TwiLyghtSansSparkles

Watch "A Dog and Pony Show," the first season episode with the Diamond Dogs for a better look at Rarity. Up to that point, I thought Rarity was kind of a ridiculous pony—obsessed with hair and makeup and pretty things—but that episode really made me enjoy her character. Moral of the story below the spoiler.

She has the Epic equivalent of ADOLSNLGLATSTOMGGMIC, or Attention Deficit—Oh, Look, Shiny! Nathan Let's Go Look At The Shiny Thing—Oh My Great Googly Moogly, Ice Cream! So yes. RAFS is a more accurate summation. Ooooohhhhhh….I like.

Great review, Quiver! Fun fact: I was introduced to FiM as a college junior by a guy in my English class. Strangely enough, I don't remember thinking he was effeminate or unhinged in any way (common criticisms directed at the brony fandom). I do remember thinking, "He likes a cartoon about colorful ponies…who are all girls. Huh, that show must be really good, if it got him watching." So I went home and watched the first episode. Here are my thoughts, given line by line along with the introductory myth: Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria, there were two regal sisters who ruled together, and created harmony for all the land. All right, this seems pretty good. I like the art style. I'll give it a chance. To do this, the eldest used her unicorn powers to raise the sun at dawn; the younger brought out the moon to begin the night. Huh. That's a lot of thought given to a show about cartoon ponies. I mean, I know it's just the opening fairy tale, and it could get worse, but still. This is pretty good. Thus, the two sisters maintained balance for their kingdom and their subjects, all the different types of ponies. And here's where crap hits the fan? But as time went on, the younger sister became resentful. The ponies relished and played in the day her elder sister brought forth, but shunned and slept through her beautiful night. Understandable. Oh, wow—am I already invested in the story? Jeez, we're only thirty seconds in! One fateful day, the younger unicorn refused to lower the moon to make way for the dawn. The elder sister tried to reason with her, but the bitterness in the young one's heart had transformed her into a wicked mare of darkness: Nightmare Moon. You had me at "wicked mare of darkness." I was genuinely surprised at the level of thought and care given to the show. I remembered growing up with My Little Pony ​as something of a running joke—it was the worst of "little girls' shows," a mess of bright colors and obnoxious music and sugar-sweet paper-thin plot lines. But this? This was good. The art was colorful and clean. The music added to the dialogue, rather than distracting from it. The world building wasn't slapdash, but clearly the result of long and careful thought, with a great deal of care given to the details. But most surprising of all were the characters. Quiver, your analysis of the characters was spot-on. I'll only add this: I was used to characters on girls' shows being defined by a single trait ("Rainbow Dash always dresses in style!"), but here, there were a number of traits used to identify the characters. Applejack is rustic and family-oriented, and that is part of what drives her loyalty. Pinkie Pie is a little hyper, but she also genuinely cares for others and wants them to have a good time. And so on down the line. They're not flat drawings; they're three-dimensional characters placed in a fully realized world with engaging stories and warm humor. I think what drew me in most of all, though, was the lack of cynicism. It's amazing how optimistic a show can be, especially in the days of angry deconstructions (which, don't get me wrong, do have their place and can be excellent). To find that sort of optimism was refreshing, and it did wonders for me in the stressful years of college.

I don't think there's any textual evidence; just that most don't do it. To be fair, we haven't seen any textual evidence that more Epics can gift, or even ways they might do it. Then again, Prof's powers don't necessarily seem like they could be gifted, but they can be and are. So it seems plausible that more Epics can but don't because they've never tried.

You totes got RAFO'ed.

You shall see. She's an odd Epic, so her weakness is odd, too.

Thanks! I too subscribe to that idea—either that it's something they strongly disliked (Mitosis) or something that rendered them vulnerable pre-Calamity (Steelheart). For Scorch, it's a reminder that who he thinks he is and what he really is don't mesh—that he's living a fantasy.

Calamity, Altermind doesn't mess around when it comes to exploiting a weakness, does he?

I think so.

I left it open-ended, whether or not Headshot survives. Up to you.

