Friendship is Card Games: Shadow Play · 12:24pm Oct 29th, 2017
And so we close out Season 7. It’s been the Season of Family, the Season of Legend… and undeniably the Season of Leaks. Yeesh. Still, now that everyone’s had a chance to see this, let’s discuss it in detail.
Interesting to note that not only did the Pillars have balance among the tribes, but also among the genders.
I have to raise an eyebrow at the diarchs’ reactions to Sunburst’s revelation. Luna seems frightened for Star Swirl… but Celestia just seems intrigued. “Ooh, do go on.” Not sure which is more appropriate, given that this is Star Swirl we’re talking about.
Twilight’s little happy flaps as she starts talking about Star Swirl are adorable.
I wonder how the legend of the Pony of Shadows shifted over the centuries from a pre-Nightmare menace to a vestige of the Nightmare’s power. Curious.
Okay, Celestia’s Old Ponish may be rusty, but what about Luna’s? She was still speaking Early Modern Ponish during her first Nightmare Night; you’d think she’d have an easier time of it. Maybe she just had an even harder time with Star Swirl’s hornwriting.
Interesting note: While the rest of the episodes insist that it’s just been “more than a thousand years” since the Pillars vanished, Sunburst does say “thousands” once. I’m very much okay with this being a multimillennial matter, not least because it’s nice to see a sealed evil much older than the default thousand years.
Heh. Twilight still refers to her home as “my library.” Granted, she may have meant “the library in my castle,” but I prefer her thinking of it as a library first and a giant crystal tree chest castle playset second.
So… if only Starlight can read Star Swirl’s hornwriting, how did Sunburst figure out the last entry?
That said, I like how even the hornwriting foreshadows Star Swirl’s attitude. “I can read it. Why should I care if nopony else can?”
Not surprising that Sunburst has never seen runes like those before. They aren’t exactly magical. You just know Rockhoof did that while Star Swirl wasn’t looking.
The animation on the Pony of Shadows is amazing. The fluidity and amorphous motions really underscore how this is not a natural being. This entity should not be.
Very neat to see the Pillars’ iconic artifacts act as prototype Elements of Harmony. That said, I know I’m far from the last to ask this, but how did those artifacts get from Ponehenge to where they ended up?
The “figuring out the spell” gag was a wonderful way to underscore how Twilight is an amazing, adorkable arcanologist. It’s nice to see a finale treat her with the respect she’s due. (It’s not that I hate “To Where and Back Again,” I just hate the way it removed the main cast offscreen.)
I do appreciate Twilight pointing out how Starlight opened gates in time, not space. I was going to bring it up if she hadn't.
Also, interesting to see Limbo is a thing. An interstitial void between worlds. Nope, can’t say that sounds familiar… though in all seriousness, it is very different from the Blind Eternities. A lot safer, for one. There’s no time for anything to happen to you.
The Map wants to help. It probably rankles the Tree of Harmony to have originated from a friendship problem.
Petunia Paleo! Wasn’t expecting to see her again. Also, it seems that she really is an archeologist. I suppose the distinction between that and paleontology, at least when it comes to field work, is largely a matter of what you’re looking for and how deep you need to dig.
Dang. Are we sure Applejack didn’t ask her human counterpart for help with this? Though to be fair to her, Dr. Flatearth Atheist is one of the premiere mares in her field. Not just anypony gets to work with the Dr. Pones.
So… this unicorn has a flower cutie mark, but has apparently never heard of pruning. Okay then.
Also, I suspect Rarity made heavy use of that topiary spell from “Look Before You Sleep.”
Interesting to see the average dragon’s attitude towards ponies and Ember’s policies.
Netitus seems like a poor gorgeboard. It’s so small, it’s barely a boogie gorgeboard. And I’d worry about heat conduction if it and its rider weren’t both magically fireproof
Typical Garble, changing the rules rather than admitting he lost. Good to see him get his comeuppance.
