This is a post I've been wanting to do for a while, but have simply never had the time to pull off. And in retrospect, I still don't, but I'm doing it anyway. Because that's how I roll. Badly.
This is my personal Top Ten Moments of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. Not yours, but mine. Some of it might offend you. Some of it might shock you. Some of it might make you fall to your knees and beg God to smite this infernal planet before I can say another word. But this is my opinion and...well, you clicked the link, poor soul, so you might as well look at it and laugh.
Now let's begin.
#10: Applejack the Failure
Season 2, Episode 14: The Last Roundup
THE MOMENT:
After a lengthy chase, Applejack is finally cornered and floored by Rainbow Dash. In the process, her saddlebags are knocked open, revealing the real reason she ran away: she had failed to live up to her promises, and wouldn't come home a failure.
WHY I LOVE IT:
“The Last Roundup” was a pretty meh episode overall, but the ending does a fantastic job of not only explaining Applejack's actions, but also reinforcing what we know about her and making her a stronger character as a result. One of the issues with Applejack is that she's basically built to be the straight pony and nothing else; she's relatively flat and dull unless she has the right personalities to play off of. “Applebuck Season” established her dependability, but this episode actually extends that trait, crosses it with the Element of Honesty, and helps strengthen AJ as a whole.
The ending also does an effective job at making the circumstances strictly personal. Up to this point, everypony thought the reason AJ was leaving was because of some external crisis, even up to them doing something wrong to drive her away. But here, we learn that the problem was strictly internal. Nopony was going to care whether or not Applejack won or lost, and she placed in so many events that it's a significant achievement in and of itself. But AJ doesn't see it that way. She promised to pay to rebuild Town Hall, and now that she doesn't have the money, she's failed to keep to her obligations. As she sees it, she's little more than a failure, and the town cares more about getting the hard currency than they do about her.
While the scene gets very cheesy with Fluttershy's “hole in our hearts” line, it's still a beautiful way to end this episode, and the one moment from TLR that really stick with me. (At least in a good way...)
#09: Pinkie Pie Needs Therapy Badly
Season 1, Episode 25: Party of One
THE MOMENT:
Pinkie Pie, convinced that her friends no longer like her, loses her bloody mind and throws her own party, complete with inanimate objects as friends. She even holds entire conversations and arguments with them, culminating in a psychedelic freakout that scared many a fan to their very core.
WHY I LOVE IT:
I can already hear people calling for this one to be higher, but trust me, it's earned its place on this list. “Party of One” pretty much struck everyone by total surprise when it first aired, and not because of Cupcakes or garbage like that. This one episode basically took everything you thought you knew about Pinkie, smacked it around, and then threw it right back at you. We had seen her sad and depressed, but this was the first indication of just how fundamentally broken she is.
What makes this truly effective, though, is that it doesn't hold itself back. While it's still funny, it's strictly in a morbid sense. The warbly, distorted music only makes things worse, and the way the soundtrack seems to skip and screech as Pinkie shifts between reality and madness is disturbing. Speaking of which, there's also her movements and behavior the whole time, from that pained twinge as she melts into her paranoid delusions to her eyes rolling back in her head as she goes full-on crazy.
Thankfully, Rainbow Dash arrives to bring us to the episode's conclusion, and thus fixing Pinkie before she could get any worse. But at this moment, we all realized just how much Pinkie needs her friends' approval, and just how messed up she may be on the inside. The same trend would continue in other episodes, especially her frantic panicking in “Wonderbolt Academy,” but this was the terror at its most pure.
#08: “Sh-She Doesn't Love Me Anymore!”
Season 1, Episode 24: Owl's Well that Ends Well
THE MOMENT:
After spending a whole episode being jealous of Twilight's new helper owl and getting yelled at by Twilight for burning one of her books and lying about it, Spike tries to frame Owlowiscious and is caught in the act. Twilight tells him that this isn't the Spike she knows and loves and leaves, and Spike, being a little boy, takes her words to mean the worst possible thing.
WHY I LOVE IT:
I hate “Owl's Well that Ends Well.” It's definitely my second least-favorite episode of Season One, and sets a bad standard for the Spike episodes that followed. But the one thing that makes it worth existing (unlike the worst Season One episode, “Over a Barrel”) is formally setting the Twilight/Spike relationship. While he doesn't get all the respect he deserves, Twilight obviously cares deeply about Spike, and he in turn wants her approval. It's a very surrogate parent kind of relationship.
