S02E05: Sisterhooves Social

[Abby NormalGIFT TANK]

I wouldn't say she was trying to pass herself off as gentry necessarily. She just wants to be famous, and do the things that famous people do.

She tried to set herself up with Prince Blueblood. She doesn't just want to be famous, she wants to be at the pinnacle of high society and that is most likely the gentry that live in Canterlot. Fashion allows her to mimic them, but if she only noticed the stallion/gelding for his status then Rarity wants to officially be one of the high born.

"Sooo whut team you gunna be rootin' fore in da Sugar Bowl?"

"Daaaaaaa Bucks."

And now I need to know what professional sports are like for ponies. Are they restricted to gender lines and specific species or is it a free-for-all?

[Dong Strongly]

They need all three races to play Pony Quidditch. Ultimate team building sport for ponies.

[Lazy]

They need all three races to play Pony Quidditch. Ultimate team building sport for ponies.

For some reason I get the feeling the pegasi would have the upper hand.

[Humorless ClodNo fun. Not ever.]

Fashion allows her to mimic them, but if she only noticed the stallion/gelding for his status then Rarity wants to officially be one of the high born.

I am sure that after she met him, though, she certainly would have liked to geld Blueblood.

[Whitenoise PosterI am going to eat this entire oak tree because I am a powerful wizard!]

See now I kinda want to see some nerd sit down and try to come up with some sport unique to the ponies magical world. If the show never does that itself.

[Opposing FarceDon't you smile at my faceSpit on my backDo you kiss your mother with a mouth like that?]

See now I kinda want to see some nerd sit down and try to come up with some sport unique to the ponies magical world like. If the show never does that itself.

I have the sinking feeling that if the show comes up with its own pony-specific sport it's going to end up like Quidditch.

[Headless Horse]

I was about to say I hope the show does come up with a pony sport just to show Quidditch people how it can be done without being nonsensical.

[Whitenoise PosterI am going to eat this entire oak tree because I am a powerful wizard!]

I have the sinking feeling that if the show comes up with its own pony-specific sport it's going to end up like Quidditch.

I changed my mind no one come up with a magical pony sport especially not the people making the cartoon.

[kidcoelacanthalicorn twilight is fucking garbage]

All I know about pony sports is that if they're anything like football, I'm the best at it and Chunky is the worst.

[Dong Strongly]

For some reason I get the feeling the pegasi would have the upper hand.

No the Earth ponies ride on the Pegasi and the Unicorns use magic to hit the magic ball around or however it works.

[Doctor Wheeze]

They have footballs and football helmets, so obviously American football is the national sport of Equestria.

[numsOic]

I suddenly want to see Kate Beaton draw MLP art, but this is probably as close as we'll ever get.

[Abby NormalGIFT TANK]

And the various contraptions Pinkie and Scootaloo ride would suggest they have something like extreme sports and/or Wacky Races.

I knew Twilight was much too sedentary for her own good, time for an intervention before this gets out of hand by the time of pony thanksgiving.

[numsOic]

They have footballs and football helmets, so obviously Equestrian hoofball is the national sport of Equestria.

There. Now you're correct.

[itinerant nomadSurprise Pedantry!]

See now I kinda want to see some nerd sit down and try to come up with some sport unique to the ponies magical world. If the show never does that itself.

Dragon roundup.
Sure it was done for humorous effect in Fall Weather Friends, but with a full grown it would be serious business.
Pegasi would bring one out of the sky, the earth ponies bring the brawn and lariats, and the unicorns buff and block when in range of a fiery opponent.

[Chaos Sonic]

Equestrian Hoofball

Those aren't hoofballs, they're horneggs.

[Whitenoise PosterI am going to eat this entire oak tree because I am a powerful wizard!]

Dragon roundup.
Sure it was done for humorous effect in Fall Weather Friends, but with a full grown it would be serious business.
Pegasi would bring one out of the sky, the earth ponies bring the brawn and lariats, and the unicorns buff and block when in range of a fiery opponent.

