Episode seen and BOY do I have a lot to say

First    We may finally have gotten a confirm that AJ's parents are indeed dead. Besides the obvios fact they weren't there or mentioned (which is itself a little odd, you'd assume that they'd have been there when AJ was a toddler or at least that there'd be photos of them in the album). there was a subtle little nod. At the very end of the episode just after AJ finishes her letter as we pull out to the outside shot of Sweet Apple Acres, you notice a pair of shooting stars. A pair. Ma and Pa looking down? (sees above post. Guess I'm not the only one who thinks so   

Second    The ponies may be more techically advanced than they seem. Im thinking of the fritters. While AJ did say oil, I'm not sure that that tecnically is what was in the caludrons. You can fry a fritter in oil, but most good fritters are done in something a bit heaver and unsaturated the three classics being lard and shmaltz and something like Crisco Since the ponies are obviosly not going around killing pigs and chickens for thier fat, that leaves the crisco like stuff, so someone in Equestria knows how to hydrogenate vegetable oil (either that, or the trade routes go far enough to be able to get a lot of vegeatable based unsturated oil, like coconut, palm, shea etc.) On a side note, Big Mac must have a mouth of asbestos, if he can pull a fritter out of the boiling oil and eat it literally seconds after (when the outside will still be boiling)   .

Third    Apple Fritter must be a bit put out they had to put the barn back together, given they just raised the previos one about two episodes ago (you also note she had the exact same job as last time, doing the heavy pulling)   

Other notes
   Funny to see AJ using Spike as a lighter
I still don't get how the Sweet Apple acres trees can drop apples of multiple colors from the same tree unless 1. a lot of the apples arent ripe or 2. someone is really good at grafting
Ha, Ha, "fruit bats"   

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"I'm not a traitor, I'm just allegiance negotiable"

"I'm not evil, I'm just morally alternate."

Repost episode link: 1080p

My reaction to that:
"HOLY CRAP IT TALKS!!!"

I know I'm in the minority here, but those baby ponies freak me right the buck out. They look like soulless little shit machines to me. Or it could just be because of that video where Pound Cake had this demon eyes thing going on when he was crawling on the ceiling.

So yeah random thoughts on the episode: (I've marked some things as spoilers and what you do see doesn't have much at all to do with the plot.)

1: This episode hit closer to home for me because I too have a large family, only mine makes AJ's look tiny... I'm not kidding it really does, no shit.

2: Who Granny Smith now reminds me of: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=p ... -m4A#t=53s ... Yeah, I get it, the guy who thinks baby ponies are creepy thinks this is funny as hell. I can't help myself, sorry.

3: Hey, one of AJ's relatives looks like Octavia... I bet southern Octavia sounds like a southern bell... That would be great.

4: Cool! AJ gets to sing in this episode, I wander what her song is going to be about. *See's the song* ... Well that was predictable.

5: So... Since AJ's parents    didn't show up at the reunion can we assume they're dead? This may sound sick, but hear me out real quick... I always did kind of like the idea that AJ's parents weren't around because to me that makes AJ a more interesting character. When I see her interact with Apple Bloom she's almost kind of acting like a mother as well as a sister, a good example of this in my opinion is the Babs Seed episode. And no I don't think that AJ and Big Mac are really Apple Bloom's real parents, I'm not one of those. I just like the idea that AJ took it upon herself to be more responsible after her parents passed away by being the main care giver and adult in the house. Its also cool that Big Mac did the same thing. Not to mention I also like the idea of a small, but very close family, but that may be because I grew up with a family (in terms of who's around the house) like that where it was just me and my mom and we didn't get to see our relatives much which is different from AJ, but its still a small group. Can two count as a group? Anyways that's my thoughts on the whole AJ's parents thing, I like the idea of her acting as the adult mare of the house if you will and it makes her seem like a more mature character to me. I hope I put this in the right words so you can understand where I'm coming from with this.   

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Bark.
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You can refer to Mon Kitsune's and my previous posts.   This appeared at the beginning and the end of the episode. In the old days, shooting stars were believed to be spirits of the dead. Two parallel shooting stars at the same time in this episode can not mean anything else other than Applejack's parents are dead. Since the writers don't want to outright tell the audiences that (due to nowadays' standard of kids show, sigh), they have to make it subtle.   

