The Round Stable

(?) · by **Mechanical Ape** (?) » Sat Mar 31, 2012 10:25 pm

Pocket wrote:There's something no one's ever asked in an interview — exactly how the writing process actually goes down.

Whatever the details, we know that somebody can stand up in the writers' room and say "Next a terrified Fluttershy finds herself cast into an endless corridor of eyeballs, enormous and judging," and for this staff, that is a typical Tuesday.

(?) · by **badzerg** (?) » Sat Mar 31, 2012 10:26 pm

best episode, perfect in every way.

(?) · by **Wayoshi** (?) » Sat Mar 31, 2012 10:29 pm

So this entire scene is pretty nice:

Even Rarity thinks TV Y is wrong. :rainbert:

You are refined, don't look.

MINE

That gum in the bum fine is so funny, right guys???

Fun time's over! :sweetielarm:

When somepony tries to hide, whack 'em in the side? I'm not good at Iron Will rhyming, sorry.

But the horn vibrates a bit afterwards :ohboy:

THAT LINE WAS NOT FUNNY, DO YOU UNDERSTAND?

But it was!! :iamapony:

Sweetie can't believe her sister's sense of humor.

Still can't...

: These ponies are so hooked on our column, I can get away with bad one-liners! Cutie Mark Crusaders bad humor makers YAY

(?) · by **Aurora** (?) » Sat Mar 31, 2012 10:50 pm

I really ended up liking this episode more than I thought I would. Fatkid reading the paper with a fez was the best thing. Also Dash getting pissed with the rain cloud was pretty funny.

(?) · by **Aurora** (?) » Sat Mar 31, 2012 10:54 pm

Av Requests

lazy - Applebloom's :/ face
W.T. Fits - Fatkid pony in a fez reading the paper
shotgunbadger - any Diamond Tiara scene
rudecyrus - Rainbow Dash hopping and raining on the CMC
OpposingFarce - Sweetie and Scootaloo in their newspaper boat (in the wide shot with Pinkie Pie when they're just chilling in it). Alternately, if that doesn't crop/loop well, Angel's ">:(" face
Herr General - the av where Dash rains on the CMC with a single buck

(?) · by **W.T. Fits** (?) » Sat Mar 31, 2012 10:58 pm

Wayoshi wrote:

Should've put more ranks in Concentration, big sister. :smirk:

But no self-respecting unicorn actually lets herself get stuck in melee! :gonkity:

(?) · by **Wayoshi** (?) » Sat Mar 31, 2012 11:02 pm

Bit of an interesting shot here - Sweetie stops herself, you can hear the skidding happen, and the camera adjusts a bit to it.

Even the ladybug has eyes.

This is actually the jewelry store, not the joke store. And Mr. Cake's bags under the eyes indicate they still need milk at night. :facehoof:

Pure evil.

So it truly is a knife & fork... now how do non-unicorns use those? :v:

I think they shot the typewriters explicitly so we can't quite see how they work. :smirk:

Great pony design, too bad he's inky the whole ep

Hey, at least everyone took Reading Rainbow to heart.

Hey, a front-on view of the spa, nice. That sure seems to be an alicorn outline.

New pony massaging AJ, but this is all we see of him/her. :fluttersmith:

What happens to :chillin:

Spike that's a bit weird? I'll post right up to the Sugarcube Corner scene in a bit...

(?) · by **Mordja** (?) » Sat Mar 31, 2012 11:03 pm

I love that Rarity throws herself at the bag even though it's being moved by her own magic the entire time.

(?) · by **Wildfire** (?) » Sat Mar 31, 2012 11:06 pm

Remember kids: Tabloids are bad and you should feel bad for reading them. :iamapony:

Loved all of the character building (Rarity's especially) and continuity in this episode. Trixie's mention was unexpected. The mane 6's different ways of shunning the CMC's was interesting (though a little sad). I guess their open letter to the paper replaced the one to Celestia (maybe they figured they better not interact with her after seeing what the mane 6 did to them. Tia might have sent them to a certain place

).
Everybody else has already mentioned the other good points of the episode.

(?) · by **Headless Horse** (?) » Sat Mar 31, 2012 11:10 pm

Rarity getting all Shakespearean on Sweetie Belle follows on nicely from Sisterhooves. Drama queen indeed. :vogue:

(?) · by **Stuff** (?) » Sat Mar 31, 2012 11:10 pm

Hahaha, I liked how the usual "letter to Princess Celestia" style was done as the CMC's last column as GG.

