well, if Equestria had no idea what was happening in the Griffon city, and the common ponies have no idea what a zebra is, we can see that Equestria doesn't have the same level of awareness than in the real world. I would have loved an illusion by the Sphinx too :3
I know nothing concerning the production of this episode, but part of me wonders if, with the steam vents, the creators were trying to create a kind of compromise by which they could fuse two ideas. Like, making one think of the bridge in Indiana Jones while ALSO giving a call back to Feeling Pinkie Keen. After all, it is Pinkie who suggests the leap to Daring Do in this episode, just as she did for Twilight in feeling Pinkie Keen. And while it did not end with Pinkie and Daring Do bouncing off a bubble and a couple of rock platforms, it did look the beginning there that they were leaping into a situation where the only possible outcome was demise, only to be saved by something unexpected and, frankly, unrealistic. I thought the steam vents were goofy myself, but they do lead me to wonder about the above-listed ideas.
If 'Read it and Weep' was 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' of the Daring Do stories, and 'Daring Don't' was 'Temple of Doom' and 'Stranger than Fanfiction' was 'The Last Crusade', does this make this episode, 'Daring Done', the 'Kingdom of the Crystal Skull' of that lineup?
Maybe, but "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" got overshadowed by a lot of really bad elements, namely how old Indiana looked now, and the infamous riding out a nuke in a fridge scene.
Is it infamous because there was no way a /fridge/ would survive a nuclear explosion? And yeah, Crystal Skull had a lot of potential. I didn't particularly mind Indy being old either. It was... Kinda weird and kept flipping back and forth.
2:08 what I found interesting is the mention of those sister crowns and how one was going to bed used to bring eternal night. Interesting little connection there, init? Could it be hinting that Celestia and Luna's bonds to the Sun and Moon is linked in some way with this legend? Could they have gained their marks through this somehow? I do like the lore the mlp staff are giving us to chew on
Am I the only one who realizes that that those steam vents WERE the bridge? u mean, seriously, it's not hard to pick up on. I mean, the legend said it was a bridge, so everyone assumed it was a rope bridge, when in reality it was a bridge of steam
First, it was a stone bridge in the legend - as shown in the images - so they didn't know to not expect that. Second, the problem is that they just found it a little TOO silly to swallow - which is a personal opinion more than a critical one; you either like this episode for its ingenuity and themes, or you don't because it's a little far on the side of camp for you.
No, Joseph is right. The legend showed us a solid bridge but that's what the _characters hearing the story imagined while hearing it._ That's why the "leap of faith" was so emphasized. That's why it was actually a challenge from the Sphinx. If it was just an actual physical bridge in the legend, all Sonambula ever would have had to do was gently place a hoof forward, feel there was something solid in front of her, and walk. That's not a challenge. She _had_ to leap because the "bridge" required that. Had she just walked, she probably would have fallen in, and had she not moved due to not feeling anything in front of her she would have failed. The Sphinx was testing her by making her cross despite the lack of bridge, and the story was altered both by Sonambula not seeing what saved her and by being retold over the years.
I was not disputing that - just pointing out that to Dr Wolf and others, it was too absurd to accept even WITH the fact that it's a Daring Do story at play. Whatever you or I might think - I was less upset with the Leap of Faith, and more with Calleberon's convenient gloating derailing his plan (plus Rainbow Dash not even TRYING to fight and just passively being captured!) - that doesn't change that for other people it doesn't work. You have to accept that not everyone likes the same kind of stories you like, in many different ways (like tonally) and move on; all the rationalising in the world won't change that for them.
I, on the other hand, disputes it. The only one focusing on a Leap of Faith is Pinkie, the general focus is on Hope ..... which may be better or worse depending on how one looks at it .... and even though the two are similar, they are not entirely the same. Also, there were no comment on leaping onto the bridge in the legend, but there were a note in being guided by the voice of the captured; both being unfitting for the option that the bridge would have been coordinated jetsteams. The legend would have been different if the bridge indeed had been jetstreams.
