Sisterhooves Social

Dear Princess Luna...


I believe I only have 5 episodes left to watch in Season 2. I had planned on watching the first season as well, hopefully I can get it all done before Season 3 comes out. (Despite doing this blog, I still don't follow the fanbase at all, so I have no idea when that is scheduled to be out.) It could be fun to make predictions on what may be in the next season and see what comes to be true, if interest in this project remains whenever that comes out.

Anyway, on with the episode. Looks like it will be Rarity focused. Rarity is talking in her sleep and is rudely awaken by smoke pouring into her room. She races downstairs and finds her sister Unicorn Crusader/Sweetie Belle burning something on the stove after trying to make Rarity breakfast in bed. Where are Sweetie Belle's/Rarity's parents, anyway? Or the majority of the 'mane 6' parents. They seem to be teenagers, I guess? Yet all are living on their own, for the most part, and some own businesses.

"You woke me up for this? I was having such a nice dream where the richest ponies in the world brought me whatever my heart desired!"

Hah, I just wrote the above about parents, and lo and behold, we actually see Rarity's/Sweetie Belle's parents. The interesting thing is Rarity was about to clobber Sweetie Belle until her dad spoke, so maybe the parents aren't always there? I don't feel like 'rewinding' but did it scroll past the table in the intro scene? If the parents were just sitting there, letting Sweetie Belle burn all this stuff, that's messed up.

"Of the days annoyances..."

Sweetie Belle has somehow managed to burn juice, and liquified toast, serving it in as a bowl of bubbling goo. This explains Rarity's shock at her dad talking earlier. It seems Sweetie Belle lives with the parents, Rarity lives on her own. The parents are taking a week long vacation, and dumping Sweetie Belle on Rarity. Her parents also seem drastically different from her, as the dad gleefully eats the scorched food (even taking Rarity's) and the mom thinks Sweetie Belle will get a cutie mark for fancy cooking. They also don't talk all sophisticated, Canterlot-y, like Rarity.

Rarity makes breakfast, using magic to do pretty much everything, from getting out bowls, slicing carrots, setting the table, etc. Sweetie Belle gets upset because Rarity said she could help, and of course doesn't let her do anything. Rarity lets her put the garnish on the dishes.

Sweetie Belle fails, in typical Cutie Mark Crusader fashion.

Also, they were cooking eggs for breakfast. So I guess chickens, or whatever species they got the eggs from, must be non 'human'. This is also perhaps the first episode where Rarity is going all Twilight style with rage, or I can't remember any others I've seen with it right now.

They clean up the kitchen, for some reason Rarity was using her hoof like a non-unicorn instead of using magic to wipe with the cloth. Rarity tells Sweetie Belle to take the towels to the laundry room. Sweetie Belle decides to do the laundry, and ends up shrinking some designer sweater that Rarity freaks out over.

Ponies wear socks? I don't remember seeing them wearing any, maybe I just didn't look hard enough.

So we're only a few hours into this week long visit, and Sweetie Belle is already bringing Rarity's life towards SNAFU status.

That might even be beyond Twilight level rage. Welcome to the dress shop, Sweetie Belle, you're gonna die.

Rarity goes back to work, telling Sweetie Belle to stay out of trouble. Sweetie Belle decides that means to just lie on the floor doing nothing, and of course gets bored. Why isn't she out with the other Crusaders? Her parents don't seem to care that they run all over, doing crazy things, why would Rarity?

Sweetie Belle starts drawing, then thinks her drawing 'needs something.' Further proving that unicorns are naturally attuned to thievery, she immediately spies a treasure chest of gems. Yes, your drawing needs what are likely super-expensive gems.

"GEMS!"

That chest looks like a pretty good size, and overflowing with gems. Sweetie Belle glued ALL of them to her drawing. Rarity is of course extremely upset. She tells Sweetie Belle to clean up the mess she made as she goes off to find more baby blue sapphires. (Rarity claims they are 'rare' but when she returns it looks like she has a grocery bag full of the things)

White ponies can jump.

Instead of cleaning up what Rarity told her to clean, Sweetie Belle finds Rarity's 'inspiration room' and cleans that instead. Sweetie Belle thinks she did something good, turns out, once again, she has screwed over her sister. Rarity wanted the place to be a mess, 'organized chaos' as it helped her design her clothing.

"I'm what counts out here! Not your frinking cutie mark clubs or your frinking talent shows!"

I think Rarity has definitely surpassed Twilight level rage here. I'm not sure if Twilight is even able to make the background go Rage Red.

"Uh oh! You've got the dog barking! WOOF WOOF WOOF!"