That part about the double commits... That's actually strangely beautiful...

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Bark.
http://mad-mutt.deviantart.com/

Ok! So prior to stating my opinions on the episode I would to remind/tell everyone that I live in the middle of a highly rural area and hate it so. The country accents, the country music and the unavoidable stereotypical country ignorance/prejudice all 24/7! My personal hell will have these things, I know this.


   My favorite part of this episode was the fruit bats and Country Octavia's appearance.

I like Grieff and Mon's theory about the parents. I hadn't drawn that connection myself but it certainly seems highly possible.

Other opinions:

The song was kind of repetitive. Certainly not my favorite one, also 1 2 3 4!~ That rates a 1, 2, 3, 4 on the 1-5 redundant scale. *eyetwitch*

Speaking of 1 2 3 4, raising the barn is cool and all but looses significance when you realize how often it gets wrecked and that they have to re-raise it every other episode.

Babs is cool, again.

The last reunion was 100 moons ago?! I'm not familiar with that phrase but unless it's referring to the Lunar cycle or they had another reunion between now and the Summer sun festival than season one episode 1 was only a 100 DAYS AGO?! Doubt it, but the possibility is certainly worth mentioning.   

Also, you are all hermaphrodites. (Look at the gender symbol under your name.)

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"Hmm, the more you look into it the more flaws you see, just as it is with everything."

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   I forgot to mention about that part. IRL, 1 moon refers 1 lunar cycle, which is approximately one month. Therefore, 100 moons would be more than 8 years. However, we don't know the moon cycle of Equestria. I think the appropriate time would be 1 week, which would make 100 moons = 2 years.   
As for the song, I agree that this one is rather weak. But still, first Applejack's song.

And yes, we are.


The name Fiddlestick is gaining popularity as her fanon name.

   That shooting star theory is hitting the spotlight.   

Here's a Pic of such.

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"Hmm, the more you look into it the more flaws you see, just as it is with everything."

I find what True Order said about us ironic because I heard that Yoshis are transgender.
Death Battle told me.

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Bark.
http://mad-mutt.deviantart.com/

True, what are you talking about, I am a man. A manly man.

Speaking of manly, I survived multiple deaths from this episode.
1.    Baby Applejack. Just...yay.   
2.    Holy crap, Braeburn's back! Does he...no, he doesn't speak in this episode...ah well. He's here anyway.   
3.    Urban-Italian Babs. I knew they were gonna get into this accent, and it's damn sweet to hear it on a girl.   
4.    A canon Country song. I don't even like country and this was entertaining as hell.   
5.    More hoof-to-string action with this instrument player everyone's calling Fiddlesticks now.   
6.    A photo with Applejack and Braeburn. Awhhhh!   

Good ep. 9/10, six deaths, would rewatch.

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   That reminded me, one other thing I liked (since it increases the accuracy of my own fanwork) is that the Apple Clan does include a few ponies who speak with Northern (in this case read Minnesotan) accents (the mare at the fritter making booth). So Uncle McCoun and Aunt Sansa can have the accents I planned   

   Yes, though I'm still wating for AJ to yodel (I just know she can).   
5.
   Actually we saw in the wedding episdoe that AJ can play the fiddle a little as well. Maybe there are a lot of ponies in the family that can. I mean one of the founders was Prairie Tune (the Pony in the founders story with the banjo cutie mark. Yes that is the current "official" name. )   

   And two more examples for the "star=soul" thing that should hopefully be familar to the people here. There's one in The Little match girl (during her night, she sees a shooting star, and remembers her granny saying that shooting stars are sould going up to heaven. And the end of The Princess and the Frog (the disney movie) when the firefly dies (he passes on, and suddenly the clouds by the star he loved part, showing a second star next to them)   

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"I'm not a traitor, I'm just allegiance negotiable"

"I'm not evil, I'm just morally alternate."

