon from Dragonshy. (It would still be a great episode though)

Also, I'm always interested in the Round Robin,It's a great way to practice writing situations I never expected to. (That said, I really need to get back to my fanfics)

A Nyway, I have to agree with Tobias that a Scootaloo fanclub feels a bit patronising. And that while Scoots needs to learn the importance of safety (and Lightning Dust was basically turning Scoots into a child slave she was willingly endangering against her slave's wishes), being a stuntpony is a natural fit for her and she needs a career that doesn't require her to fly. And one showing disabled people can have active lifestyles is great (my mother was a blind quadriplegic, so I appreciate support of those with disabilities, and that's why I adore the idea of Scoots being disabled).

Rockhoof has a lot of charisma in this new episode. Which I enjoy a lot. He was one of the weaker pillars in my opinion back during Shadow Play. P Artly because I wasn’t much a fan of the story that introduced him (AB’s squeal gag aside).

This one actually makes that story retroactively feel a little better somehow. Rock kinda talks and moves like someone who used to have a much smaller body before miraculously gaining a larger one. He has a lot of energy and moves around a lot.

@Ginger: If it's the case that he still hasn't completely adjusted to his body being bigger, that makes even more sense as to why Rockhoof's biggest issue is that he doesn't seem to know how to control his strength very well. I had just assumed that he was just having trouble finding a job where he could use his strength, but even jobs that would require a lot of physical strength would need that strength to be controlled. For example, even if he helped dig holes or something else on the Apple farm, he'd still need to make sure he was digging the correct things, or that he didn't dig too big a hole and/or too many. And then it turned out that he was just as suited to a non-physical job, that of being a storyteller (although maybe he could also do physical work if needed).

When you brought it up, my first reaction was to wonder why he would still need to adjust to his size by this point, but then I remembered that we don't exactly know how long it was between the time he first gained his bigger size and superstrength, and when he became a Pillar and then got sealed in limbo. If he was still in any way adjusting to his bigger size at the time he was sealed away, since it doesn't seem like time progressed for the Pillars while they were sealed, then that adjustment process would go back to continuing once he was unsealed. (I have not read the comic book stories about the Pillars, so I don't know if anything there would give a sense of how long Rockhoof had his superstrength before being sealed or if he even had any issues with not being able to control his new strength back then.)

Edited by Rainbow on Sep 15th 2018 at 3:39:31 AM

Well, Rockhoof's Legends of Magic comic takes place immedaitely after the legend AJ told, and covers his first months on the Mighty Helm. Stygian's story picks up sometime later, after Rochoof's heroic deed has already spread through ancient Equestria.

And there's really no sense of how much time passed between Stygian forming the Pillars, and the fight against the Pony of Shadow.

In neither story there's any moment that strikes me as an example of Rockhoof not being able to handle his strength, but there's not many moments to see something like in the episode. It's either downtime with the Mighty Helm/the Pillars, training with the Mighty Helm, or fighting a threat.

An important detail. None of the stories make explicit reference to him magically becoming huge like in AJ's tale. When Stygian is narrating what he knows about Rockhoof, he mentions that it is said he was cut from the rock of the mountain (presumably the volcano next to his village). In his own story, there's vague allusions to him being rejected from the Mighty Helm despite his efforts and training, and the bed in his house is really small for his body.

Also, if that aspect of the legend is true, the magical enhancement on his body is not active. He heeds to mantain himself in shape.

Edited by MrSeyker on Sep 15th 2018 at 5:57:04 AM

So, it looks like Friendship is Magic is staying put on Netflix and I'm not the only one noticing it. (Wish the same could happen with Archer, but whatever.)

Sweet! It'll be a great palette cleanser if/when I watch something heavier like The Dragon Prince or BoJack Horseman!

Also, I'm always interested in the Round Robin,It's a great way to practice writing situations I never expected to.

Great! That makes seven. Now we just need a couple more people before we can start.

I'm now wondering how the ethics of shipping Yona and Rockhoof compares to shipping Rare and Spike.

Um

Uh

: :|

:I

...Yes.

@Ginger: Well, in comparison to Rarity/Spike, both pairings would involve a notable age gap (the gap between Rockhoof and Yona is probably bigger even if we discount the time he spent in limbo) and species difference, but pairing Yona and Rockhoof would also involve the power imbalance of a teacher/student romance, since as it is now, Yona sees Rockhoof as her mentor. Plus, he was officially her teacher for a short while. Finally, neither of them currently has any romantic inclinations toward the other in the show, unlike with Spike's crush on Rarity, but when has that ever stopped shippers?

On a different Rockhoof subject, the episode made me wonder if his problem of trying to find a job/purpose in modern Equestria was meant to be a reference to people whose long-time jobs become obsolete and then they have to find a new way to use their skills (and/or learn new ones).