The legend emphasized "She took a leap of faith" which was why Pinkie echoed it, and having characters incorrectly imagine things when hearing a story only to get the correct version later is an increasingly common storytelling device but I mean. When there's a perfectly viable alternate interpretation that makes it more interesting and you want to choose to take it the way that you don't like instead, I guess that's your right.
It really isn't that hard to believe there's an area of EQ that doesn't know A.K. Yearling. There's lots of books/T.V. shows irl that are hugely popular yet people still exist who have never heard of them or the author. Heck other countries have sports that are ultra popular there but in other parts of the world the sports are completely unheard of. Granted these aren't exactly the same thing as A.K.'s whole deal, but really, just say this village/town is super far away from other towns and doesn't trade with other towns either, then it isn't that unbelievable. Just because there was a Daring Do convention doesn't mean EVERYONE knows who A.K. or Daring Do is. Hell, i'm sure before they were w]made into movies, many people probably didn't know J.K. Rowling or Harry Potter.
And if they knew A. K. yearling how would that help? They didn't even knew there was some Daring Do before Cabaleron told them. They didn't even know she saved their city. They could have been thinking she is some mare playing on Daring Do destroying statues and stealing neckleces.
8/10 Pinkie wasn't annoying, Dashie was adorable and not written badly. Only thing I didn't like was the obvious twist, but with this being a kids show, I can accept it.
blaa6 Yeah. Pinky was surprisingly "tame" in this episode all things considered. I don't usually have a problem whenever she goes full off the wall insane, but it is pretty interesting whenever she is a bit more restrained in her wacky-ness and just straight up tries to be supportive through her words and not her smile inducing antics.
I'm just glad we now have a show-official Sphinx design. It's a great design, with the dark-maroon color, paws that are in a similar shape to the hooves of the ponies, the canine teeth, the fluffy ears, the slinted eyes, the lionesqe tail, the large wings, even the cloths and head-wear the Sphinx was wearing made it look great. I also like the fact that the Sphinx had magic at its disposal.
I see your point. It didn't really make me hate the episode, but I do agree that it's a bit a lot to take in. It's just that I never really take Daring Do stories too seriously to begin with. I know they're supposed to be over the top and I just roll with it.
J K hasn't quit Potter though seeing as there is pottermore.com AND Fantastic Beasts. Even if there weren't, she had finished the story she was intending to write, so it still wouldn't have been quitting. There is a big difference between finishing the story you intended to tell and just quitting part way through.
they should make an episode where Trixe, Starlight, ember, thorax, spike and the mane 6 perform a magic show in Canterlot, or Las Pegasus, but Trixe is having a hard time to be ready for the big night of her show, so starlight, ember, thorax, spike and the mane 6 tries to help her, would that be a great idea for an episode
am I the only one who said FINALLY when pinkie said that Fillydelphia got rid off the parasprites? I mean that happened in season 1 and we are now in season 7. Thats like 2 or 3 years
FinalEnix Fillydelphia never had a parasprite infestation in Season 1. It was IMPLIED that they did if only because Ponyville had just had parasprites, but it was never stated outright to be parasprites.
The implication I took away was that the vents were always the bridge, and the solid bridge we saw before was just what the characters hearing the story imagined while hearing it. That's why the "leap of faith" was so emphasized. That's why it was actually a challenge from the Sphinx. If it was just an actual physical bridge in the legend, all Sonambula ever would have had to do was gently place a hoof forward, feel there was something solid in front of her, and walk. That's not a challenge. She had to leap because the "bridge" required that. Had she just walked, she probably would have fallen in, and had she not moved due to not feeling anything in front of her she would have failed. The Sphinx was testing her by making her cross despite the lack of bridge, and the story was altered both by Sonambula not seeing what saved her and by being retold over the years.