This is why the scene is so devastating. Spike's fear throughout the episode was that Twilight was replacing him with Owlowiscious, and in these thirty seconds it seemingly happens. Spike is not only left behind by Twilight, but she's carrying the owl with her, leaving the dragon alone in the library he had thrashed. And when coupled with everything else that'd happened, Spike makes the very normal step kids make and assumes that Twilight really doesn't love him at all anymore.
That's what makes this effective. Spike is physically and mentally a child, seeking approval and love from his mother/big sister figure. And now that it's seemingly gone, he's instantaneously destroyed. Even better, this isn't played for quick melodramatic laughs, but instead fairly seriously, or at least as seriously as a baby dragon crying about a unicorn not loving him can. In just one scene, Spike's entire relationship with Twilight is established, something we'll only see grow as the series continues.
#07: Take This Badge and Shove It
Season 3, Episode 7: Wonderbolt Academy
THE MOMENT:
After almost two-thirds of an episode dealing with Lightning Dust's increasingly aggressive and uncaring behavior, Dash has had enough. She chews her out for her flippant carelessness and almost getting her friends killed, but Dust retorts that the Wonderbolts made her team leader. Dash, however, has had enough; she marches into Spitfire's office, tells her exactly what's been going on, and turns in her insignia. If ponies like Dust are what the Wonderbolts consider top candidates, then she no longer wants any part of them.
WHY I LOVE IT:
To really appreciate this moment, you have to come at it from over two seasons of buildup and references. Rainbow Dash's entire goal since the Pilot was to be a Wonderbolt. She wanted to go to the Grand Galloping Gala so she could impress her heroes. Part of the reason for her breakdown in “Sonic Rainboom” was the fear of failing in front of the same ponies she wanted to become a part of. Her life is spent training so that she can one day join these elite fliers and live out her fillyhood dream.
“Wonderbolt Academy” is the first episode since Season One to really address this dream in detail, and finally gives Rainbow Dash the shot she's always wanted, but with a caveat. Lightning Dust is introduced as a darker vision of Dash, sort of what she could have become had she not had a couple seasons worth of development. Both are utterly cocky and confident about their abilities, but where Dash is still loyal and thinks about everypony else on the team, Dust is impulsive and lacks anything remotely resembling empathy. And as the episode goes on, you can see Dash starting to become more and more disillusioned with a pony she had previously thought a friend and flying buddy. But she still sticks with her because making Dust lead pony and pairing the two up was Spitfire's idea, and she must know what she's doing.
But then Dust convinces Dash to go through with a meaningless tornado stunt, the rest of our heroes are almost killed, and Dash just barely saves the day. And once again, Dust doesn't care about anything but how cool it looked. Even still, it isn't until Dust reminds Dash of why she put up with her for so long that she makes the connection: the problem isn't Lightning Dust, but the superiors that allowed an undeserving pony that position of responsibility in the first place and have turned a blind eye to her antics. And when Spitfire initially praises the tornado (admittedly before learning ponies almost died), Rainbow Dash finally does the unthinkable: she quits.
That is why I love this moment, and indeed the entire episode. This is the culmination of Dash's development as a character, going from an egotistical athlete to a pony who will give up on her dreams to do what she thinks is right. She even has a brief moment of hesitation just as she leaves the office, but that quickly passes and she trots off to pack her bags to leave. It's an astoundingly effective, wonderfully executed moment in a season that was overall very good for Rainbow Dash.
And it was written by Merriweather Williams.
...No, I still don't get that.
#6: Finally, Somepony Who Gets My Costume!...Oh.
Season 2, Episode 4: Luna Eclipsed
THE MOMENT:
Princess Luna has returned to Ponyville on Nightmare Night, but her initial attempts at throwing the celebration aside and getting everypony to love her have fallen apart because of her booming voice and rather outdated attitude. Twilight is the only pony willing to seek her out, finding her at the base of a distorted statue of Nightmare Moon. And after an entire prologue and first act of nopony recognizing who she's dressed as, Luna pegs her and compliments the costume. Twilight is ecstatic about somepony finally recognizing Star Swirl the Bearded...until she sees Luna's rather sad face.