Beehives do not work that way. I know, magical cartoon, but beehives still don’t work that way.
I get the feeling that Daring won’t be writing about the time she worked the bellows while somepony else went rooting through an ancient pyramid’s septic tank.
Also, either that green slime really is harmless, or it just knows better than to try to digest Pinkie. I’m leaning towards the latter.
How did everypony get back to Ponehenge at the same time?
I know they wouldn’t do it, but it does bother me that the Pillars aren’t actually speaking Old English when they emerge from Limbo. Maybe Starswirl was just showing off in his journals. I suppose we should be grateful he didn't write everything backwards, a la da Vinci.
So… what exactly would the Pony of Shadow’s victory entail? From the sound of it, it would impact memory as much as the state of the world.
Star Swirl’s dismissal of the rundown of the Bearers’ deeds does make sense; he wasn’t around for any of those villains when they first showed up, aside from Tirek and possibly Discord. He doesn’t appreciate the scope of their victories, nor does he have any cause to believe them in the first place.
Eh, Star Swirl calling up an image of the Tree of Harmony isn’t that impressive. He just found the “About This Map” function.
I’m actually kind of glad this episode got leaked, because it gave me time to reflect on the Tree of Harmony being created by the Pillars. At first, I felt this was a case of midichlorination, sacrificing a great deal of mystique for a small amount of concrete information that no one was asking for. However, this does make sense, especially if you contrast the Tree with Discord. Chaos will produce emergent patterns eventually, resulting in a bizarre but somewhat coherent avatar. Harmony? Harmony doesn’t occur naturally. Sure, physical objects will eventually settle into an equilibrium, but that's not harmony; that's stasis. Harmony, by definition, takes cooperative effort. Even the dynamic equilibrium of an ecosystem requires input from every species in every niche. It’s only logical that an avatar of such a force would need to arise from deliberate cooperation. The body of the Tree might only be a few millennia old, but the soul? That may still be a primordial thing.
Look, I work with what they give me. Moving on.
I have a whole other blog prepared for the conceptual evolution from Pillar to Bearer. This is some toothsome food for thought.
I admit, I’m kind of shipping Dash Magnus. They have amazing chemistry together.
Seaponies are confirmed to not only be a thing, but also one Equestria’s had enough contact with to provide material for a thick book on diplomacy with their culture. Hope we see more come of that in Season 8.
I have to say, part two of this episode did an amazing job of setting the mood. The first time I watched it, as I appreciated the stakes and potential consequences, I was on the edge of my seat.
Huh. The Pony of Shadows apparently would’ve drawn power from places of literal darkness. Places that have since been brightened considerably. I don’t want to say that Celestia had a hoof in this—after all, she didn’t even know about the Pony of Shadows—but a cavern system doesn’t become a canyon after just a thousand years of erosion. Meanwhile, I suspect Luna warded the Dreamrealm from the dark interloper.
What? Might as well give them something to do in all of this. Aside from, you know, govern the country.
I love seeing Twilight’s friends stand up for her and call the old stallion out. Also, neat to see Meadowbrook review Twilight’s spell. I’m always happy to see an earth pony with a strong grasp on spellcraft. I guess that’s why they call her “Mage.”
And now the Map moves to Phase Two in its quest to solve the ultimate friendship problem.
Starlight’s heart is in the right place, but given the timeless nature of Limbo, it actually hasn’t been a long time for the Pony of Shadows.
It’s important to bear in mind a datum from “Magical Mystery Cure:” Star Swirl didn’t and doesn’t understand friendship the way Twilight does. He can’t conceive of how anything but raw arcane force can solve problems. He is, in a sense, the embodiment of those who feel that ponies are too forgiving, though that may be reading too deep into it.
And the sirens are show canon! And so much else by extension. Wonderful. 
Now we just need a story where Sunset chews out Star Swirl after cleaning up his unfinished business.
Also, it seems it’s a lot easier to open a spacial gate when the destination is another worldline rather than the space between spaces. Makes sense to me.
