• Episode Followup: Hearts and Hooves


    It's Sunday! You know what that means.  Episode followup time.   As we all know, this actually popped up in iTunes way early, so information on it has been floating around for quite a while now! It's nice to finally be able to spill the beans and talk about it. 

    Onward after the break for all the followupy goodness, ridiculousness, and derpyness.




    Cheerilee sure has improved as a character.  I've said it a million times already, but I really feel bad about complaining when she first appeared as a McDonalds toy way back in the day! The poor girl deserves her spotlight! She does look a bit lonely though.  


    And once again they have graced us with these awesome new season two faces.  Seriously, go watch one of the early first season episodes and compare it, the animation quality has been ramped up exponentially.  These guys have definitely mastered the cartoon equine form!


    Once again, the chubby pony who's life goal appears to be eating has made an appearance.   Maybe he will be a famous chef in the future?  Who knows!   


    It looks like he gets all the fillies at least!


    Except for this one.   Apparently she has a crush on Twist!

    There are plenty of other girls to go for. You are way out of her league anyway.  


    And good news for those of you who like Twilight Sparkle a bit... too... much.  It looks like Ponyville's number one adorkable librarian spent the holiday solo... studying... as always.  She's totally available. 


    I don't know if this is breaking the 4th wall, or just how Rainbows work in Equestria.  


    We also got a glimpse at what starving ponies look like.  I'm not sure why Daisy has a dunce cap on.  That is definitely grounds for her usual freakout though. 



    We also get a few feats of strength from Big Mac.  Apparently earth ponies really are ridiculously powerful.  I guess Dash cheated in that arm wrestling competition with Applejack or something. 


    And of course the obligatory Derpy Hooves plug.   I guess you could also argue that she is being shipped with Doctor Whooves here (which is a pretty popular pairing among the pony romance community).  


    Video games confirmed in Equestria


    Pony Death confirmed in Equestria =[


    Caramel confirmed for straight, or he could just swing both ways. Who knows!


    We also have a few new characters.  I couldn't find a name for the one above.  This season has too many new ponies! I can't keep up! The next Comic Con poster is going to be insane.



    I don't even know what to say about this guy.  If I was walking down the street and saw someone bathing in a giant jar of Jelly, I'd probably run for the hills.

     And this is what happens when you get shafted with a Cutie Mark from whatever era is currently going on.  Taking "stuck in the 70's" to a whole new level.


    And... a tire.  Is it possible that Equestria is earth thousands of years in the future!? 

    Overall, I really enjoyed this one. The CMC's used to drive me nuts, but they really have officially grown on me. I still prefer Twilight Sparkle episodes, but I suppose the poor girl needs a break after each freakout.  

    And I'll finish this off with some music, enjoy!


    Hearts and Hooves String Quartet


    269 comments:

    1. And the dunce cap is because AppleBloom said "Uneducated" in addition to "starving".

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    2. @BZKlint

      I bet that the psych ward at Ponyville hospital has walls covered in paint splotches just like that background.

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    3. @MyBoyJ Ah, I totally missed that. Still, they said it a LOT in this episode, made it more obvious.

      In summary, I totally loved this episode. Loved the song, the humor, and especially all the little shout outs like Whooves and Derpy, and obviously we've been seeing Lyra hang out with Bonbon a lot as well. Fun stuff.

      Also didn't notice the funeral, that's kind of weird. Hugh Jelly gave me a chuckle.

      Most cool thing was probably Cheerilee's character development, and Super Mac (Pinkie bounce lol!) That's all for now folks.

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    4. Fanfic writers are going to have a field day with the fact that Video Games, and therefore ALL TECHNOLOGY THAT CAME BEFORE THEM, exist in Equestria.

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    5. I pretty much spent the week spoiling the ep to the few brony's i knew that were trying to watch the ep needless to say there still a lil mad at me but i feel i made a point.

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    6. video games must be powered by magic, Im thinking Astroid level of graphics maybe.

