Friendship is Card Games: How Rarity Got Her Groovy Back and Friends Forever #3 · 12:39pm Nov 6th, 2016
We’re sticking with the side stories for a bit to bring things to some semblance of parity. As such, this week, we have Rarity on a commune and a team-up between two of the most important people in Twilight Sparkle’s life.
Micro-Series #3: How Rarity Got Her Groovy Back
Leave it to Rarity to make sure her entry in this series had a more memorable title than either previous entry in this series. Which is to say, it has a title.
Heh. The Kazumi Theater. Appropriate place for Rarity to have a show. Also, interesting to see Rarity putting on a show at this point in her career, some time before winning Manehattan Fashion Week. Granted, with literally no Rarity-focused episodes in Season 3, it’s hard to say just where her career was at the time. And coordinating the canon of comic and cartoon can cause countless conundra.
Also also, bad Pinkie!
Pretty sure I’m not the first to ask this, but what exactly are “fancy carrot sticks”? Do they come from fancy carrots? Are they artistically carved? Glazed? Grilled? Seasoned? Or is this just Dashian shorthand for some other hors d’ouevre?
One thing I especially love about the highly complex scenes? All of the references make for mountains of card fodder. Though I have to say, I never pegged Octavia as the toga party type.
Heh. Even Rarity’s snores are elegantly crafted. And yes, Twilight would know all about working herself to the point of madness.
“Ya’all.” Ya’all. Who in the name of sweet tea spells it like that?
Wow. You know Rarity has it bad when she wants to turn down a spa retreat.
Also, “Chicoltgo” has to be one of the worst horse puns I have seen in anything pony-related, including fanworks.
I admit, I literally laughed out loud at Pinkie scowling at Dash as she tells Rarity to not forget to write. Wonderful callback to “Wonderbolts Academy.”
Ah yes, Flax Seed, the pony who makes Tree Hugger look anxious.
Long before his human analogue served as the antagonist in Legend of Everfree, Filthy Rich’s capitalist shadow loomed over a different sort of remote retreat.
Anyone else want to know the plot of Celestia Superstar?
Everything about the dream panel is magnificent, especially Luna doing her nightly rounds.
Also, interesting to see which pictures Rarity chose to both pack and unpack: Spike, Opal, and Applejack. One could read a lot into that.
Huh. Speaking off Tree Hugger, there’s one mare who looks uncannily like her. Green coat, red mane, bandana… It’s not an exact match, but she feels like a prototype of sorts.
Dare I ask why there are apples and carrots in what appears to be a vat full of in-progress wine?
… Oh, I see. That was somehow part of the conditioner manufacturing process. I dare not imagine how.
Even when Rarity is suffering through filth and angry bees, she thinks of who among her friends would enjoy the place. Lovely little character moment.
Ah. It was actually the Flimflam brothers behind the current financial woes. Still awfully tasteless of whoever put up that billboard to do so before Wheat and Flax actually failed to pay their debt. Heck, given how out of the way this place is, would it even make a good location for a megastore?
… Wow. What psychoactives has Flax been on? Seriously, this stallion’s brain appears to have been reduced to a state not dissimilar to cheese. Still, it does make sense that two fugitives from the Love Generation wouldn’t do that well in the marketplace.
Yeah, small bottles and hooves really don’t mix that well.
The fact that ponies know about branding in the sense of strategically applied burn scars used as identification raises a number of unsettling questions.
Rarity not knowing the word “hammer” is more than a bit much.
Folks, I know you’re desperate, but I don’t know why you think Best Pony would have eighty bits on her while on duty.
Tara Strong’s OC being onstage raises all kinds of ontological questions, especially when she’s in the same panel as Twilight.
“We may even get to start paying Tofu and Tempeh!” Again, genuine laughter.
Oh! Hoity Toity. Don’t know when we’ve last seen him on the show. We certainly haven’t heard from him since Season 1.
I admit, I want that Luna hat. I also want to believe that Castle Canterlot has a thriving gift shop, because the concept is too fantastic to not be the case.
I do love how both Spike and Celestia find Twilight’s adoration of the written word more than a little bizarre. (Sorry, Book Horse, but a written letter isn’t more personal than in-person conversation.)
And on that note…
Friends Forever #3: Princess Celestia & Spike
Huh. Appleoosa’s a duchy? I would never have guessed. Still, this may be the only piece of concrete evidence we have for any kind of complex nobility beyond the assorted princesses and Blueblood.
Wait, seaponies? What!? Curséd throwaway lines, why must you taunt me?
Hmm. I assume this is before the Crystal Empire returned. Otherwise that’d be “Announcing the Great and Honorable Spike the Brave and Glorious.”