Edited by Rainbow on Sep 16th 2018 at 8:38:04 AM

Post of the Day #2276

Speaking of Blueblood, I'm surprised that he's one of the few prominent characters from season 1 to never return.

He made a cameo in that Rarity Takes Canterlot episode (Not the actual name).

"Sweet and Elite" would be the episode's name. He appears during Rarity's "Becoming Popular" song, where he and Rarity give a send-off to a blimp that's presumably having its first voyage (it's meant to be similar to how a ship's maiden voyage would be treated).

Edited by Rainbow on Sep 16th 2018 at 11:58:20 AM

08x21 - A Rockhoof and a Hard Place

"Stop that!" "But that's what this is for." This episode starts off as being basically what everyone wanted from the Pillars wandering off to see the world. Pretty much the exact point of drama fans anticipated: you can't go home again.

"Perhaps you could use his unusual talents?" Well, that didn't last long. In fairness, there isn't a lot of material to work with.

The whole "Man out of Time" bit works for Captain America because of the values dissonance between the romanticized ideal of "Back in the day" and the ugly reality of today. The character's pretty much become a walking Nostalgia Filter, criticizing and judging the way things are by juxtaposing them with a living icon of "The good old days, when MEN were MEN and people had morals and we treated women fairly etc. etc." It's a dynamic that works - so long as you ignore the rose-tinted goggles through which the past is presented - because Captain America is meant to be an unshakable moral paragon and the world around him a broken and corrupt society.

Equestria, however, is not a broken and corrupt society, so I assume Rockhoof's Man out of Time bit is meant to work the other way; instead of a Holy Paragon of Moral Rightness, he's just a fish out of water, lost in a world he doesn't understand. There's only so much of that you can do at his village's archaeology site.

"That apple's made of wood! What a horrible trick to play!" Which also means that he's allowed to be the butt of the joke, since his ancient sensibilities aren't meant to be treated with moral reverence.

"So join me in welcoming Professor Rockhoof to our faculty." I would like to believe that Twilight vetted him and found an appropriate subject matter for him to teach, but I think we all know that this school runs purely on nepotism. His literal reason for being here is that the chief archaeologist wanted him to go away. Teaching is a fallback career after he got fired as Chief Archaeologist Pesterer.

In Rockhoof's defense, I don't know what that pony was so uptight about. Destroying priceless historical artifacts is exactly what archaeology's all about, isn't it? That's what Indiana Jones and Lara Croft have taught me.

"There's nothing you can't do with hard work and a shovel!" The moral of this episode is that you shouldn't hit things with your shovel on a whim. I wonder who would win in a fight between Rockhoof and the Shoveler?

"And he smashes things like a yak, smells like a yak—" "Yes! HE PERFECT." D'aww. Yona has a Teacher Crush. That's adorable.

"I'm your new Theory of Defensive Friendship teacher." You laugh, but a buddy who can come to your aid is easily among the most useful tools a person can have in a crisis situation. A friend who has your back can mean the difference between life or death.

"We just studied all about how Princess Celestia and Luna used a spell to trap Discord in stone-sleep for hundreds of moons." Ocellus needs to study harder, because they used the Elements of Harmony to do that.

Also, don't ask Rockhoof questions about history. He's been MIA for over a thousand years. Celestia and Luna probably weren't even rulers of Equestria when he vanished. He doesn't know shit about the past.

"This may be the fastest friendship problem you ever solved." AJ should know better than to count her apples before they ripen.

"The students were just so interested in my tale." You know, Rockhoof isn't that much bigger than the other ponies. The fact that he keeps walking into foliage is his own damn fault.

"Saving the school!" I don't know what the explanation is going to be but in his defense, this is a very reasonable response to a sudden fire breaking out. Rockhoof is totally in the right here. You don't take chances with flames leaping out the windows. You do not shrug that off and go, "Meh, it's probably nothing." IT'S NOT NOTHING. THE BUILDING IS ON FIRE.

Fire alarms exist for a reason. You don't take chances with fire, especially in a school building.

"You know, dragons. Having a fire-breating competition?" Indoors? No. F*ck off with that, Smolder. You do that shit outside and away from flammable materials. Indoor flames are no joke; they're to be kept carefully contained, which is the opposite of a fire-breathing competition. I don't care if you're competing to see whose flame is bigger, hotter, or more destructive, because none of those have any place occurring inside the school.

Rockhoof did nothing wrong. At least, not this time.

"We do it all the time." Then you're wrong because that shit needs to happen outdoors. The fact that the school regularly hosts fire-breathing competitions inside the building between one student and one faculty member is just another item for the long list of reasons for why this school couldn't get EEA accreditation even if Dracula wasn't alarmingly racist.