Ponies doing WoW raids irl.

[fensterawethome~!]

I have to agree with what other posters have said about the music in this episode, its very good. Here are some videos of the some of the BGM from the episode.

Sisterhoof Social - Big Race

Click here to view video.

Rarity's Realization

Click here to view video.

[Pink Himalayan Saltsee this watch? i got it by Crying. my car? crying. my beautiful wife? Crying. My perfect teeth? Crying. now get the fuck out of my office]

Someone get that as an av so everyone reading your post tears up.

RARITY I WAITED FOR YOU.

[Scuderia FerrarityThe Corndogs Of Today are the Tacos of Tomorrow]

Love the scene with Rarity's parents. It's like some sort of Hammond organ and harpsichord piece.

Click here to view video.

Which is . Fits the characters like a glove.

[synthorangeLook at me, I'ma talking butt!]

That little bit of Sweetie just levitating across the mud with little hops...

[Gruekinda magical]

I suddenly want to see Kate Beaton draw MLP art, but this is probably as close as we'll ever get.

[GlaziusHe finds himself through the martial arts discipline of Nokando, which he says hardens the body and turns the mind inward.]

Love the scene with Rarity's parents. It's like some sort of Hammond organ and harpsichord piece. Fits the characters like a glove.

I was hearing a little carousel rhythm in there too, but the Hammond organ is such a fit.

[Momar]

[BartonFink]

The BG music guy is getting pretty quick, those are neat.

I think it's been mentioned a bunch but the race scene is all kinds of awesome once you know the twist.

[Headless Horse]

Yeah, I keep being freshly impressed by it. It's great as a twist, i.e. you wouldn't want to spoil it for anyone, but on a rewatch it only gets sweeter. That's a hell of a trick.

[Pocketis she just gonna go booty booty]

Love the scene with Rarity's parents. It's like some sort of Hammond organ and harpsichord piece.

I immediately thought of old game shows. And maybe it's just because I just got a bit distracted by the visuals, but wow, it turned into Rarity's leitmotif so gradually I didn't even notice the transition. That's some skill right there.

[Headless Horse]

What do you identify as Rarity's leitmotif, out of curiosity? Is it something we've heard elsewhere?

I wonder if there'd be anything more mortifying for Rarity and her upper-crust aspirations than seeing her parents on The Price Is Right...

[FightingDreamerBrony For Life]

What do you identify as Rarity's leitmotif, out of curiosity? Is it something we've heard elsewhere?

I wonder if there'd be anything more mortifying for Rarity and her upper-crust aspirations than seeing her parents on The Price Is Right...

"This is the. WORST. POSSIBLE. THING!"

[Abby NormalGIFT TANK]

I wonder if there'd be anything more mortifying for Rarity and her upper-crust aspirations than seeing her parents on The Price Is Right...

When in-between commercial breaks she sees her uncle Lynyrd’s shameless used cart ads in the most tasteless colors imaginable.

Or she looks into her family history to unfortunately find that the entire tree is nothing but CLASSESS PEASANTS. NOT EVEN A DAMN LUCKY BREAK WITH SOME ROYAL BASTARD OR TWO, just talentless cobblers and BOWLERS!

[itinerant nomadSurprise Pedantry!]

I really liked Rarity's near freakout when Sweetie Belle arranged her inspiration room.
"But this was my mess in my house!"

There are interesting layers to her reaction that seem to fit well with her character and her relationship with a much younger sister.

It's not fleshed out well how common it is for there to be such a large age gap between siblings, but Rarity is likely double Sweetie Belle's age.
Rarity's very independent, and her earlier characterization in the Cutie Mark Chronicles shows she was very driven at a very young age.
That, coupled with her apparent rebellion in trying to be the opposite of her parents, could mean that Rarity may not have established much of a relationship with her sibling.
By the time Sweetie Belle was old enough to interact with her, Rarity was probably old enough to be mostly out the house well on her way.
As a result, Rarity doesn't know how to connect with Sweetie Belle, and her precious independence and her need for control over her life is threatened by this uncomfortable familial obligation.