I do like Spike going to see Celestia for personal matters. Let’s face it, it’s either going to be her or Twilight’s parents… though depending on what they do, they might’ve also been good choices for getting a telescope. Still, this is the most narrative focus Celestia will get until another comic storyline, so I’ll take it.
Okay, what is the deal with Starry Eyed's hat? And where can I get one?
Because heaven forbid you just make lenses. Ah well, I suppose that’s what makes them the best. As any MMO player will tell you, store-bought craft materials aren't nearly as good as random drops. Still, when a third of the population can fly, needing to trek to the top of a mountain doesn’t feel quite as perilous.
It’s good to be the princess. “Clear my schedule, Raven. I’m going on an adventure!”
So… who sells snacking rocks around Canterlot or Ponyville? Also, I’m pretty sure Celestia qualifies as royalty no matter who she’s talking to, and that Spike is an Equestrian citizen and thus her subject. Still, I suppose she said it to put him at ease, not to be totally factually accurate.
Hmm. Is Spike referring to one of the incidents we’ve seen on the show, or did Twilight literally turn all of Ponyville upside-down once?
I like the rock lobsters’ design and how well they fit into Equestria’s pun-based ecology.
I’m honestly not mad about Celestia getting captured, but I’m not sure if that would be the case if I didn’t know what was coming.
Yeah, this is definitely before the Crystal Empire. Spike wouldn’t be resigned to sidekick status if that were the case. It makes his triumph there all the sweeter. Now if only Celestia could have a similar moment that didn’t happen more than a millennium ago. (And you may prefer teaching, Tia, but the enemies in your wake speak of a fair share of adventuring.)
Heh. Iggy, Metty, and Seddy. Imagine if the lobsters met Pinkie’s father. Also, I like “squishy” as a derogatory term for carbon-based life.
Also also, I love Spike being badass. He may be small, he may be cute, but he. Is. A dragon.
“You could’ve turned the cage bars into steam or the walls into snowflakes or teleported both of us back to Canterlot…”
Celestia confirmed to be Dr. Manhattan. This explains so much.
In all seriousness, this comic actually does a great job of addressing why Celestia doesn’t step in more often. If she took care of everything, the populace could never grow beyond depending on her.
… Okay, I know that Equestria is a world where the gems grow precut, but asking me to accept that crystal can naturally form discs is asking a bit much. Especially ones that visitors can just pick up and leave with.
The eruption is pretty fun, but it seems like one of those moments that would work a lot better if animated. Also, those are some very heat-tolerant crystals.
… Wait a second. Twilight has her wings. I thought she might, given the “telescope fit for a princess comment,” but still, it feels really weird to have Spike dismiss himself as just a sidekick after getting his own stained-glass window. I suppose it didn't really sink in until the Equestria Games, but still.
Rarity’s addition to the micro-series was a delight, though the Celestia/Spike Friends Forever felt kind of shallow. It takes effort to make something so short feel that full of filler. The meat of it worked well, but there was very little meat to be had. Seems like these series alternate which one gets the quality issue.
In any case, on to the cards:
Forget to Write 1W
Instant
Creatures leaving the battlefield don’t cause abilities to trigger this turn.
Draw a card.
”I was busy!”
—Rainbow Dash, Bearer of Loyalty
Scent of Flax 1W
Instant
Reveal any number of white cards in your hand. Put that up to that many enchantment cards from your graveyard on top of your library.
The nose senses little. The soul flourishes.
Spiritual Renovation 2WW
Sorcery
You may put an enchantment card from your hand or graveyard onto the battlefield.
”If the present is the future’s past, then, like, we are all time travelers.”
—Flax Seed, wellness guru
Radiant Blast 3W
Sorcery
Destroy target artifact, enchantment, or tapped creature.
”The cruel enjoy your suffering. The kind will end you in an instant. And my sister is very kind indeed.”
—Princess Luna
Spawnsculptor 3W
Creature — Homarid Spellshaper
4, T, Discard a card: Create a 4/3 colorless Homarid artifact creature token named Rock Lobster. It has “Creatures named Scissors Lizard can’t attack or block.”
W, T, Discard a card: Target creature’s name becomes Scissors Lizard until end of turn.
1/2
Celestia’s Aid 3WW
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant creature
Enchanted creature gets +2/+2 and has flying and vigilance.
When enchanted creature dies, exile each creature that dealt damage to it this turn.
Like the sun, it is both boon and bane.
Fashion Show 1U
Sorcery
Each player may put an Aura or Equipment card from his or her hand onto the battlefield. Each player who put an Equipment onto the battlefield this way may attach it to a creature he or she controls.
