>>/11192/
 >>/11193/ 
> After all, how could society in Equestria move past the reliance on the crafts? Things like the Flim-Flam brother’s machine don’t just threaten jobs, as they did in our world, they threaten the fundamental fabric of Equestrian society.

The former, I propose that harmonic magic itself might ensure everyone finds the most proper place. (A certain couple of moments from later seasons MIGHT threaten this theory, but a topic for another day.)

> family suggests you could hack the system and just embrace the family talent earlier, the exact idea Apple Bloom gets. 

Now that is an interesting observation! Apple Bloom, perhaps rightly, infered the exact opposite lesson from what Applejack was trying to say. Rather than assurance of "it'll be your time!" Apple Bloom put, in her own childish way, two and tow together.   

> 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.

Twist had a unique design and traits, I wonder if anything more was ever considered for her?

> 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. 

I thinking hinting at it = good, explaining everything and nerding out on something like how that would have probably gone down in a later season fandom episode = bad. The former adds to haunting and comfy, the later removes wonder and mysteriousness. 

> With that in mind, I think I’ll put this episode at around 5.9.

That is your lowest rating thus far but I certainly understand it. I can see how this didn't "click" with you. 

 >>/11224/
 >>/11225/
> I actually had to go back and check that it was autumn in the cold open – it was. For some reason it escaped my notice there. But it makes for more or less perfect timing, as it’s just about bang in the middle of autumn as I’m watching this

It did not escape my notice either. Watched it with the first (relative) cold front that came in for the season! 

> I don’t dislike Nightmare Night, but I certainly feel like autumn is much comfier in this episode, as I like autumn but have never been a fan of halloween. 

My personal thing is based on degree, joking spooky and childish spooky = comfy. Eerie can be comfy, but the outright horror not so much for me. I can totally see why someone would find fall/autumn comfier! 

> I’ve heard the Running of the Leaves be derided almost every time I’ve seen this episode reviewed, specifically in terms of it not making sense. While I concede that the Running is not as thoroughly explored as Winter Wrap-Up, I don’t think it’s fair to dismiss it entirely.

We are on a similar page. My background is more from fanfiction as I didn't watch/read many reviews (I did some, particularly on controversial episodes). To quote myself: >>/11234/
< I remember a lot of fics early on tried to down play/rationalize these elements to the point that it feels disconnected from the sincerity of its whimsical nature. 


> Earth-pony magic, with the actual cause being a sort of synchronicity between the thumping of hoofsteps and the readiness of the leaves to fall, which then evolved over time to include Pegasi and Unicorns in the tradition too even though their magic wouldn’t really apply in a practical sense in this theory. 

I'll take it, although I will point out that from dialog/what is shown on screen at the end, Rainbow Dash's did seem to matter. 

> reality-breaking slapstick 

I'd argue that the slapstick here isn't that reality breaking and the ponies have show some similar feats in other situations.

> With that in mind, I’m going to rate this at 6.2. I liked it a bit more than Call of the Cutie, but not as much as Ticket Master, so I’ve put it bang in the middle.

...but I still understand the distaste as a style. Sometimes I can laugh a lot with it, sometimes not, too me execution and timing matter and I did enjoy it enough but no