Hmm I do have to say there are some obvious problems but over all I like this episode, because I really liked what it was trying to do. If someone told you that they saw the Mane 6 and they were real would you believe them? There are also some places that are pretty remote and might never have heard of AK Yearling I do have to say long story short the bridge in TLC was a nice idea but it wouldn't work and you would see the bridge so it's just as bad as the jets. I do have to say the jets were totally unexpected but I guess if it was obvious there was a way out of this it wouldn't be a leap of faith. Still a lot of these problems are distracting and probably could've been handled better. However I really liked this episode and it's message of always trying to be hopeful even when staring down a giant monster. Let's just say with everything that is going on I feel is very appropriate. Stay Strong and Pony On BlueStar Out
I hate "leaps of faith" on a principle. Somnambula had a voice she knew and the feel of the bridge beneath her hooves to guide her, not "hope". The jetstreams were ..... just not good.
That's a good way to look at it, but still: They could use 2 seconds for Pinkie or Daring to notice the vents and see it as "It might work, might not." It would still be a leap of faith but much less random. This is how it could've look like. PP: Look Daring! I think I know how to save Rainbow Dash. (looks at the vents) DD: No, Pinkie. There's no way this is gonna work. PP: Remember the legend about Somnabula? You just have to take a leap of faith. Wee. (jumps into the vents) (the rest is exactly the same as in the episode) It was a decent episode nonetheless, though.
Doc, remember episode 14 of season seven? One of the ponies asked rainbow Dash to recount the time she met Daring Do over a dozen times. Wouldn't that mean that all of Equestria now know she's a real pony and not a work of fiction? I mean by the way Rainbow's fans talk about it in episode 14, it's as though they know the real story of what happened. This doesn't make sense... Could you make a video about it if you don't mind? Or at least, what do you think? Did the public just forget, or did episode 14 take place after episode 18 in the timeline? I don't know, what do you think Dr Wolf?
You were thinking the same thing I said to a friend about the bridge scene. It would have been more fitting for the leap of faith thing if the bridge was unseen. Daring Do and Pinkie are walking across what seems to be air, yet it feels solid underhoof. Daring moves over and tests to see how far over the bridge goes and finds out it's sort of narrow so they'd have to be aware while keeping focused. The vents also seemed off and I got a museum vibe from them. I think with Rainbow being captured, if they had just had her put up some form of a fight it would have helped. Have her kick back one of the badies and move to take off but two of the grunts nearest grab her hind legs and pull her down, overpowering her based on their size and weight. With the doctor's name that I cannot spell to save me, when I first saw him I was like "hey, it's the doctor guy who sells things to demon gods. Now for them to realize it's you based on your failure to make your voice sound different." I figured Daring would have realized it was him given how many times she's run into him. I question how she could have had so many interactions with him and not be able to pinpoint his voice when he's speaking aloud to a crowd while accusing her of crimes she's not committed. She could have at least been a little suspicious of the single pony saying she's done things she hasn't done yet. The ending was very sweet and I enjoyed because of it showing she does care about others and that she may try to be more mindful of those around her while saving the world. ^^ As for the book thing, maybe it's like how some stuff will be available in one country but not another based on whoever's got overall say for what comes in and out of their territory? Possibly like how some anime's that (in my opinion) should get a decent English dub don't and (as far as I know, never researched it) only have the original Japanese dub with English subtitles, while possibly being dubbed in other languages that aren't English. >< Sorry for the long comment ^^;; ~bows politely~
You know, when I heard Daring Do was retiring, I thought it would be because Dash published her being real in the Friendship Journal. The actual cause was more disappointing.
it makes more sense if you fall back on the city state ideal, equestria is not just one nation but a large colection of small ones, a republic similar to america with canterlot at its core, this of course makes celestia less a princess and more an empress but i think we all kinda figured that one out a long time ago.
Am I the only one who got a Temple of Doom vibe with the village? Also, I enjoyed Sonambula's story in the Legends of Magic comic more than I did in this episode.
The odd thing is that Somnambula was the name of a villain back in a two part episode of Generation 1 of MLP. Season 2, episodes 11+12. Which originally aired 30 years ago this week.
on point one: Didn't bother me till you said something, but now: yeah. Also was expecting something more Last Crusade myself on the bridge. Big problem to me was that an old foe stirring up trouble was predictable as soon as the clippings were read.