(?) · by **Mechanical Ape** (?) » Sat Mar 31, 2012 11:21 pm

Let's reflect for a moment upon the magnificence of Diamond Tiara.

Most of the antagonists on this show are one-shots -- they cause trouble for one episode and then either they turn good, they're driven out of town, or our heroes escape from them. Even Nightmare Moon and Discord, the two most dangerous threats in Equestrian history, only managed a two-parter apiece. Meanwhile, Diamond Tiara has made numerous appearances across both seasons, and despite the occasional comeuppance, with every new appearance she's exactly as horrible as before. If not more so.

Ladies and gentlemen, give it up for the closest thing to a recurring villain this show has: a young schoolgirl.

This is it right here, the face of true wickedness. As long as there is evil in the world, as long as darkness lurks in pony hearts, Diamond Tiara can never be destroyed. She is eternal and unchangeable. And magnificent.

(?) · by **shotgunbadger** (?) » Sat Mar 31, 2012 11:21 pm

I love that DT had a poster of herself behind her, not even addressing or acknowledging it, just like 'shit yea I have my own posters, whatevs'.

(?) · by **Opposing Farce** (?) » Sat Mar 31, 2012 11:26 pm

Lots of really great gags in this one. It's probably my favorite CMC episode so far. I'm kind of disappointed they didn't take the "get some dirt on DT" angle for the resolution- sure, it would've been a bad lesson, would probably require a bit too much narrative convenience, and on the whole the episode is probably better off not taking that angle, but poetic justice just feels good.

Also, calling an avatar of Sweetie and Scootaloo in their newspaper boat (in the wide shot with Pinkie Pie when they're just chilling in it). Alternately, if that doesn't crop/loop well, Angel's ">:(" face would make a great av, too.

(?) · by **Wayoshi** (?) » Sat Mar 31, 2012 11:29 pm

You up yet? YES YES *bolts up* :iamapony:

*plop*

Yum.

Rarity loves the spa so much, she writhes all over about it. :vogue:

So R.D. swallows the cucumber...

That's one...

Uh...

ok then.

: Yes I took an undigested cucumber out of a pony's stomach. Don't ask me about it.

Aloe/Lotus check that those strands are perfect.

Celestia Just Like Us - so, everypony is like Pinkie? How'd Featherweight get a shot of Celestia anyways? :gotcha:

Pinkie activates her physics:

The only mane uglier than Mayor Mare's real mane is Blossomforth. It's also a bit of a gag that she dies it GRAY of all things - gray's a fine color in Equestria, not necessarily an old color!

Ye old tub from Bridle Gossip and Green Isn't Your Color.

Featherweight is sneaky enough to get a shot of Celestia, I guess!

In simple Big Mac Applejack terms: Nope.

From

...

To OMG A STORY ABOUT YOU WOW :sweetielarm:

I would totally read that Spike story.

Of course Diamond Tiara doesn't appreciate a good anecdote. :rainbert:

Put Your Hoof Down, Sweetie! :crack:

Aww, weakest high hoof ever. I think it was good they showed their doubts at this stage, so they don't seem as ignorant as they often are about their cutie marks.

Act II finishes off next! I might wait for a fresh page, though.

(?) · by **Wayoshi** (?) » Sat Mar 31, 2012 11:31 pm

Mechanical Ape wrote:Ladies and gentlemen, give it up for the closest thing to a recurring villain this show has: a young schoolgirl.

This is it right here, the face of true wickedness. As long as there is evil in the world, as long as darkness lurks in pony hearts, Diamond Tiara can never be destroyed. She is eternal and unchangeable. And magnificent.

(?) · by **Mechanical Ape** (?) » Sat Mar 31, 2012 11:33 pm

It's the shame/self-loathing on Celestia's face that makes it so great. :gotcha:

Are those ads in the elementary school newspaper?

(?) · by **The great M** (?) » Sat Mar 31, 2012 11:34 pm

Holy shit, I totally missed Spike, uh, retrieving that cucumber.

That's.... :vomitpony:

(?) · by **Wayoshi** (?) » Sat Mar 31, 2012 11:34 pm

Mechanical Ape wrote:Are those ads in the elementary school newspaper?

: The Foal Free Press has overtaken Ponyville Express as the best newspaper! Call the advertisers!