Twilight's gone overboard with the freedom to disregard EEA rules and landed firmly in "Pfft, what safety regulations?" She's gone mad with power! That time she accidentally legitimized slavery was a warning sign all along! Doom is upon us all!

"So apparently finding Rockhoof a new job is a lot harder than we thought." Here's a thought: you could teach him how to reintegrate with society before trying to thrust him into the workforce and calling it a job done.

Rockhoof is basically a soldier returning home from the war. He's acclimated to a very different lifestyle, one that is simply incompatible with the country that his sacrifices helped to create. You can't just take the guy, shunt him into a cubicle farm, and expect him to just manage. There needs to be a reintegration process to help him adapt to civilian life/the modern Equestria. He's just trying to behave like a soldier/Pillar of Equestria. He doesn't understand why that's wrong.

"Do you know where I can find Cranky Doodle Donkey? I need to deliver his medicine. He has a rash in a very embarrassing place!" Yeah, Rockhoof as a mailpony was never going to work out simply because he doesn't know this town and the ponies who live in it.

Credit to the post office for hiring an earth pony for what is traditionally pegasus work. I could make a joke about Affirmative Action here, but given the context, doing so would accidentally imply that recipients are less competent for the jobs they're hired for. That's not an implication I'm willing to make.

"I know you said you only needed a few leaves, but I figured why not bring you the whole thing!" ROCKHOOF. BAD. THAT'S HOW YOU GET LORAXES. Do you want Loraxes, Rockhoof?

"Even Canterlot looks different than the old days." Veteran woes.

"I'm sure once you see your old pal Flash Magnus, you'll feel right at home." You know. In case we were being too subtle that this episode's about returning veterans trying to acclimate to a world they no longer understand, let's go hang out with the one Pillar who is actively serving in the military.

"Rockhoof! You old ditch-digger you!" That's racist.

"Once a soldier, always a soldier." Not that this has anything to do with the episode's theme or anything. WINK. F*CKING. WINK.

"There's not much demand for shovel ponies like me nowadays." Has nobody considered construction work? You were a trench-digger before you were a Pillar, Rockhoof. You can be a trench-digger again. You just have to believe in yourself. Believe… and dig.

"Imagine everything that troubles you as one big cloud." I like the way that Rockhoof stresses so hard when she says that. Like he's having flashbacks.

"Guess he wished he could take a nap?" He probably did, yes. Sleeping restfully is one of the common things that veterans struggle with in civilian life.

"Maybe I just don't belong in this modern world." That sentiment is a common cause of re-enlistment. Some folks reach a point where they realize they just can't fit into civilian life. They go back to the military because it's the only place where they feel they truly belong. But that's not really an option for Rockhoof either.

"I'm honored to serve in the Hippogriff Navy, General Seaspring." Or maybe it is. Okay. We're dropping the subtext. Rockhoof just re-enlisted.

"We shall be as brothers in this bright future above the waves." YOUR MILITARY BROTHERS UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU ARE GOING THROUGH. HINT THEMATIC HINT.

"General, the fog's too thick to see our way out of the harbor!" Hit it with a shovel!

…what? There's half an episode left. Rockhoof has to f*ck this up somehow.

"I heard there's a statue spell that sends creatures into stone-sleep. I want you to cast it on me." And now he's trying to re-enlist with oblivion.

Even if Twilight was willing to do this, it'd take some convincing seeing as it requires the six Elements of Harmony.

"Because I'm a relic from a bygone age. I belong in a museum. Safe, preserved, untouched." Nice callback echo.

"I want to be remembered as the hero I was, not the disappointment I've become." VETERAN. ANGST.

"Professor Rockhoof BEST PONY." Yona continues to be Best Creature for finding a way to actually slide that line into the show.

"FINE. If Pony no want tell Yona story, then Yona tell Pony story." BEST. CREATURE. She's basically negotiating for Rockhoof to not re-enlist and instead stay here. The next generation needs Rockhoof the man, not vague memories and trinkets from Rockhoof the War Hero.

"Okay, I have the spell." Bullshit, no you don't. That is an Elements of Harmony thing. It is not a spell.

"As a Princess of Friendship, I'd like to appoint you as Equestria's Official Keeper of Tales!" From military service to government appointment. That's a reasonable career trajectory, Rockhoof!

"Can you do that?" "…eh!" MAD WITH POWER!!! MAD WITH POWER!!!

In seriousness, though, it's nice that Twilight's started flexing her royal muscles this season. She's been a Princess of Equestria since season three's finale, after all. It's nice that she's taking some agency for herself.

I mean, one might argue that Twilight should get Celestia's permission first, but I've always found that a person has exactly as much authority as they are willing to assume for themselves. If you want to be put into a position of leadership, the first step is to lead.