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    7. @GaruuSpike

      All technology that came before videogames? I see no planes, televisions, centrifuges, spacecraft, telephones, pneumatic tubes, radios, etc.

      Equestria's technological development could have, and probably did, happen very differently from ours.

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    8. @Jebediah Oldenheimer

      Not necessarily. Words like "apocalypse" kind of imply a single cataclysmic, well, apocalyptic cause. That suits if, for narrative reasons, you want to get rid of the human race in one swell foop, but extinction actually doesn't tend to work like that.

      What if we just... left? Or changed beyond recognition? Or modified ourselves in pursuit of personal immortality to such an extent we couldn't have children any more, and then died out of attrition anyway? Or just a number of bad things happened at once, an ice age and a meteorite strike and an increase in volcanic activity - the last *two* being currently reckoned the probable extinction of the dinosaurs over a period of thousands if not tens of thousands of years...

      If time is deep enough, you don't need a sudden apocalypse to get rid of us. In the long run, whether we exit slowly or at a run, we'll be gone.

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    9. @Stephen

      It could be the equivalent of Anglicanism in Equestria...

      Which would make Celestia the head of the church. How about that?

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    10. The jelly pony is now named "
      ugine elly" and his short name "uge elly"

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    11. I can't believe you forgot to mention Lyra and Bon Bon in the same shot as Derpy and the Doctor.

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    12. I think "THE RAGE OF TWO SISTERS" is as close to what I'd say is a possibility of many possible truths to Equestria's creation xD


      PLEASE READ! http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/05/story-rage-of-two-sisters.html it's REALLY a great story!

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    13. @crazyredemu

      Why make everyone gay? Because we're awesome.
      Seriously, if you want to join the Gay side, just let me know. We're offering a very nice introductory package at the moment, even throwing in 5 complimentary Gay Points - normally you have to earn those yourself.

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    14. That tire underground is essentially what my fan fic is about: Equestria is indeed Earth in the distant future.

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    15. Aww, that little filly with the thing for Twist/Truffle Shuffle/whoever is too adorable. I can't believe I didn't notice that when I watched it!

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    16. @Eric Chubby pony is Equestria-verse version of Chowder. ;3

      If that was indeed Princess Cadence and Shining Armor in the book... could that mean we'll be getting a major Equestria history lesson? As in... CANON BACKSTORY!! SQUEEEEE!!!

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    17. @Maquabra Rainbows are made from recycled ponies... after the funeral we saw. >;D

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    18. Equestria is Earth 15,000 years in the future.

      Celestia's mother came to Earth at the end of 2012, and wiped out the humans and nearly all evidence of their existence.

      Something like a magical analog of the Genisis device from that Star Trek movie.

      Now, magic, mythical creatures, sapient ponies.

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    19. @D. Shadows Cardboard? You give them too much credit! That stuff's pretty strong unless it gets wet. Try balsa wood. I can punch through 4 inches of that stuff with my bare fist.

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    20. @Remus Shepherd Actually, the presence of our large moon will prevent tidal locking. Now, the Earth will eventually lock with the Moon, in the same way the Moon has already locked with Earth. So an Earth day will become 28 days long (which would make most of the surface uninhabitable anyway, save for polar regions, in which some very hardy organisms could survive. Think how hot the equator would get with 14 days of nonstop sunlight, then 14 days of night too cool down.. storms would become incredibly violent with such thermal variations to work with). But, our planet is actually too far from the Sun to ever become tidally locked with it before the Sun becomes a red giant and incinerates it.

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    21. To many comments to read through, so I'll just say what I think regardless of whether it has been previously stated.

      That blue unicorn filly probably has a crush on the foodie colt, but of course he likes the candy loving filly (Twist).