I think I can take a guess how the next two legends are going to go down. A Health of Information- After Zecora got sick with Swamp Fever, Fluttershy tells Zecora her favorite legend to keep her spirit up about finding a cure. She tells about Mage Meadowbrook and how she used a healing flower to save a zebra village. An Uncommon Bond- Starlight is in the middle between the quarreling Trixie and Discord. She turns to Twilight for advice. It is there that Twilight tells her a story about Starswirl the Bearded and how he and Scorpan became friends. In it, Scorpan felt divided between the ponies and his brother Tirek.
With the distance between this town and the rest of Equestria (it appears to be as far south as the dragonlands, if not farther) - and the fact that their technology varies between "here's a camera / headphones" to "only letters for sending news, it seems perfectly viable that at that distance, selling AK Yearling books where ponies won't buy them is a waste, and that news of Daring Do being a real pony and a nuisance wouldn't travel very far in the areas where the books are sold - BECAUSE everyone thinks she's a character. It's a double edged sword, Daring Do has parts of Equestria where ponies know she's real, but ponies aren't likely to believe anyone. ---- On the other hand! This episode would have been amazing if it connected to the previous episode, with AK quitting because Twilight and RD revealed her identity as the real Daring Do.
Momma Nessy Actually, if you check the episode with the official map, it's west of the Pie Family Rock Farm. Because apparently Southern Equestria is West of Western Equestria.
You know i have a theory that the steam vents were the bridge from from the story, like the vents were supposed to give off enough constant steam that they formed a cloud that only a pegasi could walk on. But they cant make that cloud anymore due to old age.
The ponies from Somnambula Hate Daring Do, because when ever she's around she leaves damages behind and never pays her bills from the hotel inn, like that mare from the hotel inn said, she stays but never pays her bills and couple of bad ponies break in and destroy another rooms, and the apple cart from that old stallion
I love the legend of Somanbula, as it was deeply inspired by Egyptian mythology from her design to the Sphinx and the story been told in hieroglyphics, I am a huge fan of ancient Egypt history and mythology, and I love how Pinkie was portrayed in this episode being the one to inspire Daring Do to never give up and helping her and Rainbow clear her name 9/10 ^^
I agree with you on the scene with the steam vent, it would have been much better like you described, but this is a show aiming at young girls, it was most likely chosen because it looks funny, or goofy
They should make another background ponies episode like In slice of life, but this time it takes place at Canterlot, like moon dancer and her friends try to get tickets for a concert, but every pony in Canterlot are on the rush to get to the concert, upper crust, jet set, Fancypants and Fleur dis Lee in this episode as well
Honestly, I'm just not a big fan of this episode. I originally thought that Daring Do was going to retire because her villains had finally started to read her books, learn her tricks and gain the upper "hoof" over her. But the book series wasn't going to end, the books would instead be handed over to the a long time friend, Twilight Velvet. Who, on her blind bag trading card is described as "loves writing stories!" and was implied to be the author of the Daring Do books in the comic "Neigh Anything", Issue 12. Rainbow Dash, infuriated that nopony else but AK could write a Daring Do book would go to confront Twilight Velvet. Ak Yearling, Pinkie Pie, Velvet and (near the end Sparkle) would show that Velvet was once a brave adventuring pony and understands the lifestyle (as a reference to the G1 pony she's based on) and will still be true to the "Daring Do" lore and Rainbow Dash can come consult on the writing. AK is safe to fight another day, her villains are duped, Rainbow is content, and Twilight Velvet's comic book canon is brought into the show's canon.
I think that one story of Sonnambula may tie into what happened during the rescue mission. I can imagine if Daring Do was revealed in the world of Equestria.
Wonder if anyone realizes that the name Sonambula goes way back to the original MLP series, G1. She was a witch or something that hypnotized the ponies and made them turn old, one of the better G1 two-part stories.