“Stygian.” Stygian. That nominative determinacy takes no prisoners, huh?
Very strange to see the Pillars convening at the Castle of the Two Sisters. How long did that stand before Nightmare Moon wrecked it? I have to assume this is more a case of reusing Flash assets.
Wow. And here I thought Tempest Shadow was a shoo-in for Edgiest Unicorn of 2017.
I have to wonder if Star Swirl suspected Stygian of trying to steal the Pillars power because that’s what he would’ve done in the same situation…
It is very nice to see the Elements in action again.
Aww, the Hollow Shades aren’t a swamp. I blame the Pony of Shadows. The characters made it clear that he twisted the area to better suit his purposes.
So… who built the Well of Shade? I want to hear their story.
Ambient harmonious radiation eroded enough shadow matter to expose Stygian. Makes sense to me.
As we hear Stygian’s side, it drives home a final parallel: Stygian was the seventh of six. He was the one with no awe-inspiring power, no iconic object, no overarching concept. He was the logistician, the support, the one working in the shadows when all the others got spotlights. He was their Spike. We got a canon “the Mane Six are awful to Spike for no reason” story, and they made it work amazingly.
It’s going to be interesting to see the Pillars adjust to modern times. They have an even wider gap to bridge than Luna did, though at least they have better publicity.
The last exchange between Twilight and Starlight made me realize how this plot has parallels with, of all things, “Daring Don’t,” hero worship blinding one of the protagonists to her own worth. Didn’t see that coming.
In all, this was an incredible adventure. I do have to wonder where Clover the Clever and Scorpan got to, but aside from that and the questionable need for an origin for the Tree of Harmony, this was a great way to close out a very fun season. The comic integration was certainly interesting, invalidating at least as many issues as the ones it confirms. (Of course, this means the sirens’ FIENDship issue couldn’t have happened as described, and I am more than okay with that.)
Next week, I start looking at the Equestria Girls Summertime Shorts. For now, it’s time to continue my own legend:
Stygian, Pillars’ Base 2WW
Legendary Creature — Unicorn Advisor
When Stygian, Pillars’ Base enters the battlefield, search your library for a legendary card, reveal it, put it into your hand, then shuffle your library.
At the beginning of your end step, if you control two or more other legendary creatures, transform Stygian.
”If I cannot stand among you…”
2/2
The Pony of Shadows
(WB) Legendary Creature — Shade Horror
Menace, protection from legendary creatures
2WB: The Pony of Shadows gets +1/+1 until end of turn for each other creature on the battlefield. Those creatures get -1/-1 until end of turn.
”… then you will kneel before me.”
4/4
Limbo Seal 3WW
Enchantment
When Limbo Seal enters the battlefield, all creatures phase out. Those creatures can’t phase in for as long as Limbo Seal is on the battlefield. (While they're phased out, they're treated as though they don't exist. Each one normally phases in before its controller untaps during his or her next untap step.)
Arcane Imprint 1UU
Sorcery
Draw a card for each artifact you control, then discard a card for each nonlegendary artifact you control.
Items of great power encode their history into the spells that power them.
Adventuring Archeologist 3U
Creature — Pony Scout
Protection from Traps (This creature can’t be targeted or dealt damage by Traps.)
Whenever a player casts a Trap spell, you may draw a card.
”Judging by this cuneiform, we should all be dead right now.”
2/3
Group Research 3UU
Sorcery
Convoke (Your creatures can help cast this spell. Each creature you tap while casting this spell pays for 1 or one mana of that creature's color.)
Draw three cards.
Many eyes make light reading.
Scourges of Nova Scoltia 3UU
Creature — Siren
Flying
6UU: Monstrosity 3. (If this creature isn’t monstrous, put three +1/+1 counters on it and it becomes monstrous.)
When Scourges of Nova Scoltia becomes monstrous, gain control of target creature.