      So rainbows are actually structures carefully placed around Equestria and soaked with multicolor liquid. Which implies that they no longer form naturally? (Or, they just don't wait around for them to appear naturally and place artificial rainbows cause Celes probably thinks its nice. That's what happens when you're ruled by crazy dictators who have their students study "friendship" and banish ponies to the moon.)

      The dunce cap is because, in the nightmare scenario of Applebloom, all of Ponyville was starving form a lack of apples harvested by Big Mac and dumb because Cheerilee didn't teach anymore.

      Big Mac is just strong for an earth pony (or any pony). Also, was it just me or did he seem shorter?

      That jelly obsessed pony... wow. lol Didn't he do the Trololo face? (It was a few seconds after the image in this post.)

      I thought it was a giant horseshoe or some metal equipment, but I guess half a tire makes sense. Works into my theory that Equestria is a post-apocalyptic earth where thousands of years ago genetic experiments ran wild (monsters explanation) and because of some great disasters people used genetics to alter their physiology into various other creatures (including ponies) better able to survive to new world. ... :D

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    22. @Apollo-kun Well of course there was no Spike X Rarity in this episode! They couldn't exactly air what they were doing! >;D *trolololo*

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    23. @Destroyer The pony in the coffin's cutie mark is a skeleton. His special talent is being dead! :D

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    24. @StrangeNoise It was a prototype tire made from recycled soda bottles and Twinkies. It would last for 1 billion years. ;D

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    25. @StrangeNoise
      Which would make this the mirror universe for the ponies, right?

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    26. Cheerliee shouldn't be lonely. She should be cheery. :'(

      I must say I'm loving all these new dynamic faces we've been getting in season two as well. With a bigger budget, comes more fun ways and things with which you can use to get more creative. :)

      Didn't even notice the one poor filly who turned away and dropped her Valentine's card when Twist and the chubby pony exchanged Valentine's and hugs. I'm not so sure she was sad about Twist as she was sad about the chubby male pony. But I know it's hard for many people in this community to resist the urge to automatically ship female characters at this point. lol :P

      Twilight as my Hearts and Hooves Day pony? Aw yeah! You bet your sweet flank I'd ask our favorite nerdy purple pony if I had the chance. Twilight is the most adorkable sweetheart around.

      For Big Mac's strength... I see Big Mac as slightly unique in his super strength. I don't believe there are many other ponies around that can quite match his power. He's that one really large full of muscle farm hand some of you may know. The ones that are simply just muscle from working on farms their whole lives. I know the types and they really are incredibly strong. Think of him as the Twilight of earth ponies. Maybe a bit overpowered. :P

      Of course death exists in Equestria. lol Ponies don't live forever. Unless they're princesses perhaps. ;)

      Jelly pony! Ah, the jelly pony. Who doesn't love the... interesting jelly pony? He's just too cooky to dislike. Especially with that face he makes.

      Didn't notice the tire first time I watched it either. Hmm, we've not seen any tires so far in the series at all? I'm afraid I haven't paid that close of attention. But I could certainly see tires put on some carts or wagons.

      And that Hearts and Hooves string quartet is lovely.

      Overall, it was a pretty good episode. I have a soft spot for things pertaining to love and some of that mushy stuff I suppose. And the adorability factor makes me love it more too.

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    27. I love the first screencap on this page. Big Mac can be just as cute as everypony else it seems.

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    28. @Octavia
      The moving van in "Feeling Pinkie Keen" had tires, so they do exist in current-day Equestria.

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    29. @Lord Elliott: "crazy dictators who have their students study "friendship" and banish ponies to the moon."

      You are joking, right?

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    30. When the CMC are looking through the potion book the second time the ponies in the picture are Cadence and Shining Armor.

      Also, I believe the seventies pony is a Freddie Mercury homage.

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    31. Bubble Pipe was just reading a story to that lovely wooden box. :V

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    32. Cheerilee sure has improved as a character. I've said it a million times already, but I really feel bad about complaining when she first appeared as a McDonalds toy way back in the day! The poor girl deserves her spotlight! She does look a bit lonely though.