I agree interlay, the premise it's a bit of a stretch, especially wean delivery ponies drop off a new apple cart at the end. I think they went with the stem vents because that thought everyone would expect the invisible bridge.
Has anyone else here read “Little Lost Raichu”, a Pokémon crossover? I was really amazed at how the author really shifted away from the canon timeline during that arc, by having Quibble get to Yearling first, and RD and PP having to catch up to them and the Raichu.
9:49 I agree with that but maybe there is a portal that no one can see except daring do that leads to an alternate universe, it would explain the similarities between daring do and rainbow dash and maybe between moondancer and twilight. But it is just a theory, a mlp theoy
I did have a problem at first with the partition between Daring Do and Yearling. Then I remembered that there was already an indication that the continents of Equestria (the planet) have almost no contact with each other. Bear in mind that apparently you have to be a great scholar to even have heard of Zebrica and the Zebras. And I can see a reason why there isn't a lot of traffic. The oceans and the air outside of well settled areas are filled with giant magical predators. Rarity, Applejack and Pinkie couldn't even go on a brief coastal excursion without running into a sea monster. It helps explain why the inhabitants of Equestria (the nation) think that Daring Do books are total fantasy. They're barely aware that South Equestria even exists. To them it's terra incognita and the books are like adventure novels written in Japan in the 18th century about someone who fights bad guys in Canada. So far as they know it's impossible for A.K. Yearling to actually know anything specific about South Equestria. Equestria (the planet) has never had an Age of Exploration. There are even chunks of North Equestria that aren't very well known to them. Which raises of course another riddle. How does Yearling get to South Equestria? And even more so...how does Pinkie? This doesn't seem to be a case where Pinkie used her reality warping power. That only works when it's funny and this wasn't. They didn't carry her there. I'm guessing Yearling's first discovery of an ancient relic of vast power is some kind of shortcut to South Equestria (which is their equivalent of South America...only with Egypt added to it for more relic-hunting love).
I agree about the steam vents and I expected something like the bridge from Indiana Jones or we could have even had a purely invisible bridge, we did see an invisibility spell at the end of season 6, because steam vents propelling a pony really. A Pegasus maybe but Pinkie is an Earth Pony don't they usually have a denser body mass. Thank you Doc for pointing something out that I initially dismissed keep giving viewers more food for thought.
Actually there is only one left Dr.Wolf. The characters brought up in the show that were in Legends of Magic was Starswirl, Rockhoof, Mistmane, Flash Magnus, and Somnabula. The last one is Mage Meadowbrook.
I agree with you about the steam vents/bridge issue, Doc. And Rainbow gets captured way too easy (even in the comics). It's like she can't remember she can fly around/over all those earth ponies.
I think an invisible bridge would be too obvious, I was absolutely expecting it. Though granted, the steam vents doesn't really solve that as it goes from predictable to just plain unimaginative.
The south end of Equestria they went to is way past the Bad Lands. Also, as a parody of Indiana Jones, it's the same as how he was known as Indiana in some parts of the world and as a glasses wearing professor back home, publishing his work in scholarly journals and donating (selling?) artifacts he "found" to museums to keep them out of the grubby hands of private collectors.
To be fair, the mane six's exploits seldom seem to leave Ponyville, and Quibble Pants had a hard time believing Daring Do was entirely real. It's very much possible that A. K. never wrote published her stories there, or they were banned from the village (like how some religious factions banned Harry Potter for supposedly being satanic). Aside from the "Leap of Fate" rehash from "Feeling Pinkie Keen" and the obviousness of Caballeron as the villain, I quite like this episode. It's not the strongest written, but after over a month of below average writing, anything that seems to at least have some sembelence of quality is greatly welcomed.
Well Sounthern Equestria seems pretty isolated in a middle of the desert and this isn't a modern world with easy communication even if people can travel if they want to. I assume the newspapers are local based on what we have seen for example: Maybe some Daring Do books arrived at the local library but they were dismissed as propaganda (and I have the feeling A.K adds some things otherwise the adventures would be articles not book length) so the books story stopped selling them before relevant adventures to this story.