WHY I LOVE IT:
“Luna Eclipsed” is a mixed bag, but one of the things it did really well was build a relationship between Twilight and Luna. The former was the leader of the heroes who defeated Nightmare Moon and restored Luna to her true self, and the latter is a princess who reveres the former but is also frustrated with how things have progressed so far. In fact, it's a nice moment in and of itself to see Twilight offering to help Luna, a former enemy, find friendship.
But what really makes this for me is the subtle animation hints and the way everyone behaves. When Twilight finds Luna, she's pushing a small piece of candy towards the statue, sort of like how the foals were offering treats to appease Nightmare Moon. She's sitting in the shadow of the monster everypony still seems to see her as, and while we later learn that a good chunk of the problems are because of Season Two Pinkie Pie, it's very symbolic of how the pall of Nightmare Moon still has yet to leave her.
But then we get the money shot of this entire scene. The entire episode so far has had a running gag of nopony recognizing who Twilight was dressed as. As it turns out, Star Swirl was a pony from ancient times who Twilight seemed to respect and admire quite a bit, a creator of countless spells with his own wing in the Canterlot Archives, and it's kind of frustrating when ponies think you're a country singing clown grandpa. But then Luna compliments her on just how perfect the costume is, and Twilight blurts out that somepony finally recognizes her...
When she sees Luna's reaction, however, she quickly changes topics. Luna simply looks crestfallen, as if this is just another reminder of how long she's been gone and what she's missed. A pony she might have known about intimately, perhaps even been a colleague or friend with, has so faded into history that only her sister's student has any idea who he was. It's a beautiful, subtle moment, and tells so much about what Luna's going through without so many words.
#5: See? We Really ARE Apple Pie!
Season 2, Episode 5: Sisterhooves Social
THE MOMENT:
The Sisterhooves Social race has come to an end, and Sweetie Belle and a mud-covered Rarity just barely lost. Sweetie is ecstatic about how much fun she had, and hugs AJ...causing her hat to fall off and reveal a white horn. A quick shake reveals that Rarity had swapped places with Applejack in the mud and ran almost the entire race with her little sister. And after an entire episode of the two alternating between wanting to kill each other and seek approval from their sibling, they finally hug and make up.
WHY I LOVE IT:
One of the real strengths of “Sisterhooves Social” is the way it approaches sibling relations. Sweetie Belle is foisted onto Rarity by her uncaring parents, and rather than try to adjust her schedule and find a way for the two to spend time together, she treats her like a burden. Sweetie Belle wants to make herself useful, but her attempts at being nice backfire time after time, and she's finally left utterly frustrated. This finally boils over when Rarity turns down the Sisterhooves Social because she doesn't want to get dirty, and two split off. Sweetie learns about how perfect AJ and AB's relationship is, while Rarity realizes how much she misses and loves her sister, but it'll take something drastic to get the two to truly mend fences.
That's where the race comes in. On the one hand, it's a nice, funny little obstacle course, and seeing the two work together in perfect harmony is great. Considering how Rarity is pretty much the most straightforwardly girly character on the show, the fact that she can run a great race and lose by mere inches is astounding in and of itself. (Then again, she seems to be a master of martial arts if “Elements of Harmony” and “Return of Harmony, Part 2” are any indication.) But what really makes this for me is the little hints the animators left in to what was going on.
We know going into the race that Rarity is planning to do something, but the what isn't outright stated. When she doesn't show up, we know something is going to happen, but everything in the episode is focused on Sweetie still being mad at her and Apple Bloom saying the title of the second-worst Spider-Man story of all time. But then Applejack falls in the mud and we start to see the hints. First, there's a bit of mud on the tip of her head, right where a unicorn's horn would be. And second, her eyes change colors. It's an incredibly subtle bit of animation that can clue the observant in on the twist early, and gives the whole thing a more seamless flow.
But what really makes me like this is the two finally making up. It might be argued that Rarity could have gone without the disguise, but considering how much Sweetie Belle didn't want anything to do with her by that point, a deception was probably necessary. In the end, though, it's the way the episode seems to affirm that not every relationship has to be exactly like the perfection Applejack and Apple Bloom share. You can still fight with your brothers and sisters, sometimes quite nastily, but that doesn't mean they don't love you anymore or that things will never get better. It's a nice message that, quite frankly, the world needs to hear.