      Cheerilee is awesome enough a character simply because she shares Nicole Oliver with Celestia as her VA.

      Except for this one. Apparently she has a crush on Twist!

      There are plenty of other girls to go for. You are way out of her league anyway.


      Oh, Seth. You femslash fanboi. She was obviously vying with Twist for the only colt in the entire damn class.
      Now that other filly trying to get on Diamond Tiara's good side...


      And good news for those of you who like Twilight Sparkle a bit... too... much. It looks like Ponyville's number one adorkable librarian spent the holiday solo... studying... as always. She's totally available.

      You have no Idea how much her scene is going to and already is being exploited by trolls and R34ers...
      Also Twilight is so alone.

      We also got a glimpse at what starving ponies look like. I'm not sure why Daisy has a dunce cap on. That is definitely grounds for her usual freakout though.

      Dunce cap is because "Uneducated Little Ponies starved for apples".


      We also get a few feats of strength from Big Mac. Apparently earth ponies really are ridiculously powerful. I guess Dash cheated in that arm wrestling competition with Applejack or something.


      I'm pretty sure pegasi would have superior upper body strength due to wings pumping up their back muscles and pushing weather around all day.


      Overall I'd say this was a great episode. The holiday ones seem to be top tier overall.
      Luna Eclipsed, Hearth's Warming and Hearts and Hooves were all great.

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    33. Heh. Twist and grey colt. I wonder if Somber will have a handwave for this

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    34. Ahem. That chubby colt should be named Tyler Fourhoofs. Because he looks like Tyler Florence who obviously has a similar love of eating.

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    35. One thing no one noticed: the princess the prince made drink a love potion is depicted as an alicorn while the Stallion prince is possibly an earth pony. I also can't help but notice that the Earth ponies in the Hearth's Warming Eve pageant didn't have a royal family, you don't think there's a connection, do you?

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    36. It's about time the CMC got an episode as well. Seriously, Scootaloo is best pony.

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    37. @Arcainum hey man theres still hope, they still went to the gazebo after all

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    38. Does the little chubby pony have a name yet I've been calling him Cake boss lol. And I love that the the little poesy pony has a crush on twist.



      I loved this ep.

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    39. @The Blue Horse yeah. they even went to the carousel boutique and rarity was nowhere to be found, surely she must do something for hearts and hooves

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    40. @Anthony Pendley a powerful propaganda tool like television could not exist under the caring eye of celestia

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    41. @jodyjm13

      Yes, I'm joking, but only half way. Not saying Celes is a crazy dictator, but she is a monarch that seems to rule with absolute power.

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    42. Never noticied it was a funeral Sweetie was crashing until someone brought it up in the eps discussion. And the tire, well I've seen that one used so often in so many shows that it doesn't event register to me anymore other than "oh a tire".

      I'm honestly surprised no one brought up the ox cart or the fact that Scoots while participating in the song didn't really sing any of the lines.

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    43. @Jebediah Oldenheimer but magic is already real. spirituality has a power all its own, and we already have friendship.

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    44. OMG yes, I can't wait to play that song on my cello!

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    45. 70's Disco pony. My life is complete...

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    46. One of the best season 2 episodes.

      But needed some Applejack/Caramel.

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    47. @javelinstark And Applejack was not in the episode.

      Maybe APplejack found that special somepony.

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    48. Dat starving pony reminds me of MisterDavie.

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    49. First time I don't notice Derpy. What's wrong with me?!

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    50. My opinion on the forever alone filly is that she was going to give the card to Chowder (or whatever he is called), not to Twist.

      Would also make more sense as this is a kids' show afterall.

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    51. I still and ALWAYS will say that Twist was just being polite, with the poor fat pony (him not getting any cards)... sadly not knowing about the other pony being her.