"Rockhoof Yona's friend. So Rockhoof belongs." Yona's ready to graduate this f*cking school.

I have mixed feelings about this episode. On the one hand, it was fun. I liked the story and the characters in it. Rockhoof's misadventures in career-finding were hilarious, and the theme about returning veterans was heart-wrenching. "Turn me into a statue" might seem like a really bizarre character Watsonian choice, but the dialogue does make sense when you consider that it's basically a surrogate phrase for "I'm going back to the service."

I feel like it did a very good job covering interesting territory. This is another one of those episodes where there's no moral at the end because it wasn't really about learning a lesson, so much as exploring the trials and tribulations of a specific group of people. Rockhoof's struggle to acclimate is the moral. The point of the episode is to shine a spotlight on the journey of those veterans and create a role model for people who can relate to his situation to grow from.

Rockhoof is a sympathetic representation of a character type that is commonly played for comedy or demonized. Rarely in media does the tale of the veteran who can't fit in end well. If he's not a joke, he's usually a bad guy. "This guy's f*cked up! He's dangerous!" Having this kind of positive and gentle portrayal for that kind of suffering is something that is much-needed in this day and age.

So I like the episode. What I'm not sure about is who this episode is necessarily for. It's not really for the kids, since very few children have to deal with adjusting to civilian life after a period of military service. I don't think it's really for the Bronies either; I don't think there's a very significant overlap between Bronies and War Veterans. The only target audience I can really think of would be military parents watching the show with their kids, which I feel would probably make up a very small percentage of viewers.

So while I am pretty positive towards this episode, I just can't help but ask why this is a My Little Pony episode, specifically?

Edited by TobiasDrake on Sep 16th 2018 at 12:06:03 PM

A Rockhoof and a Hard Place

Rockhoof has finally (how long has it been? Six months?) returned to his village, which is now an archeological dig. And of course he does not quite grasp the idea of archaeology, which is more delicate excavation than brute force digging, which is apparently his THING now.

I can already see where this is going. This is like the worst possible job he could have picked. Digging up your own home town and seeing how everything has crumbled and been destroyed must be incredibly depressing. Imagine if you traveled to the far future and went to an archaeological dig of YOUR home.

Imagine finding the fossilized remains of someone you actually used to know. And maybe they didn't die so peacefully. That would be terrible. I'd stay as far away as possible.

And of course the other annoyance would be archaeologists treating YOUR belongings like museum pieces. Its actually a pretty interesting idea of how we treat the common day items and junk of ancient peoples as treasures to be preserved. Nothing says your culture is dead and gone like a bunch of museum curators treating every little thing you once owned and didn't think about like a cultural artifact.

"Perhaps you could use his unusual talents?" What IS his talent, anyway? His continually lugging around of a shovel, and his myth, would sugget it has something to do with digging. Maybe he should be a road worker. Or he is working on the Equestria Railroad. That would explain why it has been expanding so fast lately.

"Of course, professor Fossil" Her name is Fossil? These names ponies give to their kids...

"Good luck!" He's YOUR problem now! So long, suckers!

Wait, you hired him? Why?

"But there's one thing I learned when I saved my village from a rushing river of hot lava" Is this going to be his thing too, now? Is this the only reference point he has from his life? That seems a bit limiting.

Is it me or is it a bit forced that this episode HAS to connect up with the school like this? I think the episode would have been interesting enough, and have enough story opportunities, without cluttering the plot with the school.

"And he smashes things like a Yak, smells like a Yak..." More racism! And not even from a pony this time. This right here should be an episode all its own: teaching the kids to not be so fucking racist to each other.

And then Rockhoof smashes through the door, his shovel smashing the walls out around him. Why? Why is he written like a brutish barbarian who doesn't know his own strength?

And someone take away his shovel already!

Also, what qualifications does this guy have to teach about friendship? He was part of Star Swirl's clique, and we all know what THAT lead to. With a mentor like that, his views on friendship are going to be antiquated at best.

"We've studied all about how Princess Celestia and Luna used a spell to trap Discord in stone sleep for hundreds of moons." Stone sleep? Is that what the ponies are calling it now? I think Discord would have a few things to say about that. Possibly with a live demonstration. No wonder he was so cranky about the school.

Also, it wasn't "hundreds of moons". It was a THOUSAND years. Exactly a thousand years, to be precise, as per the legend. It was a VERY specific imprisonment. Why be vague like that when you KNOW the exact length?

And what has this to do with friendship? If anything, it is symptomatic of the OLD, WRONG way of solving friendship problems, as far as Twilight is concerned. Turning Discord into stone was the Starswirl way. It was the "all villains are irredeemable and must be destroyed" way.

