• Family Appreciation Day - Discussion

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    Oh Applejack... you're so indecisive. It's not hard to figure out that you should always eat the dessert first!


    Saturday, January 7, 2012 op
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    667 comments:

    1. MattatattaJanuary 7, 2012 at 7:24 PM

      @Texas Almkrona

      Who knows? Maybe the Apple Clan has always been large, and Granny Smith's family was a small branch that headed toward Canterlot while the other branches went to other locations.

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    2. RixJanuary 7, 2012 at 7:39 PM

      @Don't Call Me Brony (Please)

      That could be handwaved by she was talking about earth ponies in general. She was saying that A) Ponyville was founded by earth ponies and B) for hundreds of years earth ponies have handles winter wrap ups without magic.

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    3. RixJanuary 7, 2012 at 7:43 PM

      I noticed ponies have gone back to clapping their hooves together. For a while they stamped their fore hooves as a form of applause.

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    4. shadowfalcon76January 7, 2012 at 7:46 PM

      @Rix

      Perhaps it could be either way, depending on the context of the situation, how much room the pony has for clapping, and/or whichever the particular pony feels is appropriate for the situation/themselves. I see no reason why it'd have to be one or the other all the time.

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    5. VanishingJanuary 7, 2012 at 7:59 PM

      @FMP

      Over a Barrel had a few redeeming qualities (the scene on the train, the one and only appearance of Braeburn, drunken ponies), this one didn't. Aside from the "Weekend at Grannies" scene, I was sorely disappointed. The Ponyville backstory was nice, but there were a few contradictions to past episodes which threw me off.

      I guess I can't really say I was disappointed though, because I didn't expect much out of it to start with. However, next week is a Pinkie Pie episode, so I'll be expecting a lot more.

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    6. The NumbermanJanuary 7, 2012 at 8:00 PM

      Second favourite episode of the season. This was fantastic, the writer did an amazing job.

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    7. RixJanuary 7, 2012 at 8:10 PM

      @Don't Call Me Brony (Please)

      Actually, getting out of continuity errors is exactly what retconning is for.

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    8. Draglord2505January 7, 2012 at 8:25 PM

      Upon rewatching the episode, I think I noticed an animation error. Is it just me, or does Cheerilee's cutie mark transistion from flowers to umbrellas and back again while she's meeting with Granny Smith at the barn?

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    9. MikeJanuary 7, 2012 at 8:32 PM

      I can see that map of Equestria inciting SO much debate. Brace yourself: arguments on the internet are coming.
      XD

      can't wait

      ReplyDelete
    10. JustinJanuary 7, 2012 at 8:53 PM

      My favorite part of the episode was the look on Granny Smith's mom's face when her husband was fawning over Celestia, you know he was living in the doghouse for a while after that

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    11. T'RennJanuary 7, 2012 at 8:54 PM

      Y'know, Scootaloo had it wrong. Applebloom is no dictionary.

      She's really more of a thesarus.

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    12. AJJanuary 7, 2012 at 9:19 PM

      @Mike

      It's not really a map... it's a side-view drawing of the valley, complete with clouds and sky. Keeping it black and white and putting a compass star on it just made it look like a map.

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    13. SkunkoonJanuary 7, 2012 at 9:31 PM

      Damn, when they said Applebloom was great at making Zap Apple jam I thought for a second she would get her cutie mark! D:

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    14. The RPGeniusJanuary 7, 2012 at 9:51 PM

      Enjoy your stay in 2nd Place, Sonic Rainboom. Zap Apples are now the most awesome thing seen to date in this show.

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    15. Steve RowlandJanuary 7, 2012 at 10:03 PM

      Zap Apple jam looks tasty but I recommend Akiko's jam on a hyper rainbow bread :P

      cheers for everyone who gets that reference :)

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    16. CephasRedJanuary 7, 2012 at 10:16 PM

      Another awesome episode; worth the wait.

