Bronies?!

[Dragon78]

Well it can't be

spoiler:

Discord

because he isn't a pony.

[atheral]

Smart money is on

spoiler:

Trixe

[TaliaKirana]

Synopsis for Episode 10

Spoiler:

So, AJ and Rarity at the spa with Twilight and Spike trying to do chores at the farm. From prior episodes we know AJ's not normally opposed to a spa visit, so what's going on that has her so reluctant to take a break? For that matter, why aren't Big Mac and Apple Bloom able to cover at least some of it?

[Tectorman]

Two new albums up on iTunes. One compilation of all the Equestria Girls songs released this far, the other is a compilation of all the MLP songs. If you haven't bought any of the albums yet, this conveniently packages them for you. If you already have them, these won't add anything new.

[TaliaKirana]

Preview for Season 6, Episode 6

Spoiler:

Yep, it's Trixie. You know, Twilight's got her reasons for being wary of Trixie. She may have forgiven Trixie for what she pulled in Magic Duel, but that doesn't mean Twilight has to like her.

[TaliaKirana]

Season 6, Episode 11 revealed

Spoiler:

Well, the long-awaited episode with Fluttershy's brother is revealed. Wasn't expecting that direction for him, but it could be fun. Sounds like we may get to see her parents too.

[Dragon78]

Originally we were supposed to get that one last season.

[TaliaKirana]

Season 6, Episode 12

Spoiler:

"Spice Up Your Life" - Huh, another Rarity and Pinkie episode. Also, we learned something interesting. Apparently episode 9 (production order) was pushed back, so "Saddle Row and Rec" was episode 10 in production order.

New Shout factory DVD reveals another episode title. DVD cover is kind of spoilery, since it includes a picture that ties into "S6 E7" because that's also on this DVD.

Spoiler:

"Fault in Our Cutie Marks" - All signs point to this being the original episode 9. Given they're including "Griffon the Brush-Off" on this, I bet this is the episode with the griffon who wants a cutie mark (that was teased at Toy Fair). So, I'm thinking CMC episode. Probably with Rainbow Dash involved, since she's involved with most of the other eps on the DVD. (It also includes this weekend's episode, "Newbie Dash.")

[Tectorman]

I finally got around to seeing this week's episode. Needless to say,

Tectorman wrote:

I always love it when we get to see them expand their range like that, even if it's just borrowing one of their friends'. Similarly, I loved it when Rarity and Applejack switched roles in season four's "Simple Ways".

I am a very happy brony!

[TaliaKirana]

Yeah, I loved that scene with Rainbow Dash

Spoiler:

imitating her friends

that everyone else seems to despise. Thought it was the funniest thing I've seen in quite some time.

[Alzrius]

TaliaKirana wrote:

Yeah, I loved that scene with Rainbow Dash ** spoiler omitted ** that everyone else seems to despise. Thought it was the funniest thing I've seen in quite some time.

People despise that scene? I can understand it being hard to watch if you're a fan of Rainbow (e.g. seeing someone usually so confident acting so insecure), but that aside I thought that it was highly amusing.

[Naal]

Many apparently thought RD was being disrespectful toward her friends, picking a single personality aspect for each and running amok with it. Hyper! Country. Books! Timid. Fashion! The scene was done for the sake of comedy and the episode is only 22 minutes long, so the imitations had to be brief. Some consider the results cringy. Some also had the opinion that the episode supported hazing, which is mindboggling to me.

Personally, I think the episode was fine, and RD does not see any of her friends that narrowly.

[TaliaKirana]

Preview for this weekend's episode.

Spoiler:

I think this pretty much confirms it's the musical episode for this season. Also, those glasses are ridiculously cute on Starlight.

Alternate synopsis for Season 6, Episode 12.

Spoiler:

Huh, Rarity/Pinkie cutie map episode. Interesting it reveals the map wasn't just an s5 thing.

[TaliaKirana]

Season 6, Episode 8 thoughts:

That was fun. Great music, with lovely animation and scenery. Was it stunningly original? Nah, but it was still a great ride. My favorite song was "Luna's Future." Though "Say Goodbye to the Holiday" isn't far behind.

Preview for Season 6, Episode 9

Season 6, Episode 9 speculation:

Well, looks like that's the minor disaster at Rarity's boutique opening. Now, I'm sure we all know which pony is spiteful enough to send a tip to a reporter about this. (If she didn't write the article herself.) It seems she not only gets to embarrass Rarity but will almost certainly slant it to make the rest of the Mane Six look bad. (And I suspect if they fight about it, she'd consider it even sweeter.)

Theory about possible future seasons:

If there is a season 7 after the movie, this season feels like it's setting up for the Mane 6 to step back. (Not be written out entirely, but fewer appearances. Rarity and Rainbow are likely going to be a lot busier from here on out.) Possibly to bring Starlight and the CMC forward. Maybe even Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. (Those two especially have room for stuff to be done with them.) I mean, "On Your Marks" had none of the Mane 6 appear and Rarity was only mentioned.

[TaliaKirana]

Preview for Season 6, Episode 11. Caution, clip is spoilery.

Spoiler:

Wow. We get a look at Fluttershy's whole family in one shot.

[TaliaKirana]

Hiatus ends July 30th!
Summaries and Title for Episodes 14, 15,
and 16.

[Tectorman]

TaliaKirana wrote:

Hiatus ends July 30th!

Summaries and Title for Episodes 14, 15,
and 16.

Huzzah! It got moved up a week!

[Alzrius]

Tectorman wrote:

Huzzah! It got moved up a week!

I noticed that too. Good times!

[Dragon78]

The last two seasons I have a lot mixed feelings about, it is sad I am more excited for the next Equestria Girls movie then the rest of season 6.

[atheral]

I'm honestly more curious about the movie and the new IP they set up for Guardians of Harmony, they seem to be tied in together.

[Dragon78]

I would also love to find out more about the movie.

[TaliaKirana]

Title and summary for Season 6 Episode 17. Still no sign of when Episode 9 is going to air.

Season 6, Episode 17:

"The Times They Are a Changeling" Welp, I'm gonna call it now. Queen Chrysalis is the finale villain for Season 6. This episode is just setting the stage for it. As much as I am growing fond of Starlight, I do hope she stays behind this time. I'd like to see Sunburst and Twilight interact without her around.

[Dragon78]

This one sounds interesting, maybe it will lead into something bigger for the season finale.

Has there been a mention of a Discord episode yet?

[atheral]

There is the

Episode 18 title:

"Dungeons and Discord"

episode.

As far as EP 17 goes I'm thinking it'll be one of two things

spoiler:

The "changeling spy" is going to be a dissident, rebel or refugee escaping from chrysalis and seeking sanctuary somewhere he can feed easily or this is truly a season/series end setup episode, and may lead into the next IP where Chrysalis has already been shown as a major villian. Of course it could be a combination of those things as well.

[TaliaKirana]

Summary for episode 18.

Season 6, Episode 18:

"Dungeons and Discord" - Well, talk about an unlikely trio for an episode. Spike, Discord, and Big Mac. I do believe this is the first time where all three focus characters are guys, and it's the second time Big Mac's gotten such a focus. And now I think we know where Big Mac developed his uncanny skill for female voices. He's a tabletop gamer, and I get the feeling he likes to play female characters. If they do it right, this is going to be a blast.
And since the summary mentions the other girls are out of town, I wonder if this one isn't taking place during "The Times They Are a Changeling."

[Tectorman]

Oh, I can't wait to see how the comics take this new development and run with it.

Spoiler:

Please, oh please, let the show call it Oubliettes and Ogres.

[atheral]

Episode 18

Spoiler:

so a Spike and Discord episode with Big Mac thrown in, about tabletop games, this is either going to be fantastic or terrible, or perhaps fantastically terrible or terribly fantastic.

[Dragon78]

I am really interested in that episode, but why be surprised, I have liked every Discord one so far.

[TaliaKirana]

Expanded synopsis for Episode 14.

Spoiler:

Real life adventure? Why do I get the feeling Ahuizotl shows up to crash the convention looking for Daring Do?

Expanded synopsis for episode 16.

Spoiler:

Dash, what did you do to warrant a fake zombie apocalypse prank? It must have been something epically obnoxious for the whole town to want in on returning the favor.

[TaliaKirana]

Sorry about the double post, but it's too late to edit my prior one.

New Season 6 promo! It's all new footage too.

Promo speculation:

Looks like Spike's not only important to "Dungeons and Discord," he's playing a major role in "Times They Are a Changeling." If they live up to "Gauntlet of Fire" and his part in "The Crystalling" Season 6 will have really been the season of Spike. (I'm happy to finally see him getting decent and consistent writing and not turning into an idiot when he's the focus.)

Speaking of "Times They Are a Changeling"... I wonder if Spike's kindness will lead to that Changeling defecting, and eventually laying the groundwork for others to do so. If Chrysalis is the finale villain... maybe other Changelings will have enough after she loses and start leaving en masse. I honestly don't see Chrysalis ever reforming. But individual Changelings are probably a different story.

[Eric Hinkle]

I hope that episode 18's plot is that Discord gets so into the game he turns it into the world's wildest LARP.

And I like what they showed us of the Changeling one. And while I like evil-bad 'lings, I hope they let this one stay good.

[Flutter]

Ok, they've obviously seen ponyfinder by now...

[Dragon78]

Maybe, or they just have people who work there that play D&D.

[Tectorman]

So, I finally got around to reading Lyra & Bon Bon & the Agents from S.M.I.L.E. Some interesting little tidbits I learned:

The Breezies were a cover-up.
Tirek was a cover-up.
Before they Ref-Def'd (neuralized) each other, Flim and Flam used to be agents.
S.M.I.L.E. has as many compartmentalized branch offices as Star Trek's Section 31.
S.M.I.L.E. is actually responsible for "deploying" the Mane Six against many of the threats to Equestria that they end up facing. They recognize the Mane Six as Equestria's primary line of defense and work to surreptitiously maneuver either the Six into the vicinity of the threat or the threat into the vicinity of the Six. The Six are completely unaware of this, of course.

[TaliaKirana]

Clip for this weekend's episode.

Spoiler:

I just had a really funny thought about why Quibble was noted as hating Daring Do when he's wearing a costume based on her. He's one of those nitpicky, super critical fans. I bet he got mad because the series took a turn he didn't like... and I think I know what it was. Wouldn't it be ironic if it was the book Rainbow appeared in that soured him on Daring Do? "Why's this rainbow-maned Mary Sue assisting Daring Do?! Daring is supposed to work alone!!"

I'm so glad tomorrow is the end of the hiatus! Also looking forward to October 1st, when Legend of Everfree releases. Oh, trailer for EqG: Legend of Everfree. Man did that raise some questions and hype.

[Tectorman]

So the current comic arc has the Mane Six and they've all turned evil. It seems like they're taking on personas similar to Batman villains. Twilight is acting like the Riddler from Batman Forever, Pinkie Pie is the Joker, and Fluttershy is Poison Ivy.

But I'm not sure if they're all supposed to be Batman villains because I can't figure out who Rainbow Dash, Applejack, or Rarity are supposed to be. Does anyone who follows the comics recognize who they're supposed to be expies of?

[TaliaKirana]

Synopsis for Season 6, Episode 19. This is the mysterious episode 9 that got delayed.

Episode that launched loads of speculation and mystery:

Those of us who were predicting this was the griffon who wants a cutie mark episode were right. I'm honestly split on how I want it to go. It would be a fascinating shake-up to the status quo to have a young griffon do the impossible because of the CMC. But having to help her accept she can be special without one would probably lead to more interesting character development for the CMC.

[Dragon78]

I wonder why the episode got pushed so far back.

[TaliaKirana]

Clip for this weekend's episode.

Spoiler:

I feel bad for the CMC. They probably just wanted to have fun with their sisters, and instead their sisters lost their minds. I get the feeling Diamond Tiara is going to end up winning.

[TaliaKirana]

Promo clip for EqG: Legend of Everfree!

Promo:

Wow, now that's a clip to build hype. Looks like alt!Twilight's kind of a mess from the Midnight Sparkle ordeal. And she's probably been hiding it from the others and letting the nightmares eat her alive.

Also trailer from SDCC. Don't remember if that's been posted here yet or not. This EqG film looks like it's going to be a lot of fun!

[Dragon78]

I think all the EqG films have been fun.

[TaliaKirana]

Me too. Of course, I'm an admitted sucker for urban fantasy and magical girls. As long as it wasn't mind-numbingly stupid, I knew I was probably going to like EqG. Legend of Everfree looks like it may be establishing the trend that it's the even numbered movies that are good, while the odd numbered ones are average fun.