Also, notice how it is PRINCESS Celestia, but just Luna? And Luna ALWAYS comes second when they are being referred to? No wonder Luna feels underappreciated.

"This may be the fastest friendhip problem you've ever solved." Famous last words, Applejack. You've jinxed it.

An Ursa Major story, again? I get the feeling the writers are a bit too enamoured with referencing past stories at times. It's okay to come up with something original too once in a while. It doesn't always have to be Ursa Majors or Bugbears or Hydras.

"Rockhoof? Can we take a walk outside." Wow. Twilight is taking the guy aside like a naughty child. In front of his whole class, no less.

"Our school is about finding your own special way to teach." It is? I could have sworn it was about teaching friendship. From a strictly defined curiculum. That YOU wrote, Twilight. That implies that there is also a preferred way of teaching. Or there should be, anyway. Rarity turning her class into a sweatshop or Rockhoof demolishing his classroom with his enthousiastic story telling would surely not count as "your own special way to teach".

Hey look, it's vice principal Applejack. Yeah, I think they might as well give her that role at this point.

And then there is an explosion and fire shoots out the windows. I can already tell what they are going for, but I'll point out that Twi and Apples were startled, too, and, well, it looks exactly like how you'd expect a fire to look like.

Also, Rockhoof doesn't see the fire. He sees that volcanic eruption. This is clearly a PTSD reaction in part, though the reaction would be fitting in a real fire situation too.

"Rockhoof, wait!" Why? It very clearly IS a fire. Why aren't YOU doing anything, Twilight?

Why does Rockhoof keep using his shovel for everything? Even tossing students out of the burning school? That shovel really IS his thing, isn't it?

"Inferno? Where?" Since YOU were one of the dragons causing it, Spike, that is a really, really dumb question.

"Did you not see the smoke and flame?" "Yeah, that was us." Us being the dragons, of course. Which, I mean, sure... but still, that DID look like a dangerous fire. I don't blame Rockhoof at all.

"You know, dragons? Having a fire breathing competition?" What, indoors? Aimed at the windows, where there is flammable material? What ARE you guys thinking? How STUPID are you? Yeah, I'm totally with Rockhoof here. That fire needed putting out. Those dragons are a real fire hazard.

"Hmph. They do it all the time. That's what we're trying to tell you." Um. Like. Maybe you should WARN your staff about stuff like that? So they do not make the mistake of thinking it was a real fire when they saw it? This is very clearly not something that would only happen to Rockhoof. This would happen to ANYONE in this situation.

And seriously? They do this indoors ALL the time? What is WRONG with you, Twilight? Tell these dragon assholes to take their dumb macho contests outside, if they can't go without it.

Gotta love how indignant Twi is being here, as if this should have been obvious to ANYONE here.

"We know you're used to being a hero, Rockhoof, only what we need here is a teacher." Says a veteran HERO of Equestria...

I really don't like how they are putting all the blame on Rockhoof here. The poor guy did NOTHING wrong.

"Professor Fossil made it clear I'm not welcome in my old village." That... is not exactly the issue. It's not that he isn't welcome in his old village. It's that his old village is nothing more than an archeology site now. It's not that he isn't welcome. There just isn't anything there to be welcome TO. There IS no village anymore. No one lives there anymore. Everyone who ever did is long dead. And after a thousand years, you'd be hard pressed to even find descendants of people you knew. This is about as You Can't Go Home Again as you can get.

And then Twi just lets him sulk off with a resigned look on her face. Our Princess of Friendship, everypony.

Really? No one can find this guy a job? Not even the very obvious ones like mining, road constuction, anything like that? You'd think it would be easy enough to find work for a strong, young, hard working pony like that. But I'm guessing all this lot could come up with is work that's somehow related to THEM, personally, in which case, of course they didn't find anything.

The post office? That's the first thing you came up with? Well, at least it wasn't a Mane Six themed job like I was expecting.

Yeah, spa masseuse, for someone who clearly does not know his own strength, is an obvious no, too. And, you know, you don't just BECOME a massuese just like that. Unless it is a less than reputable spa...

"Maybe we could find him a job carrying heavy stuff?" That's better, though again, not knowing his own strength is going to be a problem here.

"Oh, how horrid." There's that harsh Rarity again. This is her character trait now this season. Expressing disgust and dismay at things.

"None of the other Pillars seem to have any trouble fitting into the modern world." How would WE know? We haven't seen anything of that. Also, I find that a bit hard to believe. I would imagine Flash Magnus would have a LOT of trouble fitting into a modern world without warfare or any meaningful military culture to speak of. To say nothing of finding ponies living in peace with dragons. This is somewhat like bringing a Roman soldier from Caesars time to the modern world, where he finds out the Roman Empire has long since dissapeared, Europe is at peace now, and the German tribes have united, become civilized, and are our friends now. Imagine what a shock that would be.

