>>/9885/
> My first thoughts watching this episode were that this would make a better first episode than Ticket Master.

> Twilight’s stack of cue cards and Pinkie’s reaction to the stampede are both great little moments that say quite a lot about who they are, and I just feel like there wasn’t as much room for that in Ticket Master. 

100% agreed. I think the other character who is left out here is Rarity but it'd be natural to the show's structure to have the focus shift around and this felt a bit more organic... not that Ticket Master wasn't organic. 

> It also makes me wonder if any other ponies have received the award. Surely all 6 of the Mane 6 have received it?

If that award continued to exist, a whole lot of characters would have it by Season 9, that is for sure. Can't think of any headcannon reason why it'd be abolished after this.

>  I'm not great with ratings 

I'm not sure I am either! I just to do it because I like to attempt to qualify. I've gone back and forth versus how objective quality I feel this is versus my level of enjoyment.This run I am leaning into more of the latter.

> Oh yeah - and why do all Applejack's barrels/buckets have a hole in them?

I associate such a thing with fermentation of alcoholic drinks. 
https://winehistoryproject.org/barrel-holes/
Maybe the family's apple cider? 

 >>/10024/
> Equestria Girls. 

Friend finally showed me Rainbow Rocks and I have some new thoughts as well. Need to clean up around here a bit from the spamming incident and then I may make a thread or something for it  if we have a thread for Pony Life we can have one for Equestria Girls.