The nice foil to this is Applejack and her closeness with Apple Bloom, since they probably have not spent any significant period of time apart.
Rarity in some aspects is what Applejack could have been if she had found a life in the big city and not come home.
It is possible to question if there were other factors, such as who was available to raise Apple Bloom. Rarity knew her parents could take care of her sister, while Applejack has taken on or been assigned a much larger role in tending hers.

[Headless Horse]

Having these sister pairings at the relative ages they've chosen gives them some interesting flexibility in storytelling. They can make the stories of their relationships be about sibling rivalry, or more of a mother-daughter dynamic if that's what's called for. They don't even have to be consistent about it, especially in Rarity's case, because depending on whether Sweetie Belle or their parents are in the picture they can push her character to all the extremes of maturity/apparent age they need, and define the relationship role she plays however they need it at the time.

[itinerant nomadSurprise Pedantry!]

The choice in age range also neatly brackets the high school period Faust wanted to avoid telling stories about. There's not even second-hand teen drama possible with the Apple family or Rarity's clan (whatever appellation (edit: heh apple-lation) Rarity's family has).
Or it probably isn't possible. This show did limit the number of Rarity's sisters to one, though that doesn't rule out a slacker brother as a bizarro Big Mac.

[Super Karoru]

It is possible to question if there were other factors, such as who was available to raise Apple Bloom. Rarity knew her parents could take care of her sister, while Applejack has taken on or been assigned a much larger role in tending hers.

With the obvious absence of parents and once Granny Smith began to get on in years, I assume that AJ and Big Mac became more like surrogate parents to their younger sibling. Applejack is more likely the sterner one of the two while Mac is a pushover.

[Scuderia FerrarityThe Corndogs Of Today are the Tacos of Tomorrow]

What do you identify as Rarity's leitmotif, out of curiosity? Is it something we've heard elsewhere?

I wonder if there'd be anything more mortifying for Rarity and her upper-crust aspirations than seeing her parents on The Price Is Right...

"It's true! I got a try at the the big wheel!"
"Father! Why?!"
"You didn't push it hard enough!"
"I was going for accuracy! You just don't shove it! There's strategy involved, here!"
"The wheel didn't go all the way around and the crowd booed him. And he had to push it again!"
"I swear that wheel is rigged!"
"He did manage to win a trip to Las Vegas - we'll be staying at Circus Circus and all the buffet you can eat!"
WOOOOOOOOOOW! Mom n' Dad, you're the greatest!
"Mother! .... Father!"

[Mr. BigBrush is mightier than pen.]

Applejack is more likely the sterner one of the two while Mac is a pushover.

I can see that. Although, on the other hand, in "Bridle Gossip" AJ threatened to tell Apple Bloom on Big Macintosh when she disobeyed her.

[itinerant nomadSurprise Pedantry!]

Tattling to the brother is always the last refuge for a big sister after she's been miniaturized.

[ArtificerGoes well with All Natural Milk Naturally Flavored with Natural Flavors.]

Tattling to the brother is always the last refuge for a big sister after she's been miniaturized.

I'm sorry but have you seen Big Mac when he's riled up?

He blew a pile of ponies up.

A pile of ponies.

Up.

Sent some of them OVER THE HORIZON.

[Ashenai You're dorkin' up the skies, Twilight Sparkle.]

EARTH PONY STRENGTH

[Pocketis she just gonna go booty booty]

What do you identify as Rarity's leitmotif, out of curiosity? Is it something we've heard elsewhere?

The harpsichord part. 0:44 in that video has the first seven notes of it; it's more noticeable in "A Dog and Pony Show", particularly when she tells the diamond dogs to stop calling her "Pony" [link]. In fact, just a minute later when the dogs give in to her whining and let her sit back and supervise, there's a set of four chords that plays three times that I guess is meant to be the intro to her theme; the first four measures of her theme follow these chords... as do the first four measures of her parents' theme!