"Rockhoof's old friends would be happy to help, and I bet he'd love to visit them." Then why are they not helping him N Ow? Where ARE his friends right now? Calling them his old friends is already quite telling, and the way Twi says that last part makes me think they have not been seeing each other all that much lately.

Flash Magnus is captain of the Royal Guards. And drilling them, too, from the looks of it. Does... does he realize that there has been a thousand years of peace? And that these Royal Guards are little more than glorified body guards? Useless body guards at that?

And he's wearing his old armor. Looks like Rockhoof isn't the only one pining for the past after all.

The way those two greet each other says it all. These two have not seen each other since they returned. Seems like this group was not as close as it first appeared. And with a friendship-impaired leader like Star Swirl, is it any wonder? This, in itself, could be an episode: fixing the friendships, insofar that they exist, between the Pillars.

"Once a soldier, always a soldier." You know that it is peace now, right? And it has been peace for so long that these ponies barely have any concept of war, or need for a military? Let's face it, Equestria does not NEED soldiers. It does not NEED people like Flash anymore. Flash should not be fitting in quite as neatly as the show wants us to believe. He is a warrior in a society that has outgrown any need for warriors.

"Princess Celestia was happy to find a new drill sergeant for her guard." That's... very nice of her. [] A drill sergeant for a royal guard? Really? That seems like a bit of a step down for a bona fide soldier like Flash.

Yeah, this is pretty much a pity job. []

"She really put you in a job that big, so soon?" Poor Rockhoof. He doesn't understand this situation at all. The job SOUNDS big enough, sure, but in context, it's not all that impressive.

"They made YOU the royal landscape artist for the Crystal Empire?" Now there is a happy end I could believe. This really IS the perfect job for Mist Mane, and not a mere pity project. If anything, a peacetime Equestria only has MORE demand for such jobs. This must be basically a dream come true for her. Though, again, she seems to have NO issues with her culture apparently dissapearing. At least, I've seen no evidence that it is still around.

"... but there's not much demand for shovel ponies like me nowadays." Oh Celestia, I was right. His talent really IS shoveling dirt. That's... wow. How would that have been useful even in HIS time? What kind of talent is shoveling?

And what does he MEAN, not much demand? There's ALWAYS demand for more infrastructure, especially when the economy is doing well, as it seems to do in Equestria. And especially with so many new connections with foreign lands. Employers should be lining up for such a marvelous worker like him.

"Somambula is a motivational speaker." Really? [] I was expecting something a little more... exciting. Also, she doesn't even TALK to Rockhoof.

"Because we didn't need them. Ponies knew what to do with their lives." That's not how that works. In the past, more often than not, you were TOLD what to do with your life, or were driven by neccesity. This whole freedom of choice thing is mostly a thing of the rich and elite, and only became widespread in modern times.

Also, YOU don't seem to know what to do with your life, either, Rockhoof.

Rockhoof falls asleep during meditation. [] Which is probably meant as a jab against him, but really is quite common during meditation, and really nothing to be ashamed of, especially seeing as this is his first time.

Meadowbrook should really be the most well adjusted out of the group, having both a home and a family to return to. And obviously, healers are welcome in all times and cultures.

"Many creatures need healing in this modern world." Are... Are you suggesting ponies were HEALTHIER in the past? That is a rather odd implication of what she's saying. Generally speaking, the amount of people in the world who need healing has gone DOWN historically, thanks to things like vaccination, modern medicine, hygiene and the like. Before these things became a thing, basically EVERYONE needed healing for something or another. And that's not even going into the rather shoddy practices of medicine itself in those days.

"And I bet Stygian took plenty of time to fit in." Are you saying you don't know? How would you NOT know this?

Stygian is a novelist now. A novelist who styles himself as a "former villain". That's pretty hilarious.

Still, if ANYONE in this group should be suffering some serious PTSD...

"I'm not sure. Maybe I just don't belong in this modern world." Yeah, that's clinical depression right there. And an obvious suicide red flag. As far as a show like this can take it, anyway.

"Instead of solving Rockhoof's problem, we made him feel even worse." Well, I mean, he seemed to be doing well enough until you kciked him out of the school for putting out a fire he didn't know was intentional.

"We need to find him a job that's as epic as he is." Wait. That fire. They are going to make him a firefighter, aren't they? That's where this is going.

Which seems like a good fit, but then again, he had that LOOK in his eyes when he saw that fire. He has ISSUES with fire, that much is clear.

The... The Hippogriff navy? Why? What about Rockhoof suggested he would be fit for the navy? He isn't a warrior, and he doesn't strike me like the sailing type either. And why with the Hippogriffs? I guess Equestria doesn't even HAVE a navy.