3/3
Gather Darkness BB
Sorcery
Return up to two target black creature cards from your graveyard to your hand.
The Pony of Shadows drew ancient vestiges of cruelty and malice to him to restore his power and bolster his forces.
Insidious Whispers 1B
Instant
Target player draws a card and loses 1 life.
Retrace (You may cast this card from your graveyard by discarding a land card in addition to paying its other costs.)
The Shadows’ seduction was relentless, not stopping even when Stygian succumbed.
Dark Tethers 2B
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant creature
Whenever enchanted creature attacks or blocks, its controller loses 2 life and you gain 2 life.
”Your anger, your struggling, your very will to live only make me stronger.”
—The Pony of Shadows
The Gathering Coven 2BB
Legendary Enchantment
At the beginning of your upkeep, each opponent loses 1 life and you gain 1 life. Then if you have 10 or more life than each opponent, transform The Gathering Coven.
From all across Equestria, they convened in its darkest corner.
The Well of Shade
Legendary Land
T: Add B to your mana pool.
3BBB, T, Sacrifice The Well of Shade: Each player loses 10 life.
Their legacy of hatred and agony persists to this day.
Sorrow Ascendant 2BB
Enchantment
At the beginning of your upkeep, if your devotion to black is thirteen or greater, you win the game. (Each B in the mana costs of permanents you control counts toward your devotion to black.)
The Pony of Shadows wanted nothing more than for all to suffer as he had.
Consume the Light 3B
Sorcery
Target player reveals his or her hand and discards all white cards. If that player discarded no cards this way, he or she loses 5 life.
Whether the light is actual or metaphorical, the Pony of Shadows can extinguish it.
Dumb Luck 2R
Enchantment
R, Discard a card: Flip a coin. If you win the flip, draw two cards.
No one was more surprised by Spike’s victory than Spike himself.
Biome Shift 1G
Sorcery
Destroy target land. That land’s controller may search his or her library for a basic land card, put it onto the battlefield tapped, then shuffle his or her library.
Some former places of darkness are now pony cities. Others were brought to the light more directly.
Overgrown Garden 1G
Enchantment — Aura
Enchant land you control
Fabulosity 3G (3G: If this enchantment isn’t fabulous, put a gem counter on it and it becomes fabulous.)
Whenever enchanted land is tapped for mana, add G to your mana pool. If Overgrown Garden is fabulous, instead add two mana of any one color to your mana pool.
Fluttershy’s Assistants 2G
Creature — Beast
When Fluttershy’s Assistants enters the battlefield, draw a card.
They can’t read, but that doesn’t mean they can’t help with research.
2/1
Overflowing Ooze 5G
Creature — Ooze
Whenever Overflowing Ooze is dealt damage, create two tokens that are copies of it.
It absorbed all of the sphinx’s greed and none of her wisdom.
2/2
Blindfold of Hope 3
Legendary Artifact
Whenever you gain life, exile the top card of your library face down.
1, T, Sacrifice Blindfold of Hope: Put all cards exiled with Blindfold of Hope into your hand.
”You never know what the future will being.”
—Somnambula, Pillar of Hope
Blossom of Beauty 3
Legendary Artifact
4, Sacrifice Blossom of Beauty: For each counter on a permanent you control, put a counter of that kind on that permanent.
Its truest beauty lies in how it makes all else flourish
Mask of Healing 3
Legendary Artifact — Equipment
Equipped creature gets +1/+1 and has lifelink.
Whenever equipped creature deals combat damage to a player, you lose a poison counter.
Equip 1
Meadowbrook’s mask is infused with far more than aromatic herbs.
Shovel of Strength 3
Legendary Artifact — Equipment
Equipped creature has “1, Put the top card of your library into your graveyard: This creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn” and “4, T: This creature deals damage equal to its power to target creature.”
Equip 3
The best weapons serve a role in peace.