      I was extremely pleased with Granny Smith's relation to the founding of Ponyville.

      Having all these things happening; making us question what the heck was going on with the zap apples; the preparations towards the harvest, and finally everything being put together near the end as well as the conclustion was fantastic. Excellent writing Cindy Marrow!

      That little chubby gray pony is cute and innocent. He gives that interesting idea of another friend for the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Welcome to the team little filly!

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    17. pmcollectorboyJanuary 7, 2012 at 10:20 PM

      Finally back to awesome humor. This episode just screamed "Tiny Toons" so much it was sick.

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    18. Jebediah OldenheimerJanuary 7, 2012 at 10:57 PM

      One of the interesting points of today's MLP episode, Family Appreciation Day, rationalized everything about the show's lore for me. I now am completely sure that Equestria is a post-apocalypse.

      The thunderstorms that made the zap apples are actually STALKER-esque anomalies. And the zap apples themselves are full-fledged Artifacts (again, STALKER).

      Unicorn/Alicorn "magic" is an intense, focused form of psychic energy, just like a Controller or Polter/Pyrogeist (third STALKER ref) would use. Their horns are actually flesh and bone growths that can focus and control those energies through a connection to their brains.

      Everfree is a forest filled to the brim with anomalies, and all the odd "magical" occurances inside and out stem from those.

      The mythical creatures and sentient ponies are all a result of generations of mutation of Earth's wildlife.

      The weird mix of human technology and primitive technology is all because the ponies found only certain things in our human ruins and reverse-engineered them for their own uses.

      IT ALL MAKES SENSE NOW, DOESN'T IT? JUST TRY TO DEBUNK ANY OF THOSE CLAIMS.

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    19. SrakeJanuary 7, 2012 at 10:58 PM

      There's an animation error at 9:57...

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    20. Solzan NemesisJanuary 7, 2012 at 11:16 PM

      I love Apple Bloom ep. ^_^

      And we get a town back story to boot.

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    21. TrombeGourmetJanuary 8, 2012 at 12:34 AM

      guys, guys... do you see how Granny is jumping.

      I think she got that new hip.

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    22. AnonymousJanuary 8, 2012 at 12:43 AM

      Ponyville looks too established to be less than a century old. And it's unlikely to the point of insanity to think that in a land that had been around for many centuries there would be great swathes of arable land going around unoccupied. (Think 19th century Europe, not 19th century America.) On top of that, there's more to farming than sitting back and watching things grow. The Apple family would have needed to buy supplies from other families. So I'm not buying the Winter Wrap Up "It doesn't specifically say PONYVILLE earth ponies" approach. Grammar doesn't work like that, and that poor sentence has been battered enough by now.

      The out-of-universe explanation is that it's a continuity error. The in-universe one is that Granny Smith is telling a story to entertain children, so of course she's going to build it up and exaggerate a little. If you want to keep everything consistent, think of it as Ponyville being an unremarkable village that suddenly acquires a business that literally puts it on the map when the Apple family set up shop just outside the settlement. People start coming to the area, Ponyville increases in importance, and a few decades later we end up with the town we know.

      It's happened countless times in Europe, especially since the Industrial Revolution. A small settlement happens to be right next to the resources needed by a new industry, so a business sets up there, then another one does, and a century later the place has quarter of a million people living and working there. Why not Ponyville?

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    23. MarshallJanuary 8, 2012 at 1:11 AM

      @Draglord2505

      You're quite correct. She has three purple umbrellas on her flank during her close-up, after arriving at the barn. Weird.

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    24. ShippoyashaJanuary 8, 2012 at 2:43 AM

      People complaining over Over a Barrel, Mare Do Well, Lesson Zero, Best Pet, etc etc?

      Give it a rest guys. Why can't the discussions regarding these episodes be more positive instead of comparing which is the best or which sticks to the 'canon' all the time?

      I think this fandom needs to learn to relax and just enjoy this show. Or maybe it's all the loud minority of complainers flocking to comments sections.