A hail of bullets flew from an unseen turret, turned at the wall, and sped through the open door, where they split into two groups—one for Nathan and Funtimes, and one for Lightwards. Nathan, who had learned quickly that bullets are something to be avoided, spun away, but they followed. Funtimes, who had never needed to take that lesson to heart, waved her hand. A cascade of gummy bears rained down on them. A quick glance at Lightwards revealed he had not been included in the gummy bear rain; rather, his bullets became a volley of ibuprofen. "Sparks, Doctor, we don't want the guy to OD." "Picky, picky." Some of the pills merged with a broken snow globe to become a bottle of water. Through the glass, Nathan could see three things that he would have rather not seen. First: Two cars, both driverless, heading on a collision course for the gift shop. Second: A glimpse—just a glimpse—of a gunner's turret, little but the barrel of a machine gun visible from where he stood. Third: A tall, solid figure, dragging another and trailing blood. The tall one looked like... Calamity. Nathan nudged Funtimes' arm and pointed to the turret. "What say we finish that guy off?" Before Nighthound has his fun with him. There were precious few Nathan would say deserved some quality time with Nighthound, and the gunner, whoever he was, almost certainly did not qualify. She giggled as a sports car and a pickup collided, cutting off all but a teleporter and leaving Lightwards alone with his ibuprofen. Was burning in acid really better than time with Nighthound? Yes. Sparks, yes. A second later, they were in the turret. The gunner had just enough time to look up in shock before Funtimes took the stick Nathan had brought. "Nighty night!" One blow to the head and he fell.

Yay it made sense! There's a deeper sort of reason that goes along with the first, but I'm glad it's not totally bizarre.

I like it. And once I get home I'll post.

"You can run, BUT I'LL STILL BE IN YOUR NIGHTMARES!"

Let it be written, let it be done!

So Edge is next?

Yes, and it's best to keep him occupied.

You want a Travelhound ship? There are some things man was not meant to ship! Honestly, I'm not entirely sure what to have Scorch do at the moment aside from the whole brutal execution thing.

Wait. After we raid the armory and kill Commander and Jetstream, won't their son Will and his consort Layla seek revenge?

I call the nurse. "Well, some of those Epics who oppose us, they wake up fine the next day! Or....they die...."

I was just wondering the same thing about planning. Also, how many humans are there already? Mostly humans, or are there Epics there as well?

I'm cool with it.

I don't have a problem. I'm fine. I can quit whenever I want to.

Oh, there are waaaayyyy more disturbing ships I could do. Like: Travelhound (Nathan/Nighthound) Nightgaze (Nighthound/Voidgaze) Alhound (Alice/Nighthound) Aldius (Alice/Claudius or Big Al/Claudius) Molice (Möbius/Alice) And there are others so horrifying I dare not mention them. Even the resident shipper has standards. They are low, but thy are mine.

Nathan almost didn't see the cars coming until the first one leaped into the air. At the same time, his skates snagged on the no-longer-smooth floor. Only a frantic grab at a display of shark tooth necklaces kept him from falling. As his skates scrambled for purchase, they changed back to shoes. The display stand tipped over, scattering necklaces across the tile. "Stupidhead!" Funtimes cried as the first car sped toward the gift shop. As it reached the glass, her outstretched hand turned the wall to stone. Displays vanished as they were repurposed to fortify the wall. Metal ground and creaked as vehicle after vehicle hit the wall, or those that had already struck. An Epic was approaching from the other side of the gift shop, the side that was still glass. Nathan glanced from Funtimes to Lightwards, considering his options. Funtimes could handle herself; between the clothes the Epic wore and the baubles in the gift shop, she had enough matter at her fingertips to hold the fort for some time. Lightwards was still unconscious, but he could wake at any time. Nathan had seen the way the necromancer' looked at him, as though trying to size him up and figure him out all at once. Maybe it was that, or his years at the casino, or some combination of the two, that gave Nathan the feeling that he would be blamed for any death he suffered. But he couldn't teleport without Funtimes, and she had her hands full. "Sorry," he told the hopefully unconscious necromancer, "but taking your molecules apart isn't a good idea right now." Then he did the only thing he could: He lifted a heavy wooden walking stick, held it like a baseball bat, and waited for the Epics to come to him.