The shooting star theory has officially been confirmed: Word of Sibsy (spoiler)



That was some real good animation.

   i liked this episode a bunch considering i don't particularly favor Applejack as a character...
i did love all the new Apple characters introduced, just really nice hair styles and cutie marks on some of them
i also enjoyed seeing Babs again, her accent is forever cute, especially since i'm a Northeasterner myself
baby Applejack goes without saying as a favourite part of the ep, seriously

True Order wrote:

Speaking of 1 2 3 4, raising the barn is cool and all but looses significance when you realize how often it gets wrecked and that they have to re-raise it every other episode

THIS.   


EDIT: why are spoilers not working in quotes? ugh... i made the letters extra tiny to prevent spoilage

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What the FUUUUUU! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jz7-SofPdk

Here's something funny to get that last video out of your head: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lf7oXjM8w98

And here's this thing and I'm not the least bit surprised it exists: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9NKlb0ri6Y

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Bark.
http://mad-mutt.deviantart.com/

Funny, I heard they were eunuchs.

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Chrysalis gives us her life story:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AY7k_iuk3fQ
(Its really Creature Feature's Such Horrible Thing's sped up.)

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Bark.
http://mad-mutt.deviantart.com/

I think the logic works like this

1. In the recent games, Yoshi's "girlfriend" is Birdo
2. Birdo is transgender (this is actual Nintendo canon)
3. Thefore in order to have him/her as a boyfriend/girlfriend, Yoshi must be gay or transgender himself.

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"I'm not a traitor, I'm just allegiance negotiable"

"I'm not evil, I'm just morally alternate."

The aforementioned    Applejack Filly    has been drawn by Johnny Jo.

Right here:
Link

Also. What the hell?! I knew about the Birdo shoop but.... I just consider a Yoshi to be a boy if it does not possess eyelashes. The golden rule of guy vs. girl in majority of cartoons.

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"Hmm, the more you look into it the more flaws you see, just as it is with everything."

It's grafting. Apple trees are pretty unique in that you can graft on branches from different apple trees and they will continue to produce those kinds of apples. For an example, if you graft on the branch of a granny smith apple tree and put it on a honey crisp apple tree, that branch will still produce granny smiths. Its pretty cool.

Also, really not that much of a spoiler, nor is AJ using Spike as a lighter. Its not going to ruin anyone's day.

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Snafu's Mercypostle.

I was making a joke referring to Dragonball Z Abridged. Goku calls Piccolo a Yoshi and Gohan asks if he is a eunuch.

Anyways..... HEY KOOLAID MAN!!!

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I know how good apples are at being grafted (I'm a botanist, remember, this is sort of my job) I was just a little surprised that earth ponies who lack the telekinesis of unicorns or the flight ability of pegasi are that adroit at a task that would require lots of climbing (or lots of tall thin ladders and good knife work (to be honest I'm terrible at grafting, so I am in a bit of awe at those that are good at it) I supposed I am just being pony racist here. Also I supposed it makes a lot of sense, since Sweet Apple acres supllies pretty much ALL of ponyville with its apples (and possibly a good portion of equestria as well, including Canterlot, they probably need to be able to grow pretty much every apple variety that the area would need. Even as big as SWA is that probably needs grafting. Though bucking would still mean an awful lot of unripe apples (unless all apples in Equestria are bred to have stems that weaken enough to be bucked ONLY when they are ripe)
Oh and my inner pedant want to point out that apples are not all that unique in that respect, most domestic fruit trees can be grafted pretty easily (in fact pretty much all commecial fruit trees HAVE to be grafted, since you need to get fruit you want for eating, onto rootstock that you want for disease resistance or dwarfing (Giant trees like what SWA has are actually rather archaic, in commercial apple circles that's called "growing for the wood buyers" [i.e the people who need apple wood, for smoking and such])
I agree they are minor issues. However I err on the side of caution, and spoiler hide EVERYTHING about an episode until the spoiler rule goes down. There are people who want to have EVERYTHING a surprise when they sit down for the first time.

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"I'm not a traitor, I'm just allegiance negotiable"

"I'm not evil, I'm just morally alternate."

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"Small muscles, big brain, the heart of a lion."
—Anthony DiNozzo on Timothy McGee

Cutest episode! I love AppleJack~



...ya know sometimes I question myself but last time I checked.

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