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    25. LezliDaxJanuary 8, 2012 at 2:46 AM

      What I think I liked most is how the flashback younger vesion of Granny Smith had the occasional similar expressions to AJ and the way she ran with such speed from the timber wolves. It shows very subtle genetics, how AJ takes after her gran in certain mannerisms. That's a wonderful amount of detail on the animator's part, and seriously thought through. Absolutely brilliant :D

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    26. ultra8January 8, 2012 at 4:57 AM

      That was a fun and unexpected episode. We learn the history of Ponyville, see Appleblom in a bunny suit, find out about Zap Apples, see the CMC scheme and get a heartwarming lesson on family.

      Judging by Diamond Tiara's reaction and the fact that she was the only one geniunely paying attention to her father's lecture, I'm guessing her skills are in the same line of work. Which kinda sucks for Applebloom since their families are business partners, that means they'll be locking horns for a long while to come.

      This also answered (and added to) a question I was thinking about for Everfree plants. Looks like they may attract their own weather.

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    27. AnonymousJanuary 8, 2012 at 5:10 AM

      Awesome episode, been waiting for a Granny Smith episode for a while now.

      Is there any pegasisters out there?, feeling kinda left out here.

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    28. AnonymousJanuary 8, 2012 at 5:19 AM

      Pfft fuck hasbro. PIRATE EVERYTHING!

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    29. James RyeJanuary 8, 2012 at 6:20 AM

      I like that the Apples are part german or the equestrian equivalent for german. *Uncle applestrudel* XD

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    30. AnonymousJanuary 8, 2012 at 7:11 AM

      The best seasaon 2 episode until ow.

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    31. pmcollectorboyJanuary 8, 2012 at 8:01 AM

      French word for Germany is "Allemagne". So the Equestrian version of Germany shall be Allemane.

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    32. TerausJanuary 8, 2012 at 8:31 AM

      This comment has been removed by the author.

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    33. TerausJanuary 8, 2012 at 8:33 AM

      When the writers made Winter Wrap Up, they clearly didn't have a full backstory on Ponyville. Yes, they didn't remember the "hundreds of years" statement, but I think thats a very minor mistake.

      There are simple ways to explain this:

      1- Twilight made a hyperbole. "Hundreds" really meant "several". People do that all the time.

      2- Twilight has no idea what she is talking about.

      3- Granny Smith really is that old.

      I like the first option.

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    34. Herpy DoovesJanuary 8, 2012 at 11:12 AM

      But I can't download the iTunes episodes god damn it!

      How am I supposed to get these?

      Ripping things from youtube always causes the Quality to go to shit.

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    35. SomeGuyJanuary 8, 2012 at 11:15 AM

      Great episode. Loved the Backstory about Ponyville and Granny Smith. The land of Equestria never gets borring. We are certainly getting lots of Equestrian history this season. This episode has to have set a record for the least involvement by the Mane Six. I aways like how believable the CMC are as little kids. This was a great lesson to learn, respect your elders because you never know what knowledge or wisdom they have to impart. Even if it may not make sense at the time.

      My only wish is that Hasbro and/or Apple (whoever is responsible for making the decision) would make the season pass available internationally, that way I could support the show properly.

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    36. InsaneChibiJanuary 8, 2012 at 11:40 AM

      During this episode, was I the only one who wanted to rip Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara's heads off?

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    37. b0b4_f3tt_043January 8, 2012 at 11:42 AM

      @Draglord2505

      Are you using IE8, by any chance? It's just a guess, since I experience a similar issue when viewing the site with IE8.

      By using a different browser like Chrome, the reply button appears next to each comment - at least for me.

      I can't say much about IE9 though, since I prefer IE8's layout and never bothered to upgrade to IE9.