#4: So You Want Somepony to Take You Under Their Wing, Huh?
Season 3, Episode 6: Sleepless in Ponyville
THE MOMENT:
Scootaloo, having failed to follow up on Luna's advice to confront her fears, tries to run from what she assumes to be the Headless Horse, falls into a river, and only barely escapes falling over a waterfall thanks to a very timely Rainbow Dash. Finally cornered, and with some more prodding from Luna, Scootaloo admits that she was scared of the stories Dash had told but didn't want to embarrass herself in front of her idol. Rather than tease her, however, Dash reveals that she was scared of those stories as a filly, and finally gives Scootaloo what she's wanted this whole time: to have a big sister figure.
WHY I LOVE IT:
“Sleepless in Ponyville” was an episode we needed for a long time. Not only was it the first one to focus on Scootaloo, but it also gave us some serious development to the relationship between the two. Initially, Faust had said that Rainbow Dash would not be a good sister for Scootaloo, which in turn lead to the blight upon the fandom that was Scootabuse, and one of the many sins of “The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well” was that it made Scootaloo's love for Dash a fickle thing that she'll drop the minute somepony cooler comes along. And this episode doesn't seem to do the two any favors, as Dash is utterly unaware of what's going on and Scootaloo is driven to near-death by her fear of letting her down.
But then this happens. Scootaloo keeps trying to hide the truth, but one appearance by Luna's shadow on the moon is enough to convince her to spill the beans. The voice acting alone is excellent, with Scoots' voice cracking as she becomes more hysterical and upset with herself for failing her idol. On the other side, Rainbow goes from looking pissed at Scootaloo almost getting herself tossed over a waterfall to genuine concern that this was going on around her. And all this is followed by Rainbow Dash opening herself up to Scootaloo, revealing that she was also scared of those stories and implicitly stating that there's nothing wrong with being scared. The revelation that her idol was just as terrified as she is is a comforting revelation for Scoots, and when it's followed by Dash literally taking her in under her wing, it quickly elevates to one of the greatest moments of the entire series.
This is why, if anyone tells me that Season Three was nothing but bad filler episodes, I will be sorely tempted to punch them in the kidney. Forget Faust's comments about Dash and Scootaloo. Forget MMDW. If you're one person I will not name here, forget about Luna appearing in the episode. This is a moment I have been waiting for since the first season, and when they finally committed to it, they didn't back down. Rainbow Dash might not be the most perfect pony out there, but she can give Scootaloo support and affection, which is something the filly desperately needed the entire episode. And I will gladly suffer through a thousand runs of “Spike at Your Service” for that.
#3: It Needs to Be About 20% Cooler
Season 1, Episode 14: Suited for Success
THE MOMENT:
Rarity has promised to make all her friends dresses for the Grand Galloping Gala, but runs into a snag when they dislike her initial designs and instead try to force themselves into the process. This results in a reprise of her earlier ditty as her friends utterly trample her creative vision until all that remains are the five ugliest dresses she has ever made.
WHY I LOVE IT:
One of the show's strengths is the ability to use things like fashion shows and dresses and turn them into something unabashedly entertaining. In this case, they took Rarity designing dresses and made it an allegory for the creative process, with the other ponies standing in for meddling executives, focus groups, critics, and anyone else who might interfere. And each of them screws things up in her own way. Twilight wants perfection and attention to detail, Fluttershy wants something unrealistic given that it's a free dress, Pinkie keeps waffling on each decision, Applejack's suggestions are not within the right style for the dress, and Rainbow Dash is utterly vague and won't give any specifics about what needs to be changed.
So yes, they made a song about making dresses awesome, but what makes this moment special? In a lot of ways, this is the episode that saved Rarity for me. Up to this point, she was by far the most irritating of all the characters. She was greedy, vain, whiny, and just a nuisance in almost every scene she was in. It also didn't help that I was still getting over the fact that this was My Little Pony, so having the most stereotypically girly character starring in an episode about dresses didn't sound too appealing. But then I watched it and realized just how awesome Rarity is. She's a generous pony who treats dressmaking like a form of art. And this song actually made me go from not liking her very much to feeling genuinely sorry that she got walked over by her clueless friends and, subsequently, almost lost her entire career before it could truly begin.