(?) · by **Headless Horse** (?) » Sat Mar 31, 2012 11:44 pm

Yeah, "Ponyille Express" threw me for a loop at first; I made a George Carlin-esque "Haah?" noise until I remembered what the train was actually called.

(?) · by **In West Fillydelphia** (?) » Sat Mar 31, 2012 11:50 pm

W.T. Fits wrote:Should've put more ranks in Concentration, big sister.

"But I only get 2+int ranks per level, and charisma is obviously my main stat. I had to put most of my ranks in Profession(Fashion) and Craft(Textiles), darling."

Also, here's a cute clipping I took from this episode.

"But Dash, I just want to make you pretty" :sadrarity:

(?) · by **Pocket** (?) » Sat Mar 31, 2012 11:53 pm

More thoughts from and inspired by the episode:

Sweetie Belle goes around with just a single saddlebag, apparently. How is that supposed to work? I thought the whole point is that they counter-balance each other.
For as much screen time as the spa has gotten these past two seasons, I would assume it's based on a playset... but is it, actually? Come to think of it, for as much attention as the toys get on certain fan sites, I don't know if I've ever seen a G4 playset.
The show seems to have taken turn as to which of the two tomboy ponies is moreso. At first it was Applejack, wanting to go to a formal dance in her "work duds" instead of a dress while Dash volunteered to be a dress model for Rarity (even though it was SO BORING). But now we have her being uncomfortable with the idea of getting a pony-pedi hooficure while Applejack was already there with the rest of the gang.

(?) · by **Emtu** (?) » Sat Mar 31, 2012 11:55 pm

I totally missed that cucumber slice gag on the stream.

I don't know if I want an avatar of it, but a gif of that whole part would be nifty.

(?) · by **Wayoshi** (?) » Sun Apr 01, 2012 12:12 am

Alright, bump it, I'm ending Act II. Act III then can wrap up next page. :gotcha:

Is this Applebuck Season all over again? :gotcha:

So does Big Mac really have a doll collection or what? :wantitneedit:

That image screams "What a bore Ponyville is."

Extra crispy!

This better be a complete lie. :fluttersmith:

I can see Fluttershy getting depressed over others' perception of her despite it being a lie, absolutely.

Lampshade on head = alcohol cider reference. :gotcha:

Put that nose down on that newspaper!

Poor Cakes - so overtired, they almost get tricked into thinking they're breaking up. :v:

Nice job Newspaper Dash - ruined an entire door. :rainbert:

How did Featherweight get R.D.'s eyes in such a perfect position? It's like he has frame-by-frame control! :crack:

Rarity is not amused, she's safe from all of this.

Oh wait.

I'LL DESTROY HER

Pinkie recovered quickly, as usual.

Sweetie as Gabby Gums? What a suggestion!

She's sweet...

...sings like a bell...

...and took your diary. Deal with it. :smirk:

I can imagine the scrunchyface Sweetie had while taking this.

Acceptance comes hard. :gonkity:

(?) · by **londonarbuckle** (?) » Sun Apr 01, 2012 12:15 am

Oh goddamn so much adorableness in this episode. :awesomedash:

(?) · by **FightingDreamer** (?) » Sun Apr 01, 2012 12:19 am

That was pretty solid, methinks. However, and I realize this is the entire point, goddamn I want to launch Diamond Tiara to the moon (Silver Spoon used to earn my ire as well, but her enthused clapping in Family Appreciation Day convinced me she might be worth saving). She's just SUCH a bitch, and I was so very glad she actually got punished at the end. Cheerilee: Teaching Like A Boss.

Side notes: more sides to RD's personality are always welcome, the possibility of that Celestia pic being real makes the gag even funnier, and GOD BABY APPLE BLOOM IS EVEN CUTER THAN NORMAL APPLE BLOOM AHHHH.

(?) · by **Herr General** (?) » Sun Apr 01, 2012 12:19 am

Well, since someone took the one where RD is repeatedly raining on the CMC, can I have the av where she does it with a single buck? (the first one).

(?) · by **stonecutter** (?) » Sun Apr 01, 2012 12:41 am

Pocket wrote:[*]The show seems to have taken turn as to which of the two tomboy ponies is moreso. At first it was Applejack, wanting to go to a formal dance in her "work duds" instead of a dress while Dash volunteered to be a dress model for Rarity (even though it was SO BORING). But now we have her being uncomfortable with the idea of getting a pony-pedi hooficure while Applejack was already there with the rest of the gang.[/list]

I always thought Rainbow's outfit was for some ceremony for Celestia and there would've been a group of ponies dressed similarly in an old fashion to welcome the Princess. Kinda like Ponyville's version of the US Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps.