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    38. MEMJ0123January 8, 2012 at 11:47 AM

      I really enjoyed this episode. In fact, I'd have to say it's one of my favourites. The back-story of Ponyville's founding was awesome. Those Timberwolves? Holy crap, they creeped me out a little. :P

      I can overlook the contradiction with Winter Wrap-Up. It's not such a major one. Like someone said before me. You could easily say that earth-ponies already lived there, but perhaps "Ponyville" didn't have any major businesses to make it a significant village. The "founding" could be the official naming of the village, and its placement on the map; not the first settling ponies. That could explain why Celestia chose the area; to make the "village" a productive part of Equestria. Plus, with other (albeit few) ponies already living there, and its fairly close proximity to Canterlot, it would give the Smith family some chance at a successful business.

      That's just my take on it, though. Contradictions can be found in any tv show, and this isn't a huge diversion from WWU.

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    39. drpants51January 8, 2012 at 11:57 AM

      Noted something about Pony agriculture. They have chickens, sheep, cows and pigs in various episodes. Chickens provide eggs, sheep grow wool, and cows have milk. Why would the ponies have pigs? Unless...they EAT pork! And just to add to the horror, do the pigs talk? The cows and sheep did!

      Just a thought...mmm...bacon

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    40. SilfirJanuary 8, 2012 at 12:43 PM

      @pmcollectorboy What, Ger-mane-y not good enough for you? :)

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    41. SilfirJanuary 8, 2012 at 12:44 PM

      @drpants51 I'm pretty sure the official line is "Ponies just effin love truffles"

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    42. WoodencoyoteJanuary 8, 2012 at 12:51 PM

      @drpants51

      Pigs eat the waste food, like the bad apples, and dig for truffles

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    43. AnonymousJanuary 8, 2012 at 3:00 PM

      Really enjoyed Granny Smith's story. It may not be perfectly in line with Ponyville as we've come to know it. But this doesn't make it any less fun.

      But this episode didn't make my grin muscles tired as the better episodes do. And that's because Apple Bloom is trapped in a plot from a bad sitcom.

      At the start of the episode, she's excited about getting to help Granny Smith with zap apple jam. This implies she knows at least a little of what's going on. And if she does know, there's no reason for her to be ashamed.

      Even if you work out a scenario where she doesn't know (adoption? amnesia?), it might occur to her to ask Granny Smith or AJ about what's going on. One would think a house full of pink dots raises some questions.

      And while I love CMC comedy in general, the puppetry just became wince-inducing. Misdirected enthusiasm may be the CMC's stock in trade, but expecting other ponies to be dumb enough for this to work, is too dumb for them.

      IMO, recent episodes are putting too much stress on the moral, and that limits the awesome character interaction we've come to expect. Apple Bloom could have wanted AJ to be the speaker just because she admires AJ so much. Her stubbornness and social insecurity could easily take things from there. But that doesn't have her actively despising Granny, so it doesn't rub in the moral as hard.

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    44. Shadow PhoenixJanuary 8, 2012 at 5:22 PM

      I like the idea of all the current statements about Ponyville's age being true, making Granny Smith hundreds of years old. See, I read lots of sadfics. And the premise that always makes me cry is the idea of the Mane 6 dying of old age. Ponies only live 20-30 years in reality, with certain cases of greater age. That means that the entire cast would be dead by the time I become middle-aged, except maybe the elderly CMC and the Princesses. That also plays into my fear of forgetting my love of things that make me happy right now, like FiM.

      If Granny Smith and Ponyville have existed for hundreds of years, that means that the ponies in the show have at least the same lifespans as humans, if not greater lifespans. I can believe that in a cartoon, so it's not ridiculous to consider. And I am totally cool with that idea if it means that Rarity can live a long life and still be a fashionable old mare hundreds of years later. Plus, Spike can spend a couple hundred years with his best friends before hibernation, which is better than everypony dying in 20 years followed by 50 generations of ponies calling him a monster while he fills the hole in his heart with possessions, actually making him a monster.

      TL;DR: This episode makes SpikexRarity more satisfying.