Now here comes the thousands of complaints about how this is an allegory for what happened to the show and how Hasbro is ruining Faust's vision.
#2: The True Power of Friendship
Season 2, Episode 2: The Return of Harmony, Part 2
THE MOMENT:
Discord has won. Twilight's friends have all become total jerks, and she has also fallen under his corruption. With nothing left to tie her to Ponyville, she returns to the library to pack her bags, but is stopped when she sees Spike burping up all her old friendship reports. As she looks through the memories of all that had come before and remembers how much she cares about her friends, her color gradually returns, until she is finally herself once again. Now she knows that the fate of Equestria truly depends on her and her friends, and she will stop at nothing to make sure Discord goes down.
WHY I LOVE IT:
“Return of Harmony” is a very heavy episode, and this moment in particular is one of the reasons why it's so effective. Twilight is at her absolute lowest moment, Discord has conquered Equestria, and there is literally nothing left to save the day. All she can do is throw her Element aside and leave for parts unknown. And all the while, we know as the audience that this was Discord's massive, perfectly played gambit. He couldn't break Twilight directly, so he went after her friends. They in turn destroyed her good will, until finally she's little more than a jerk herself. He's won, totally and completely.
But then Celestia sends in the curveball: the friendship reports. And as Twilight reads them, we get to hear the same morals and aesops she had delivered to us throughout the first season, and finally appreciate the true importance of them all. To us, they may have just been lessons thrown in to satisfy the E/I guardians, but to her, they were the things that made her and her friends grow ever closer. She has gone from a pony who didn't want any friends at all to one who cherishes and loves what her friends have to offer. Much like “Wonderbolt Academy,” this episode shows just how much Twilight has grown since we first saw her, and this one scene is the perfect summation of the Season One era.
In all honesty, this would have been the perfect finale for not only the first season, but the entire show. In these two minutes, we see the entire conceit of the series brought forth: friendship can conquer all. And Twilight has come to truly realize the truth behind those words. It's a glorious scene and a truly fitting capstone to Faust's era on the show.
#1: A Long-Delayed Reunion
Season 1, Episode 2: Elements of Harmony
THE MOMENT:
Nightmare Moon is defeated, Celestia is back from...wherever, and Twilight and friends are all happy about a job well done. But there is one more matter to resolve: Princess Luna, Celestia's younger sister from the legend, is still there. Celestia approached, and the defeated tyrant prepares for retribution...but is instead offered friendship. She accepts, and the two tearfully reunite after so long apart.
WHY I LOVE IT:
When I first watched Friendship is Magic, I wasn't sure what to expect. I had heard that the show had a large periphery demographic, but it was still My Little Pony. I knew Lauren Faust was involved, but it was still My Little Pony. Even when I gave in and looked up the first episode on YouTube, I just let it sit there for a good while, afraid that if I watched it I'd be bored out of my skull. But I went ahead anyway, and was quickly impressed. The moment Pinkie jumped into the air, gasped, and ran off after Twilight said hello, I knew this would be an enjoyable show.
This moment, however, was when I officially became a fan.
There's really not much I can say that isn't just me being sappier than a maple tree, but this is truly a beautiful moment. While Season One's animation generally hasn't aged that well compared to what's come after, it's still wonderfully drawn, and the voice acting really ramps up the emotion. Even the forced bits of comedy from Pinkie don't sully the mood. Just the two sisters finally reuniting after a thousand years apart, and the way they are both in tears over how sorry they are and how much they've missed each other, makes this my absolute favorite moment of the show.
And really, this is why I love Celestia. Trollestia is fine sometimes, Molestia and Tyrantlestia are right out, and Xenolestia must be purged with fire, but this is who she is. She is a motherly, caring figure who loves her sister and ponies dearly, and will provide guidance, but only in a way that makes the recipient think the problem through themselves. They could have ended things another way, perhaps with Luna remaining a recurring villain or the like, but this moment truly made the Pilot all come together and was what compelled me to keep watching. And for that, it wins as my favorite moment of the series...so far.
That's what I have, but what about you? Any particular moments that you loved in the show? Or do you just want to tell me how full of crap I am and curse me for not including your favorites? Either way, I can't wait to hear what all of you have to say.
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