Bearing in mind this episode was accidentally leaked about a week ago, I was kind of expecting something worse than a pony forced to pull an "I Am Spiderman No More" because of some collateral damage.
I had to the map with AK hearing existing in the northern part of the EQuestria and daring do is considered fiction and the southern part is vice versa is really something I can't stop scratching my head because what's the point of keeping her daring to secret it almost everyone else knows about her by reading her books and stuff. Still it's really nice the way the made the moral of the story about not losing hope.
I found the vent bridge to be very plausible due to the "telephone game" concept of verbally handed down legends. Anything within a legend could be open to interpretation
I don't know. I think maybe that 'Indiana Jones, Leap of Faith' bridge was included at the script at one point, and then, for whatever reason, was forcibly written out.
Yeah, these "for the plot only" things... Being captured by Caballeron's goons while being the fastest pegasus alive? In the middle of the city, near ruined Somnambula's statue (which even in rubble is still important to ponies living here) and nopony saw the kidnapping but Daring Do and Pinkie? I don't buy it. It would make more sense if after "breaking" Daring's spirit, Cab ran away into a darker alley and Rainbow would fly after him to get answers. She wouldn't even think that's a trap. And the part in the pyramid. I agree, invisible bridge forcing you to take a leap of faith, just like Somnambula, would have more sense.
Quick question for you, Doc. Did you know who the hooded pony was from the beginning? It took _me_ a little while but I did figure it out way before the reveal
Also, two new characters left to explore? They already put out the latest this week, so it's just the mare with the witch doctor hat left. They might just make a Equestria Girls side-series after Legends of Magic ends if anything.
I am waiting for the episode where Daring Do's secret gets out and half of Equestria feels outraged that they have been lied to and the other half realise how much danger they have been in without knowing it and praise Daring Do for saveing them
They should do a similar story like this but with another character. It would be interesting to give Starlight a pony who refuses to forgive her for her past actions and wants to ruin her hero status in order to insure that Starlight is "punished" for her past crimes. Celestia would even be a great idea because I'm sure over the years her constant defeats/kidnappings/stone imprisonments/inactive actions would have gotten many ponies to think she is no longer worthy of her crown. Surely some might freak out if they found out that she ignored warnings over the royal wedding or chose not to aid during Discord and Sombra's return.
I totally thought they were gonna go with an invisible bridge like in Indiana Jones and the last crusade too. That would've been way better than fricking steam vents.
While I did enjoy the episode I too have a suspension of disbelief. The steam vents, the fact South Equestria has no idea about the books, and the one that hit me the most strangely with Rainbow Dash getting capture. I don't know why I'm overthinking that part over everything else, but in one episode she is capable of flying fast enough to break the sound barrier so she could have easily gotten away, or taking on an army of changelings only to get captured by a few thugs because he story demands it. Her friends weren't so quick to help her either, they literally could of just rand up and started throwing punches. And there I go over analyzing again. Jeez I get what your saying this whole episode just kinda seems to jump the shark a bit. Or in this case bubbling green slime, or acid, or lets just mutant melted jello because I'm not sure entirely what to think of this episode. I enjoyed it but I feel it could have been executed better.
It would be awesome to see Starswirl in the show some other way than just when they read some history... But I don't think it's going to happen but still that is one thin I wanna see.. And I agree with you about this episode...
Yeah, the last third really kinda drags it down. Suspension of Disbelief is like driving a crane: there's only so much it can bear before everything comes crashing down.
the only way I can think of this whole thing about one area knowing Daring Do and not A. K. Yearling and the other are being the other way around is if we were to assume that Northern and Southern Equestria don't really mingle that much. I mean, with everywhere that the Mane 6 have gone, it seems areas like what we've seen here as "Southern Equestria" have just about never shown up in them. I don't think it'd be much of a stretch to simply believe most ponies stick to their half of the country.