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    45. JakeJanuary 8, 2012 at 9:00 PM

      I missed the apparent "Little House on the Prairie" references the first time around (Apple Bloom being called "Half-Pint," Laura's nickname, while wearing a bonnet, and Granny Smith's dad looking like Michael Landon during his Little House days). I can't believe I spaced on those, considering that Little House is one of my favorite live action shows.

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    46. UtherJanuary 8, 2012 at 9:09 PM

      I loved Granny Smith's flash back of how Ponyville was founded. But what was funny was when princess showed them were they could go and Granny Smith's dad kissed her hoof with the narrator (Granny Smith) saying "my pa give the princess a mighty thanks" the look on the mare behind him (guessing his wife) was priceless. But then it made me think, how far did he go with that Mighty thanks of his for all that land ? :). There could be a fanfic with Celestia (Molestia) having some fun with Granny Smith's dad for the land she gave them.

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    47. AnonymousJanuary 8, 2012 at 9:37 PM

      If this wasn't a childrens show I could've sworn that the jealous wife was a foreshadow to something. Maybe Princess Celestia sleeps with everyone's husbands?

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    48. Joe EnglandJanuary 9, 2012 at 12:06 AM

      Lovely episode.

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    49. RoxorJanuary 9, 2012 at 12:14 AM

      @Stormchaser I don't think it was supposed to be funny.

      Besides, if you want funny, you're barking up the wrong tree if you're looking at material from the USA. Look to Britain or Australia if you want comedy in English.

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    50. InsertAuthorHereJanuary 9, 2012 at 2:36 AM

      Well, it's been a few days, so I feel I can properly respond to this episode.

      Overall, it was okay. I'm not a fan of the CMC or most of the Apple Family, but I did get a few laughs out of the Crusaders trying to stop Granny from coming to the school. The uncle being on the train, however, was just too much of a contrived coincidence for me to accept.

      I also liked Filthy Rich, both because his running gag was mildly funny, but also because he represents an all too rare sight on television: he's a rich that guy isn't a total jerk. He has less screen time than the last pony in that group (Fancy Pants), but the few moments he got made me wish we would see him again. And him making Diamond Tiara join the other ponies and Granny at the end had me laughing for five minutes straight.

      That being said, the rest of the episode was just meh. After a string of three great episodes AND a break, coming back to one like this was a bit of a letdown. The conflict (Apple Bloom feels embarrassed of Granny Smith because Diamond Tiara makes fun of her) was so forced it was almost laughable. And while I appreciate that they're trying to make Granny more likeable, she's really a one-joke "old people are senile" character. Even at the end, when they give her an admittedly awesome backstory, she's still used mostly for gags about her age.

      So far, this ranks as my second least favorite episode of the season so far. The moral was too forced, the jokes were hit-and-miss, and the whole Diamond Tiara conflict could have been dropped without affecting the rest of the story. I still liked it more than Mare-Do-Well, but it's not one I will be revisiting that much.

      Still, next week is a Pinkie Pie episode! FINALLY! This had better be awesome!

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    51. DJLowriderJanuary 9, 2012 at 8:52 AM

      @Steve Rowland

      Tomoya's stomach would disagree with you. As would anyone else's. No one should be subjected to that.

      Watched the new ep a few more times and I still find it fantastic. Easily a top 3 ep for Season 2 so far, though we do have some epic-sounding stories on the horizon. So far the only episode this season that's been at all disappointing to me was The Cutie Pox and even that was still decently entertaining.

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    52. AnonymousJanuary 9, 2012 at 10:21 AM

      Pony's a hell of a drug!

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    53. Altron MaximusJanuary 9, 2012 at 8:14 PM

      Someone has probably already pointed this out but the CMC have apparently known each other since episode 1. I was just watching and saw all three huddled together just as Nightmare Moon says her bit.

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    54. SomeGuyJanuary 10, 2012 at 11:03 AM

      @D. Shadows @Mattatatta
      Thats what I thought too.