Poor Sweetie Belle, she legitimately is just trying to make Rarity happy. The whole 'gluing an entire chest of expensive gems to paper' thing is probably 100% her fault, unless she was making some Rarity+Sweetie Belle forever picture or something, but at least all these other mishaps have been with good intent.

Dejected, Sweetie Belle wanders down the streets of Ponyville, where she runs into Applebloom. Sweetie Belle says she wishes she could do something with Rarity that wouldn't end up with her fouling up, again. Applebloom suggests the Sisterhooves Social.

Sweetie Belle brings back a flier, Rarity dismisses it, proclaiming Sweet Apple Acres as unclean. Real classy, Rarity, considering one of your close friends kind of, you know, lives and works there.

Rarity bashes the event some more, declaring it 'uncouth.' Sweetie Belle snaps and says she'll do the event without a sister, or even her whole life without a sister. Rarity is shocked, saying if anyone would be better off without a sister, it's her. The two rage at each other and Sweetie Belle storms off.

Dual rage mode, engage!

Sweetie Belle wandered off to Sweet Apple Acres and told Applejack and Applebloom how terrible Rarity is. Applejack tries to make her feel better by telling her that Rarity thinks everything is 'uncouth.' Applebloom doesn't know what uncouth means, asking while belching and talking with her mouth full.

Applejack and Applebloom go back to their chores, which is removing the bad apples by playing a game where Applejack 'throws' it and Applebloom catches it in a basket. Sweetie Belle is confused that this is a chore, and is invited to play. Her first catch, it slams right onto her horn. (This must be the 'beat the hell out of' episode for Sweetie Belle)

We know from previous episodes that a unicorn's horn is super sensitive, so, ouch.

Back at Rarity's, she is still raging, until she finds all her fabrics in order and gets an idea for 'full spectrum fashion' and comments that if 'Sweetie Belle hadn't...' but quickly dismisses it, going back to raging at her.

Back at the farm, they are now stomping grapes to make grape juice. Sweetie Belle is amazed, because Rarity would be very upset if Sweetie Belle got grape juice near her outfits. Could a unicorn remove a stain with magic?

Applebloom splashes grape juice onto Applejack. Applejack looks enraged and Sweetie Belle begs her to not punish Applebloom. Aww, that's pretty sad actually, as it sort of implies Sweetie Belle gets beaten by Rarity and/or her parents? Applejack leaps into the grape vat and smashes grapes onto Applebloom while giving her a hoof 'noogie' instead of the beating Sweetie Belle imagined.

Back at Rarity's, she goes to wash the new outfits she designed, and steps on that evil cat Opalescense. She notices the sweater, uses magic to put it on Opal (it is the perfect size for her now) and comments how good it looks on Opal, and that Sweetie Belle should be thankful that this mishap turned out alright.

"Hmmmph. I'm still right and she is wrong."

Back at the farm, Applejack and Applebloom are herding sheep. They get them corralled, and, this is kind of disturbing, one of the sheep talks. So sheep are 'human' in the Ponyverse, yet are treated like the sub-'human' animals?

Sweetie Belle should have hung out with Scootaloo instead, as seeing Applejack and Applebloom getting along/working together so well is depressing her further. She laments that Rarity never 'high hooves' her.

Back at Rarity's, Rarity has that dress she needed the baby blue sapphires for, but runs out of gems before it's finished. She starts raging, looking for Sweetie Belle's artwork from earlier, then gasps.

"What, ho?"

Hah, called it.

Aww. (That doesn't look like a chestful of gems on there, though)

Rarity is brought to tears and begins crying how she wasted the time she had with her sister by complaining and wishing she was gone. She then invokes some crazy magic aura as she declares she will get Sweetie Belle back.

Rarity casts Blinding Luminance, on the off chance that Spike was peeping on her?

Rarity tracks down Sweetie Belle at the farm, where they were out roasting marshmallows on a fire. Sweetie Belle hasn't had quite the same epiphany as Rarity, saying she too knows she wouldn't be better off without a sister, and to the shock of all, proclaims she is adopting Applejack as her new big sister.

Are we sure Sweetie Belle's not really a changeling in disguise? That is one evil look for such a young filly.

Rarity tries to get Sweetie Belle back by telling her she'll spend time with her (but that time will be spent doing things Rarity chooses.) Sweetie Belle says no dice, and runs off. Applebloom is confused and asks if Applejack is still her sister, then runs off after Sweetie Belle. Rarity then whines about Applejack being so good that it makes her look bad.

Applejack tries to help Rarity, saying Rarity needs to 'give in' and by telling her being sisters is like apple pie. You need amazin' apples and a wonderful crispy crust together to have the perfect apple pie. I'm not entirely sure how that makes sense, I mean, I get it, but... Rarity however understands exactly what that means.

The next day, the Sisterhooves Social is taking place.

It seems like most of the sister pairs are a teenager/adult and a filly/kid.

Sweetie Belle starts annoying Applebloom and Applejack by constantly mocking Rarity and what she thinks Rarity would say about the place. A racing event is about to start and Sweetie Belle is brought to tears because she doesn't have a sister to race with. Really should have gone to vent at Scootaloo's, who as far as I know has no siblings.

Sweetie Belle is so excited she changes the background with an uncontrolled burst of magic?

Applejack and Applebloom somehow were able to get away from Sweetie Belle long enough to conspire. They decided since they do this event every year, they'd let Sweetie Belle compete instead of Applebloom, making Applejack her 'sister for a day.' Applebloom makes sure to reiterate that it is for one day.

"One day? Hmm. If something were to happen to Applebloom...."

Applebloom feels the need to drill it into Sweetie Belle's head that it is for 'one day'. Granny Smith embarrasses herself in public once again, struggling to use a megaphone, then stumbling over what she was trying to say. Pretty sad fate for the badass young Granny we saw in the Family Appreciation Day flashback.

The race starts, and Applebloom once again reminds Sweetie Belle that it is for 'one day.'

"For instance, tomorrow morning I'll get up nice and early, take a walk over to the kitchen, and if you don't give me my sister back, I'll crack your head open in front of everyone at the table. And just about the time I'm coming out of jail, hopefully, you'll be coming out of your coma. And guess what, I'll split your head open again. 'Cause I'm stupid. I don't give a hoot in hell about jail."

All the racers leap over a mud pit, except Sweetie Belle who hops across the surface like a basilisk, and Applejack, who falls in. My Little Pony crew, you magnificent bastards, I read your book! Check out this next image, look at Applejack's eyes above, green. Look below, blue. Who has blue eyes, Rarity? Check and mate.

Pretty cute though, Sweetie Belle will think she's racing with Applejack, then find out it was really Rarity, who sacrificed her dignity just to win her back.

Surprisingly, Rarity and Sweetie Belle dominate some of the events in the race. They destroy the pie eating, the grape stomping, the egg carrying, etc. and nearly win, falling a few inches short of the finish line. An Earth Pony team wins it, but considering they are surely more physically built than Unicorns, especially 'fancy' unicorns like Rarity, Rarity and Sweetie Belle did pretty damn good.

"Oh, Applejack, you're a unicorn?! And why do you have blue eyes now?"

Sweetie Belle doesn't care that they 'lost,' even though they should have been in 2nd unless others ran past while they were stunned at losing. She was just happy to have had fun. As she hugs 'Applejack' her hat falls off and exposes Rarity's horn. She shakes the mud off and invokes another aura.

Rarity casts her Pink Burst of Light attack to blind onlookers, so they don't see her looking uncouth.

Sweetie Belle is surprised, Rarity says she did it 'for us.' Aww. Rarity says they really are like apple pie, which confuses the hell out of Sweetie Belle.

"We're...we're baked goods? What? You want to eat me?"

Rarity says they deserve a celebration, at the spa of course. Everyone laughs at her, Rarity is perplexed and says she is serious about it.

"I don't get it. What is so funny? Huh? Tell me! What the frink is so funny about me? Am I a clown? Do I amuse you? What the frink is so funny about me?"

Presumably after the spa, they've called Spike over so they can write to Princess Celestia. They write about how having a sister is one of the best things in the world, but not the easiest. It requires teamwork, compromises, acceptance, but mostly is about having fun together, even if you have to get your hooves dirty.

Look at the evil grin on Sweetie Belle. Future super villain in the making. Her cutie mark will be a skull and crossbones or the nuclear symbol or something at this rate.

They then start arguing about a little dirty vs a lot dirty, then compromise at Spike's suggestion of "a medium amount of dirty, not too little, not too much, just right."

While they were dictating the letter, a montage was playing of the stuff they were doing together over the rest of the week I guess. They did laundry, baked an apple pie, tried on clothes, and played in the rain.

Aww.

What I learned from this episode:

• Magic once again proves super useful, as Rarity does almost every daily task using it.
• Applejack is pretty cool, so cool that other little ponies wish she was their sister. Especially when their actual sister is super cranky and prone to violence.
• Sweetie Belle is going to grow up to be the Ponyverse Magneto or something.
• In Sweet and Elite, which comes after this, Rarity says she learned you have to appreciate where you come from. She doesn't act like any other members of her family that we have seen, nor do I think she really had many changes in behavior in later episodes.
• Applejack can hold her breath for quite some time, as she was apparently 'underwater' in the mud pit for the duration of the event.

Also, for some reason I was 'musing' Joe Pesci quotes, and I try to keep the language 'clean' so those had to be toned down. =]