Moral of the story: when your favourite book author/ hero wants to quit writing books, stalk him or her immediatley and annoy him or her until he or she gives in to write more of your favourite stories and never give a crap, that he or she might be happy to quit writing /to have dangerous adventures to explore other stuff or simply enjoy a calm life in wealth
In relation to the leap of faith, I doubt that there wasn't anyone of a post-teens that didn't see The Last Crusade reference and was expecting the invisible bridge, so instead ask, how many expected the vents... I was personally surprised and amused, also it looked hilariously adorable. On a technical level, could they have had a flexible, stretchy, invisible bridge between the sinking platform and the start without making up some magical aspect nonsense without explanation of some fictitious material? As for explanation of the vents, who's to say that the legend has changed and it was a path you could not see and was always the steam bridge, after all many forgot Luna and nightmare moon believing them only fiction, so the legend could simply have been "a bridge she could not see" not that she was necessarily blind folded. Could have been fan service to enable fans to right up their iterations of what actually happened regarding the legends of magic, in a manner that in a sense comes with some dirt...
You're not overthinking things Doc. I had the same "Oh please" reaction when I saw the steam vents. I was genuinely looking forward to how they would get to RD, and then... what a letdown. I wouldn't say the episode was awful, but I won't be coming back to it any time soon.
if you tie the Mane 6 to the mythos represented in "their" episodes you get: Applejack and Rockhoof Rarity and Mistmane Rainbow Dash and Flash Magnus and... Pinkie Pie and Somnambula. That last one is a bit of a stretch, but i can sort of see Somnambula and Pinkie as both giving ponies who are both optimist. But also, with Somnambula as a pegasus, it brings to my mind Surprise. IF thats the case, then the next one should be Fluttershy with Meadowbrook, and finally Twilight with Starswirl the Bearded.
The ancient Egyptian atmosphere is what sold me to see this episode. I've been into Egyptology for years. And RD's concern about AK's retirement sounded more like she's worried that AK wasn't gonna write the "Daring Do" books anymore and not for AK herself. Is it just the books RD likes, or is there more to this? My theory is that RD has self-esteem and convenience issues, as well as a lot of self-doubt, even though she's act like a narcissist and all that and a bag of chips in front of others, but this is just mask she wears so others won't see her as weak. Where do the "Daring Do" books come in? Simple: RD sees herself as Daring Do, or, to be more specific, Daring Do is the image of what RD wants to be, but she lacks those qualities due to her own lack of confidence in herself. And that's why she reads the books: they're a coping mechanism. When RD gets wind of AK retiring from writing the books, she panics like she's losing a loved one or part of herself. Knowing that the books will be discontinued, RD won't be able to get the confidence and ego boosts she relies on now. That's just my take on it, anyways. ^^
They knew about Daring Do only because of Cabaleron. They didn't know about her before. Also i never saw any communcation dvices in Equestria. So some parts don't have to know what is happening in more devloped parts of Equestria.
Daring Done with Somnambula's prequel should have been better if those steam vents were established early on, & back in the now DD & PP should've made things easier for them, & jumped from the sides instead of making the long gap to RD, then use either the steam vents to push them back up, or jump back to the sides. We still have Mage Meadowbrook to look forward to this September.
Actually, I'm not at all surprised that some parts of Equestria don't know about the Daring Do books. After all, there are many unspoken parts of that world that didn't know all the alicorn princesses, or know about how Griffinstone collapsed, and even some ponies that apparently lived under a rock and forgot that the Elements of Harmony were a thing.
I can somewhat forgive more of the predictable elements in the episode, mostly the mythology/cultural nerd in me just appreciated the new change of scenery as well as the Sphinx so freaking much! I was hooked by this new area and the new world building. For that I am willing to see past the more...questionable things.
I think you are right, if one or more of the henchponies were use to spread the rumors I could believe that. Speaking of henchpoines, why didn't one of them use a net to throw over Rainbow Dash? Also, where were the town ponies when Rainbow Dash was being taken away? Why was only Darning Doo and Pinkie Pie on the streets. Why steam vents at all? I think a drainage pipes for the green stuff would have been better.
The fact that A.K. