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As we get into Apple Bloom’s… Shenanigans. It’s not an original take, but I do find her antics a little tedious. Not annoying as such, but just a little bit tiresome, where I’m not actively disliking what I’m watching, but I’m not really compelled by it either. However, it does occur to me that a younger viewer watching this probably gets these annoyed reactions from adults, particularly if they’re energetic and confident like Apple Bloom, so in a way my reaction to her antics might be reflective of her character’s accuracy. 

Poor Twist gets left behind after this episode, but I definitely remember having friends in school who I was friends with just because we were both losers. It’s an accurate element but a slightly harsh one, softened by it being more of a background detail. 

All the stuff with Rainbow Dash is quite fun – but that’s really all I have to say about it. I could pick apart details of the karate scene, but it seems like more of a gag bit to me. I also like Pinkie’s approach after Dash’s spirited but doomed attempt to help Apple Bloom, where it seems like Pinkie is moreso trying to cheer up Apple Bloom than actually find her talent in a relatively logical way like Dash was. When Twilight shows up, I’m interested that Apple Bloom knows of her magical prowess. Obviously she’ll know a bit from Applejack and a bit from the Zecora situation, but would she really gather that Twilight’s that good at magic without there being a reputation in town she’d have learned that from? I think possibly this is reflecting a post-Boast Busters situation where now Twilight has a certain reputation in Ponyville. 

I love the classic party music once the party starts. I wonder, did Pinkie keep Apple Bloom busy at Sugarcube Corner with the intention of helping her overcome her fear of going to the party? It’s always tricky to discern intention with Pinkie. 

Again no notes about the party and the reveal of Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, just pretty solid and I liked it. After they’ve formed their group, though, I do like the detail that Twilight, writing the letter to Celestia, writes with the certainty that Celestia will genuinely want to hear about simply “one of her youngest subjects”. It’s almost like stealth-characterisation of Celestia, I really like it. Although the closing shot of Celestia’s cutie mark does get the brain jogging – how could she have gotten that before having the Alicorn power to raise the sun? Was she a unicorn before that helped other unicorns raise the sun? Or born an Alicorn but discovered the power to raise the sun later? Many questions, but I’m glad canon didn’t answer them. I don’t think the show could have pulled off an “how Celestia got her cutie mark” episode well enough to justify it. 

Somehow I mistook which episode number Winter Wrap Up was, so those filenames say episode 12 when actually this one is episode 12. I saw this confusion only after taking the first screenshot – I forgot to take them while I was writing the review like I usually do, and I watch the episode without pausing to take notes first so that I can enjoy it fully, so I ended up watching this episode three times. I have to say, Apple Bloom wasn’t as annoying as I remembered her being, but I’m still not as keen on this episode compared to later CMC episodes. It’s still got elements I enjoy, but these elements are moreso just a bit of fun, I wasn’t finding myself overly invested in them. With that in mind, I think I’ll put this episode at around 5.9.