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    55. SomeGuyJanuary 10, 2012 at 11:05 AM

      Remember in "Luna Eclipsed" when Twilight said she should start a class to teach pony history and now this season we are getting lots of episodes featuring Equestrian history and holidays. Coincidence? I think not.

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    56. Sonic The StallionJanuary 11, 2012 at 12:43 PM

      This was an episode worth waiting for.

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    57. Ponyfied_peopleJanuary 11, 2012 at 1:54 PM

      i keep telling her to eat the sandvitch

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    58. SomeGuyJanuary 11, 2012 at 7:50 PM

      A thought occurred to me about Granny Smith's father kissing Celestia's hoof in thanks. What if Celestia had taken it as simply a friendly gesture of thanks in the classical sense not having had anypony (brave enough to) do that to her before and given it no more thought. But then word spread of the incident from observers and the next thing Celestia knows everypony that she helps or gives a gift to believes they have to kiss and grovel (the latter was added do to the broken telephone effect) at her hooves in return.
      Jump ahead a hundred years (I can believe that Granny is over a hundred) and we know why Rarity was kissing Celestia's hooves in thanks for the room in the castle and why Celestia looked uncomfortable about it.

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    59. CybeargJanuary 11, 2012 at 9:26 PM

      @the-matthew

      I'd rather accept it as a little, inconsequential continuity error than to make up explanations that fly in the face of what the creators were trying to set the lore as.

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    60. CybeargJanuary 11, 2012 at 9:35 PM

      @Shadow Phoenix

      I'm pretty sure that the creators mean for ponies to live about as long as real humans, if not less. Less would be odd, since a town as large and stable as Ponyville was established in one lifetime. Thirty years seems too little for that. Seventy would be more reasonable (assuming Granny Smith were in her 80s or 90s, which seems reasonable).

      It seems a stretch to suggest that ponies are only meant to live 20 to 30 years, but even more of a stretch to assume that they live for hundreds. There is nothing to suggest this at all, and if the creators intended it to be that way, they would make it very clear that it deviated from the norm.

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    61. CybeargJanuary 11, 2012 at 9:40 PM

      @SomeGuy

      Or maybe Rarity was just excited and performed a simple, comedic gesture, and Celestia was just embarrassed because it was a bit overboard.

      I know you were probably just kidding, but bronies, why must you over-complicate EVERYTHING?

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    62. Chris MckerracherJanuary 11, 2012 at 11:05 PM

      To anyone wondering how Ponyville can be so large while so young, let me say this. My home town about 100-120 years ago was nothing but farm land. We never really achieved town status until about 60-70 years ago. Also if you are wondering if GS is really the great granny, consider that maybe Big Mac is about 22-25 which would put granny in the range of 60-70 when her first grandcolt was brorn, about an average age.

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    63. RoxorJanuary 12, 2012 at 7:02 AM

      Hey, I just realised something: If Ponyville was founded when Granny Smith was a filly, then that puts the town's founding in the 1930s.

      This casts a light on Granny Smith's story: they were travelling because there was no work to be found, given Equestria was in the middle of its own economic depression. When Celestia saw them, she saw an opportunity to get at least some ponies working, and her gamble with the Smith family paid off big time in the form of a new town.

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    64. R5hJanuary 13, 2012 at 2:38 PM

      Well, the 1080p video on Youtube has been taken down due to a copyright claim from Hasbro. Darn.

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    65. HejsanJanuary 13, 2012 at 3:32 PM

      It was 666 comments before I commented, and it's friday 13th... Should I be scared? O.O

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    66. James CorckJanuary 13, 2012 at 3:51 PM

      Now, the YouTube video is down, but the channel is still going.

      I'm still expecting Xyro to have us covered for tomorrow's episode. Nopony freak out guys, Xyro never lets us down.

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    67. Neospyro007January 20, 2012 at 1:33 PM

      *ahem*

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBzMpL55vE4

      ReplyDelete

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