(?) · by **thatbastardken** (?) » Sun Apr 01, 2012 1:08 am

Well, I got the News Corp scandal episode I was hoping for. Complete with paparazzi and the unauthorized tapping of a communication device, and ending with the editor turning on the journalists who then blow the whistle.

In an episode about yellow journalism I was interested to see one of the main offenders was symbolized by a single white feather, given the connotations that has in Commonwealth countries as a brand given to "cowards" who wouldn't join the army, the sort of thing the Sun would have been all over back in the day. Could also be a reference to descriptions of the Ancient Egyptian afterlife, where the god Ma'at (I think) weighs your heart against a feather, and if your wicked deeds cause your heart to be heavier it gets thrown to crocodiles.
Thus, if you have any interesting gossip, your heart will be thrown to the crowd to be torn apart in public.

(?) · by **Lazy** (?) » Sun Apr 01, 2012 1:18 am

Wayoshi wrote:

I said this before and I'll say it again: Featherweight is absolutely adorable. Oh my god those ears. :awesomedash:

Wayoshi wrote:

Scoots you need a focus episode so badly

Wayoshi wrote:

Besides snatching this because I'm a jerk( :gotcha:

), I think that this needs to be an emote. Seriously one of the best faces on this show, and we don't really have something that shows "LOL IUNNO/I got nothin' to do" nearly as well as that.

(?) · by **Kumquat** (?) » Sun Apr 01, 2012 1:22 am

Dear Princess Celestia,

Today I learned... you're just like me!

(?) · by **Heinous** (?) » Sun Apr 01, 2012 1:30 am

I see Featherweight has no trouble flying either. Scootaloo's groundedness has gone straight from :allears:

to

(?) · by **Mysteryman** (?) » Sun Apr 01, 2012 1:31 am

Did Fluttershy have any dialogue? It was odd that she appeared in several scenes but never said anything.

(?) · by **Lazy** (?) » Sun Apr 01, 2012 1:45 am

Heinous wrote:I see Featherweight has no trouble flying either. Scootaloo's groundedness has gone straight from to

It was always :fluttersmith:

, now it goes straight to :saddash:

.

Kumquat wrote:Dear Princess Celestia,

Today I learned... you're just like me!

I love how Twi took that like an insult, like no one can say Celestia is anything but amazing.

(?) · by **Frosthawk** (?) » Sun Apr 01, 2012 1:45 am

Mysteryman wrote:Did Fluttershy have any dialogue? It was odd that she appeared in several scenes but never said anything.

Actually, no, I don't think she did.

(?) · by **Jim Romantic** (?) » Sun Apr 01, 2012 1:46 am

I just poured through the whole thread, and didn't see dibs on this called, so may I have an av of Chubby Pony with his fez on reading and then stopping and looking about? The cut to seeing him just made the episode for me. Also, I am very easily amused.

(?) · by **JaceNV** (?) » Sun Apr 01, 2012 1:49 am

Heinous wrote:I see Featherweight has no trouble flying either. Scootaloo's groundedness has gone straight from to

Well featherweight is obviously much thinner than Scootaloo, so his wings have less weight to lift. As long as he weighs less than Scootaloo's ass, he could fly with the same wing power. Also his cutie mark is a feather so maybe his special talent is just being really really light in weight. Hollow bones?

(?) · by **Smoke** (?) » Sun Apr 01, 2012 1:58 am

Wayoshi wrote:I guess Sweetie is taking Fluttershy's place for diabetes this episode.

Would that make it... Diasweeties?

(?) · by **princess spaceship** (?) » Sun Apr 01, 2012 2:15 am

I'd like to know who that pony is in the big framed picture on the wall when Apple Bloom is getting the baby photo treatment from Granny Smith. Could that be one of the mysteriously never-mentioned apple-parents? Or did we see anything like that pony in the flashbacks from Family Appreciation Day?

Gah! so many questions about pony background stories! I swear I'm normal!

(?) · by **Frosthawk** (?) » Sun Apr 01, 2012 2:23 am

Unfortunately this is going to get bottom-posted, but can I get an avatar of Fluttershy going up and down behind that wall like an elevator? :allears:

The Round Stable

S02E23: Ponyville Confidential

Re: S02E23: Ponyville Confidential

Who is online