Eerie Billboard 2U
Creature — Wall
Defender
Whenever a source deals damage to Eerie Billboard, that source’s controller puts that many cards from the top of his or her library into his or her graveyard.
0/5
Hornswoggle 2U
Instant
Counter target spell unless its controller pays 2 for each Unicorn you control.
The unicorn tribe’s reputation for sinister behavior is unfair but not unearned.
Scope Crafter 2U
Creature — Unicorn Artificer
Whenever an artifact enters the battlefield under your control, scry 1. (Look at the top card of your library. You may put that card on the bottom of your library.)
Canterlotters always respect those who can see what’s on the horizon.
1/3
Soy Synthesis 2UU
Sorcery
Create a token that’s a copy of target nonland permanent.
From one bean, infinite possibility
Mind Expansion 3U
Sorcery
Draw three cards. Your maximum hand size is reduced by three this turn.
The herbal blend opens you to cosmic insight even as it lessens your ability to retain it.
Overstuffed Luggage 3U
Enchantment
At the beginning of each player’s upkeep, if that player has six or more cards in his or her hand, he or she may cast a card from his or her hand without paying its mana cost.
Seapony Diplomat 3U
Creature — Pony Merfolk Advisor
When Seapony Diplomat enters the battlefield, each player draws two cards.
Rarely seen on the surface, seaponies always make sure they leave a good impression on the drywalkers.
1/2
Need for Perfection 1B
Enchantment
B, Pay 1 life, Put a card in your hand on the bottom of your library: Draw a card.
”Of course it’s necessary. Even the slightest flaw could end my career.”
—Rarity, Bearer of Generosity
Wild and Crazy Stallion 2R
Creature — Pony Rogue
When Wild and Crazy Stallion enters the battlefield, if you control another creature named Wild and Crazy Stallion, gain control of target creature until end of turn. Untap that creature. It gains haste until end of turn.
Ponies follow them just to see what they do next.
3/2
True Omnivore 3R
Creature — Dragon
2, Sacrifice another permanent: Put a +1/+1 counter on True Omnivore.
If it exists, a dragon can eat it.
2/2
Lava Bombardment 5RRR
Instant
Lava Bombardment deals 6 damage divided as you choose among any number of target creatures and/or players.
Ponies tend to many of Ungula’s natural forces, but volcanoes obey no one.
Manual Labor G
Enchantment
Creatures you control have “T: Add C to your mana pool.”
”Work the body, uplift the mind.”
—Wheat Germ, wellness guru
Anger the Hive 2G
Sorcery
Target player gains 4 life. Another target player creates two 1/1 green Insect creature tokens with flying and deathtouch.
”You invaded a kingdom. Why didn’t you expect an army?”
—Fluttershy, Bearer of Kindness
Party Toga 2
Artifact — Equipment
Whenever equipped creature attacks, you may discard a card. If you do, draw a card.
Equip 1
”Are those my good sheets!?”
—Rarity, Bearer of Generosity
Cobble Together (rw)
Sorcery
As an additional cost to cast Cobble Together, sacrifice two artifacts.
Return target artifact card from your graveyard to the battlefield.
”Not the first time I’ve had to improvise.”
—Rarity, Bearer of Generosity
Mass Lignify 1GU
Instant
Until end of turn, each creatures becomes a Plant with base power and toughness 0/4 and loses all abilities.
”Sparkle did have a tendency to veg out when she was younger.”
—Night Light
Illusionist’s Gamble 3UR
Sorcery
Exile target nontoken creature you control, target nontoken creature you don’t control, and the top card of your library in a face-down pile, then shuffle that pile. The second creature’s controller manifests one of the exiled cards at random. You manifest the rest. (To manifest a card, put it onto the battlefield face down as a 2/2 creature. Turn it face up at any time for its mana cost if it’s a creature card.)
Crystalline Peak
Land
Crystalline Peak enters the battlefield tapped.
When Crystalline Peak enters the battlefield, scry 1.
T: Add R to your mana pool.
Wellness Center
Land
T: Add C to your mana pool.
1, T: Any number of target players each gain 1 life.
”Enough mud for a dozen spas.”
—Applejack, Bearer of Honesty
My take on it is that it is about the war against Discord. It’s also fiction from start to finish and has no resemblance to what actually happened at the time.
The problem with Illusionist's Gamble is that players use different sleeves in face to face play.
Illusionist Gamble sounds really cool, but I wonder how a card like it can exist in tournament play with varying card sleeves. What rules exist for cards mixed from both players?