Annals of the Bearded One 4
Legendary Artifact
3, T: Draw a card. Put a study counter on Annals of the Bearded One. Then if there are three or more study counters on it, remove those counters and transform Annals of the Bearded One.
”The Temple of Ponehenge, at the base of Foal Mountain, will be our last stand.”
Ruins of Ponehenge
Legendary Land
T: Add CCC to your mana pool. You can’t spend this mana to cast creature spells.
3, T: Put target noncreature card in your graveyard on top of your library.
The menhirs resonate with a power forgotten by equinity.
Honorless Gambit 1BR
Instant
Target creature gains indestructible until end of turn. Honorless Gambit deals 3 damage to each creature blocking or blocked by that creature.
Garble doesn’t lose. He just starts a different game.
Shadowspike Assault 2BR
Sorcery
Exile target nonenchantment permanent.
Shadow magic is terrifyingly adept at destruction.
Boulderbuck 3(rg)
Instant
If G was spent to cast Boulderbuck, target creature gets +4/+4 until end of turn. If R was spent to cast Boulderbuck, target creature you control deals damage equal to its power to target creature you don’t control. (Do both if RG was spent.)
Gorgeboarding Volcanist 3UR
Creature — Dragon Shaman
Mountainwalk (This creature can’t be blocked as long as defending player controls a Mountain.)
Prowess (Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, this creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn.)
Whenever you cast a noncreature spell, target land becomes a Mountain until end of turn.
3/2
Gate to Limbo 4WB
Sorcery
Convoke
Exile target permanent.
Through Twilight’s wisdom, the Pillars and Bearers didn’t just save the world. They saved even the Shadows’ host.
Um, they come with hooks, obvs, so ponies can move them easier. If they get past the bees, of course. :V
It does if some powerful earth pony goes, "Y'know, a canyon would be real nice here..."
Oooo, that's a nice Easter egg. Apparently Rockhoof has neater hoof/mouthwriting than Star Swirl.
Whoa, I never even thought of that before. Ironic!
Through the power of plot convenience of course! We've got a lot of ground to cover in 44 minutes!
I look forward to it.
I loved that scene too, for the same reasons you did.
Interesting character interpretation. Though the other Pillars are more than willing to go along with Star Swirl even though they seem to be more accepting of others. I wonder how to reconcile that.
I saw some obvious parallels between Stygian and Luna, as well as Starlight, but that's a good observation about Stygian being like their Spike. Fanfic writers could do a lot with that idea.
What are your thoughts on how the Tree of Harmony has grown beyond its original intention, doing more than it was originally intended and producing something (the Map) that doesn’t simply seal beings away, but allows those who understand friendship to help individuals before they become something like Stygian, or while they can still be helped (again, like Stygian)?
The next time we see Starswirl the Bearded, I expect him to be wearing a Hawaiian shirt and sunglasses and to have dyed his mane and beard.
Shovel Knight approved!
4711305
I blame the quarray eels.
I also thought it was interesting how the Pony of Shadows wasn't the actual villain of the episode -- it was clearly Starswirl.
See, I didn't think the finale was that good. Too many characters made poor decisions for my liking. At least the movie made up for it with humor, but this two-parter had almost none.
Also of wether you're digging through soil or chipping through rock, often, although you'd be surprised how long soil can remain soil without compacting into rock.
That said, assuming a more mythological-like young "Earth" creation story for Equestria's world, I figure the difference between paleontology and archeology is probably a lot fuzzier than it is in our world. There's probably a lot less of a pressing need to separate the two things when everything happened inside, say, the last million years or thereabouts, and intelligent beings were around for most of it.
4711305
Indeed. And who's one of the strongest earth ponies in the country?
4711339
I suspect he used his shovel. It doesn't seem to have much of a curve to it.
They seemed to be less a band of friends than a paramilitary force, at least when it was time for action. Plus, I can't really see Star Swirl staying part of any group where when he said "Jump," the rest didn't ask "How high?"