And what is that design of that ship? It looks like a mishmash of several unrelated cultures. And Rockhoof's sailor costume doesn't resemble that of the Hippogriffs at all. That's not how navies work. You don't get to bring your own uniform. That's not how uniforms work!

Man, the Hippogriffs standing on their hind legs while using their front legs as arms looks WEIRD. Especially since they keep their normal four legged stance.

"Why do the Hippogriffs need ships when they can turn into sea ponies?" Apples is doing my work for me! []

"Maybe they just like cruises?" []

It's quite something when even the writers admit their idea is silly.

Wouldn't Sea Ponies have some sort of submarines or something, by the way? That would make a lot more sense than a sailing ship that rides ATOP the water. And a submarine would be especially advantageous to Sea Ponies since they wouldn't have to worry about pressure, or air. They could basically built underwater airplanes.

There, in one minute I've come up with a MUCH cooler idea for a Hippogriff navy. Fanfic writers, take note.

Rockhoof navigates through the mists... by looking at the stars... That's... That's NOT how fog works, guys. If it was THAT easy to navigate through fog, ships wouldn't run aground in fog ALL the time. No, you cannot see the stars in a fog, for very obvious reasons, same as you cannot see the sun or moon.

And there's two more problems with this. First of, while the stars are good for general navigation, they are useless for finding your way about local obstacles, or finding local landmarks. Second, well, Rockhoof doesn't even KNOW this place. How can he possibly know where he is going any better than the Hippogriffs?

And, well, these guys can just transform into Sea Ponies and navigate from UNDERWATER. Like they presumably always have done. No fog underwater, after all. Or they could have a viewport under the waterline.

"Yee haw, Rockhoof did it!" SMASH [] I love it when an episode immediately proves my point. []

"I don't understand, the stars have ALWAYS steered me true." But that's when you are FAMILIAR with the route you are taking! The stars don't tell you anything about unknown hazards! That's not how it works!

"You know, stars can move slowly over time. They must look different now than they did a thousand years ago." Good point, I didn't expect them to even acknowledge that. But surely a seasoned navigator like Rockhoof would have NOTICED that already. This is merely replacing one problem with another.

Also, the sun and moon are moved manually, but the stars work like ours? How does pony astronomy work, writers? HOW DOES IT WORK???

Wow, the Hippogriffs kick him out immediately. That seems a bit harsh. It wasn't HIS fault the stars had changed on him. And, well, it wasn't like he was CAPTAINING the ship, or anything. He is dressed like a common sailor. If the captain of the ship was foolish enough to sail blindly on a newcomer's advice, one who isn't even familiar with the waters, to boot, that would be on the captain, not the sailor, I would think.

Another odd animation moment here: Rockhoof lifting one foot while walking, but his walking animation carries on normally. Again, this looks a bit odd (though nowhere near as odd as that Hippogriff earlier).

"I heard that there's a statue spell that sends creatures into stone sleep" Oh wow. He wants to kill himself. That's why they are suddenly calling it stone sleep now. So it doesn't sound so suicidal. That's pretty dark. Twilight's horrified reaction says it all, really.

"Whoa, I thought you were arguing over ice cream flavours." ... Why? Why were you even thinking that? That's really random, Spike. Also, nice way to dismiss their argument AFTER you've already heard how serious it is.

"I belong in a museum, safe, preserved, untouched." Yeah, if there was any doubt this is suicide... He doesn't intend to ever wake up from that statue spell again. He is saying stone sleep, but he really means stone death.

"Spike, can you teach my class today?" You know things are desperate when Twi considers SPIKE as a teacher. Is there really no one else available? You could just cancel the class, if you have to.

I'm surprised she isn't dragging the students along for this, after what happened with Rares and Dash earlier.

Where is our dear counselor Starlight, by the way? This seems like something she would be able to counsel for.

"You're not really going to turn him into stone, are you?" [] I'm amused Spike even feels the need to ask. What faith you have in Twilight, Spike. []

"Only because it's temporary." Wait, what? You are ACTUALLY considering this? You cannot be serious. He clearly means it to be very permanent. Just doing it temporarily is not going to help, it isn't solving anything, and if anything, coming back from that is only going to make his depression worse.

"As soon as I think of a new solution, we'll wake Rockhoof up." Great Luna, she really IS going to do it. She's given up on him. This is basically putting someone into a coma until you can come up with a solution to their depression. That is really, really messed up. What ARE you thinking, Twilight?

And what are the WRITERS thinking? What message is this supposed to send to kids? Even if Twi doesn't go through with it (and I'm sure something will happen to make her not do it), she still clearly speaks out the INTENTION to do it. Twilight, the main protagonist, hero, and moral compass of this show, is offering this as a legitimate solution to the problem. That just does not seem right to me.