I read Rarity's Friends Forever issue but not the Spike/Celestia one. It sounds like I didn't miss much.
It is funny how that's actually plausible for MLP.
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Yikes. Hadn't considered that. I've changed Gamble to make the opponent choose at random, though that doesn't address the issue of anonymization after the fact. Still, better than nothing.
I am only commenting to say that I am irrationally, deeply angry that this batch of cards includes a Homarid.
Die Homarids, DIE!!
Ok, I strongly suspect that Spiritual Renovation can, with appropriate metagame fiddling, be made one of the most broken cards ever seen. Most things that ignore mana costs and also let you play-from-graveyard can.
Also, Hornswoggle reminds me of Onslaught block.
Manual Labor seems pretty powerful, but I'm not sure what "C" is as a mana color. Aaaand Cobble Together seems like a powerful but well-balanced card.
I always just enjoy hearing about the comics because the artists really can throw anything into those, and because it's nice to see that the characters get up to more adventuring than we see on screen.
I cannot comment sensibly on this week's post because I am terrified of the election.
Sorry.
He was in Rarity Takes Manehattan, along with Photo Finish and Sapphire Shores. They were at the fashion show when Rarity's "hotel chic" creations were presented.
I thought Celestia/Spike was pretty good by Anderson's standards. I'm not sure if I'd call it his best work, but it's up there.
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The best part is that if gravity inversion counts, she is canonically capable of doing so.
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My apologies; I didn't know you were Vodalian. Still, I'm loath to create new creature types when preexisting ones fit, and as Deep Spawn demonstrates, Homarids are sapient lobsters.
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Agreed on the extra adventuring. It does serve as a nice way to balance out the show. At least, it does when done well.
Not surprising. Ixidor's Will was a major inspiration. Still, the name was too perfect not to attach to that affect.
C represents colorless mana. The symbol got introduced in Oath of the Gatewatch, when Kozilek, Magic's answer to Yog-Sothoth, decided to redefine reality a little as he woke up from a nap.
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Like I said, it's a completely irrational hatred :-P :-D
Hornswoggle's name is too perfect. I feel like I've joked about it being a tribalist term in the past, myself.
I blame Vinyl. Tavi convinced her to go to a "suit n dress" affair, but only if Tavi would come with Vinyl to a toga party and Tavi found she actually enjoyed wearing a toga and the rest is history.
Someone who has no experience with the word at all.
She could have one for each one of her friends but only takes out a few each night.
How else is Celestia going to get the money she needs to buy ice-cream? She can't use tax bits after all.
I'm rather sure she just lets it happen. It helps spice up her day if people think they can just pony-nap her.
We've seen Twilight turn frogs into oranges, transformation magic is nothing new.
And, again, rather sure Celestia just lets it happen because if it gets too serious she can just make the danger turn into something else.
Now the cards.
I feel that Scent of Flax should have an "in any order" on it at the end. it's assumed that's the case but always better to not leave things up to assumption.
I also feel that it should be a Sorcery or put them on the bottom of the library or cost a bit more, like say 1WW, or do a random order. Just, something to make it less powerful, because I feel it's a bit too powerful as it is because there are some really strong Enchantments out there and recursion of any type is really strong in an of itself.
Love the flavor text on Radiant Blast. "Kindness" comes in many forms. It reminds me of the Discworld quote about Good Men and Evil Men, and how it is better to be at the 'mercy' of an Evil Man.
I think Fashion Show needs a another instance of "card" after the second instance of "Equipment".
On Mind Expansion: I'm a bit fuzzy on when "this turn" can be used in place of "until end of turn" and even with the latter it wouldn't matter, since hand size only matters at end of turn and I think both versions of it would wear off before you had to discard down. Maybe make it "reduced by three until the start of your next turn".
I am disappointed in the lack of explosions and music slash song that comes with Seapony Diplomat.
The Loops have spoiled me on Seaponies.
On True Omnivore's flavor text: It really should be "A dragon can eat it". They eat anything, even things that have no physical presence.
On Manual Labor: Not really on the card itself but every time I see "C" I have to shunt my mind from "place holder for one of a color to be replaced later with W, U, B, R or G" to "one colorless mana".
Slightly annoying.
Ooooo, I really like Anger the Hive. It's one of those cards that's full of so much potential in the various multiplayer formats. I especially like in Emperor how you can heal one Lieutenant and give the other some minions.
Damnit Night Light! Keep your dad jokes out of my flavor text!
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I'm sorry they shelled your village, but at least they gave you some gold though.
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You know, I totally missed that it had the word "horn" in it while the flavor text was tribalist against unicorns until you said something.