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    52. Applebloom: Dear Princess Celestia, I learned that today will be the day in which Ponyville is going STRAIGHT to Hell. And it's all my fault. I want you to banish me to the moon. It will serve me right for even THINKING about giving both my teacher and my brother a love poison.
      Sincerely, Applebloom

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    53. Card for colt...
      Caramel straight...
      It's what I think, baby!

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    54. did anyone notice that the princess in the hearts and hooves day book is an alicorn? Princess celestia maybe?

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    55. Their technology is improving at an exponential rate. They went from pony-drawn trains to engine-powered trains to that car/cider squeezy the Flim Flam brothers rigged up, to... video games? Face it, this is the age of rapidly-growing technology in Equestria. Maybe it has something to do with the return of Luna... New theories and speculation abound!

      Also, anyone else think that the ponies in the love potion book (the prince and princess) looked like they could have been Cadence and Shining Armor?

      Also also, CREEPY JELLY PEDO PONY. OH GOD THAT FACE. I swear he made the Me Gusta face right after that grin pictured above.

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    56. @Altercation

      No, I thought that too until I read she had a crush on Twist and I was like "How did you come to that conclusion?"

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    57. @Alondro
      An excellent breakdown indeed. My hat (or should I say, helmet) goes off to you.

      However, notwithstanding my limited knowledge in astrophysics, I have to say, the concept of Equestria being tidally locked to its sun does hold its own when it comes to explaining the behavior of the Equestrian solar system.

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    58. Recalling The Return of Harmony, in one of the stained glass images within Celestia's palace, the sun was depicted as a massive celestial body with a number of planets orbiting it, as opposed to a relatively small magical entity which some proponents of "Equestrian geocentralism" perceive it to be.

      Maintaining the rotation of a planet through sheer telekinetic force may appear to be an outlandish concept, but it's certainly much more feasible compared to displacing the sun itself. Even if their planet is positioned at a reasonably short distance from a star that's comparatively smaller than our sun, light emitted from the Equestrian sun should, logically speaking, still require a few minutes to reach their planet. Taking this into account, if Celestia can indeed propel the sun through space at relativistic speeds relative to Equestria, there shouldn't be an immediately observable effect as depicted in Twilight's recount of a Summer Sun Celebration in s1 ep23. Unless, of course, Celestia had precisely timed the entire event to create such an illusion.

      The points presented thus far suggest that the Equestrian system is heliocentric. It can then be inferred that the most plausible way for BOTH Celestia and Luna to influence the day/night cycle of Equestria is to manipulate the rotation of the planet itself. Although, I must acknowledge that I have no idea how to reconcile this model with the (supposed) effects of inertia when NMM 'stopped' the rotation of the planet. *derp*

      Nevertheless, since it's virtually impossible for our planet to sustain life by the time it becomes tidally locked to the sun, I'll stand by my original notion that the show takes place in a parallel universe, on a planet where humans have never existed. My argument is certainly convoluted and riddled with silly assumptions. But for the moment, this is all I can come up with to justify my headcanon. *my-mind-is-full-of-fxxx.jpg*

      My pathetic attempts to make sense of a show about sentient candy-colored ponies aside, I thought this episode was pretty lovely.

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    59. @b0b4_f3tt_043 It would work if Equestria were located on a planet orbiting a medium-size red dwarf. The habitable zone on such a planet would be located much closer to the star, around Mercury-type distances, and cause much more rapid gravitational locking. However, that alters the orbital dynamics of a large moon. An Earth-type moon would not be stable in such close proximity to the star. We can postulate, however, that a much smaller lunar body located a good deal closer to the planet would be in a far more stable orbit. I won't bother with the math, as the equations are just too complex for me to delve into (and I'm not a physicist, only an amateur. Biologist by trade.), from what others who know much about orbital parameters have told me, an Earth-size planet close in a red dwarf habitable zone could harbor a close-orbiting spherical moon around 500 miles in diameter, which could be at just the right distance to make the visually apparent size of sun and moon appear the same (thus allowing for total eclipses).

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