On another note, there's a ladder in the background that starts from the THIRD shelf of a book case. How... how are you supposed to use that ladder? Are you supposed to climb that ladder to the right of it, and then rock climb your way across the book cases to that one? []. Also, what possible use does a UNICORN have for a ladder in a book case, when they have telekinesis?

"I know he has more to offer the world as a pony, than a statue." Then why are you doing it, anyway? This is not solving anything! This is just postponing the problem while playing into his suicidal thoughts!

Where is the guidance counselor when you need her??

"Twilight sent me to tell you she won't be in today 'cause she has to cast a stone sleep spell on Rockhoof." Wow. Way to casually anounce the imminent not-quite-death of their former teacher. Oh, its nothing, Twi is just putting your teacher into a temporary coma, she'll be right back tomorrow. Like it's nothing at all.

It's really weird and kinda scary how CASUAL they are being about this once it is decided. The class reacting with horror really tells you enough, here. You are SUPPOSED to be shocked at their cavalier attitude. We are clearly meant to be on the student's side in finding this solution, not just unacceptable, but shocking.

"But why? Rockhoof isn't a bad guy!" And Spike just shrugs it off, like he doesn't even care. Why is he being such an uncaring asshole about this all of a sudden? What am I supposed to think of this? Spike comes off as a callous jerk here, just so the students can be morally superior in their opposition to the decision.

He's actually pracicing poses as a statue. This is the saddest thing I've ever seen on this show, I think. Someone preparing for their imminent pseudo-death. Willingly. And cheerfully.

What kind of messed up story is this???

"When Yona come to pony school, Yona not fit in. Pony ways strange. But Yona find friends! Yona meet professor Rockhoof! Pony brave and strong like Yak, not afraid." Why couldn't we have had THIS episode, writers? Out of all the students, this one was probably the most interesting of all, and you have done nothing with it. No, a book report does not count. All the same, it is very touching.

And of course, just like that, he shrugs off his depression and suicidality, and decides to become a story teller.

"... and she's been a constellation up there ever since." Actually... since you ALREADY went to the trouble to establish that the stars have changed, logically, her constellation shouldn't be there anymore. So how can it still be there, now? This episode has just contradicted itself.

Also notice how Twilight hasn't even changed her mind. She was reluctant, but totally going to go through with it. If Rockhoof hadn't changed his mind on his own, he would be a statue now.

Wow, that crowd of ponies is really tightly packed. And its not for lack of room, either.

So now Rockhoof is Equestria's official Keeper of Tales. Which is fine and all, but it would have been better if Twi had come up with this solution by herself, rather than having it handed to her on a silver platter like this.

"Can you do that?" "Eh." It's the Great Divide all over again! [] Sure, Twilight, just bullshit your way to a solution. I'm sure Celestia won't even care. []

"Don't forget the dragons in this one." You did NOTHING! Earn your OWN story, you orange moocher! []

I like this story to some extent, but wow, are the heroes badly handled here. They come off as callous and way too ready to accept drastic, virtually suicidal options as a solution to a problem.

Also, I feel this show cannot handle such a heavy subject well, when it has to twist itself into an unequivocally happy ending when the episode ends. It presents a complicated issue like PTSD and clinical depression, but then is forced to pretend that there are simple, clean solutions to these things. Overall, a mixed episode.

This is a bit embarrassing, but I didn't realize we had an episode air yesterday. I was wondering why everybody was suddenly talking about spoilers for the upcoming Rockhoof episode.

Anyway, I don't have time now, so I guess I'll have to watch it late tonight or Monday morning. Just in time to miss all the discussion.

I thought Yona's crush on Rockhoof was like, the most precious thing ever.

Post of the Day #2277

I did too. It's like Spike's crush on Rarity, but without the awkward discomfort of not knowing whether we're actually supposed to be supporting this or just treating it like the Precocious Crush that it is.

And without a deeply uncomfortable scene where Rockhoof straight-up manipulates Yona to swipe her birthday present.

Seeing Twilight almost go through with putting Rockhoof in stone "sleep" made me realize that this is a major flaw in her character. We saw this too when Twilight upheld that rule that meant Fluttershy would be traded away into slavery. Once Twilight has decided on a course of action, she tends to be blind to its implications and its morality until someone or something else intervenes. And especially here, it was a VERY unhealthy thing to do.

This is basically saying to a suicidal person: "You really want to do this? Okay then, let me get the rope for you... but are you REALLY sure? Here's the rope around your neck, but if you change your mind, let me know." That is the subtext of that scene. That is why I find it so disturbing to see Twilight be so accomodating here.