4711353
Some of it could be mutation, some AI development, and some my "young body, old soul" hypothesis. Whatever the case, the crystal seed clearly went wonderfully right.
4711375
"Twilight! Good to see you! Why did you never tell me about this wonderful 'margarita' concoction?"
4711385
It took a surprising amount of willpower to not mention shovelry in the flavor text.
4711403
Yeah, Beardhorse ruined everything long before Bookhorse did, though both cases of ruination did eventually lead to a net gain. It just took a lot longer in Star Swirl's case.
4711429
I can understand where you're coming from. Personally, I felt the poor decisions were believable, in-character ones. Twilight was blinded by the chance to unravel an ancient mystery, decipher an ancient spell, and meet her idol. Star Swirl projected like an especially arrogant lighthouse. Stygian was too afraid of his idols' rejection to ask permission. It all comes together in a way that feels free of Trope Balls. Well, it does to me at any rate.
4711448
Petunia does raise questions about the deep history of the planet, and just how many fossils were left by Discord as practical jokes.
4711375
Hold on now, what does that remind me of...
33.media.tumblr.com/879c83f4a3fadd0a9ef8981fa10ab707/tumblr_mm8qdsW0ze1qchn5ro1_400.gif
I was so close!
4711516
Another issue was the fact that there were like 20 characters all fighting for screentime at once. Like, I can't remember if Mistmane even got any dialogue.
You ever seen an ooze with diabetes? It's not pretty.
Eeeee! You brought Fabulosity back!
Ah, phaseing. Such fun. I actually kinda miss that one, unlike banding (which I understand the rules for, that does not make it fun to play with or against though).
You left off the "(Do both if RG was spent.)" reminder test for Boulderbuck. Or maybe a "Pick one:" like that other card you did a few blogs back.
No one tell the Sirens that Starswirl is back. Then again, they probably don't know how much time passed (depending on if you interpret their appearance as being 'immediate' or 'nearly a thousand years of Canterlot High history'.)
"Can we kick his ass?"
"Starswirl vanished over a thousand years ago. He's long gone." *phone book goes off* "... wait, he's back."
<Aria> DIBS!
Batman Plan #2241: Steal everyone else's cool bling and turn into Green Lantern Kryptonian Amazon Speedster Fish-Person Batman.
Anyone else notice a strong resemblance to the Umbrum in the Pony of Shadows? Perhaps the origins of the Well of Shade lie therein.
4711550
YES! All my yes! Twilight's BSOD would be a thing of beauty.
Gather Darkness could probably be printed with a B casting cost. We already had a split Raise Dead/restricted double Raise Dead be printed for B (March of the Drowned).
I'm not sure if I ship DashMagnus, as in a relationship, but they'd make great buck buddies.
I was gonna say that you forgot Flash Magnus's shield, but then I realized that you already covered that in "Campfire Tales."
I’m mostly wondering how the Elements of Harmony being brought back will figure into my story, given what I’ve written in my drafts...
...though I may have something in the works to patch up any continuity issues. We’ll see.
Your possible explanations of the episode does make me feel better about the episode, but I really didn't like how Twilight didn't consider what may happen to the Pony of Shadows if she brought the pillars back, and all Starlight could say was "it seems like a bad idea". But mistakes had to be made for the episode to work.
Maybe a convenient "the banishment is getting weaker" excuse that forces their hoof or something...
Meanwhile, Starswirl dismissal of their accomplishments (if he can't do it, nopony else can!), of friendship (that is Twilight's improvement on his work after all) and how he solves all his problems with banishment is spot on!
I find it interesting that you have Limbo Seal use phasing (as an "exile beyond exile," I'm guessing), when the extra-spatio-temporal nature of Limbo works with your own depiction of Address Unknown being stuck in an O-Ring (WAAAAAAAY back in The Elementals of Harmony and its Sideboard) sounds similar.
4745076
It does, yes, but I've done so many O-Ring effects over the years that I had to branch out to something else to keep it fresh!