Legend of Everfree:

I'm pretty convinced Gaia's not evil. I suspect somebody's upset her by messing with something they should have left alone. I think she might be the guardian of their world's Tree of Harmony (or equivalent). So, yes I'm saying Gaia's not from Equestria. I believe she's native to their world. I've been nursing a suspicion for a while that their world was never magic-less. The magic was there, but dormant/weak. Sunset bringing across the Element of Magic kicked off a chain of event that's causing the magic to awaken. So, even though Twilight is blaming Gaia for their new powers in the trailer... I think she's wrong. She's wanting to run away from her new powers, because she's afraid of going Midnight again. Twilight is going to have face the fact these new powers are part of them. When she stops running, that's when she'll pony up into her true magical girl form with the others.

[TaliaKirana]

Two more promo clips for Legend of Everfree here. And a fourth here. With all the promos, I'm really excited for this now. October 1 can't get here fast enough!

[Tectorman]

New cover for Tails of Equestria. Tentative release late this year (maybe).

RPG update

[TaliaKirana]

Clip for this weekend's episode!

Spoiler:

Okay, that was funny. I get the feeling Rainbow's pranks never get mean, she just gets carried away and overdoes it. Considering one of the victims in this clip, I think Celestia is responsible for the zombie apocalypse idea.

[TaliaKirana]

Well, this morning's episode was rather good.

Times They Are a Changeling:

Very cool Spike got a proper solo song. (No, I don't count the mess that was his attempt at the Cloudsdale anthem.) This really has been Spike's season to shine. He's finally moving on to junior hero from comedy sidekick. Wonder if next week will continue the streak of Spike making unlikely friends by befriending Discord?

S6 finale speculation:

I'm more convinced than ever Chrysalis is going to be the season finale villain. She's probably going to kidnap Flurry Heart. From the fact Thorax casually mentioned the changeling kingdom, I suspect the Mane 6 will need his help to mount the rescue mission.

[Dragon78]

I could have sworn they said the changling was a she in the earlier previews for the season, looks like they changed there mind.

[TaliaKirana]

I think it was fan speculation that Spike would spend the episode thinking the Changeling was a guy with the ending revealing the Changeling was female. But that was before the preview revealed the changeling could talk, and had a definitely male voice.

[atheral]

I'm probably going against the grain here when I say I didn't care for the song this week. The general plot of the episode was fine, but the end felt super rushed with Shining and Cadence doing such a rapid 180 after the song.

For a Spike center Ep. it wasn't the worst but I thought Gauntlet of fire was a much stronger story for him.

But I'm looking forward to next week's as that should be really interesting.

[Alzrius]

atheral wrote:

I'm probably going against the grain here when I say I didn't care for the song this week. The general plot of the episode was fine, but the end felt super rushed with Shining and Cadence doing such a rapid 180 after the song.

For a Spike center Ep. it wasn't the worst but I thought Gauntlet of fire was a much stronger story for him.

This episode was a very mixed bag for me, and some of that was due to the points you raised here. The song, to my mind, wasn't very good. I think that Cathy Weseluck was a bit hamstrung by trying to sing in a voice so different from her own, but also by the fact that the lyrics seemed rather middling. I liked the use of "why can't a changeling change?" in the refrain, but the rest of it was so-so.

That said, I honestly thought we were going to get a sequence of Sunburst inventing a detect changeling spell, and I'm glad we didn't. That would have been much too much of an "over and done" on the changeling's only useful ability (at least when Zecora did that, it was in an alternate universe...and apparently wasn't infallible, since there were changelings already in her hidden village).

But there seemed to be a great deal of dialing back on the parasitic nature of changelings in this episode. First was the confirmation that feelings of friendship are sufficient to love insofar as feeding them goes. Moreover, it's now stated that the zombification that Queen Chrysalis had Shining Armor (and a few other ponies) under was due to "a spell" and not a side-effect of having been fed on (though to be fair I'm not sure if that was confirmed in A Canterlot Wedding - Part 2, so maybe that's not a retcon).

But what I really didn't like was Thorax's idea that, if he brought friendship back to the rest of the changelings, that they wouldn't have to feed on others anymore. That...really rubbed me the wrong way. It was like having a vampire who says "from now on, we can just have vampires feed on each other and leave humans alone!" The entire point of a parasite is that it can't get what it needs from its own kind. Even raising that possibility felt too convenient to me.

I did like, however, that we got to see Spike making a difference for the better again (even if he did stumble a bit in doing so). He's really been bringing it this season, first in the premiere, then with Princess Ember, and now here. That's some solid character growth for the little guy.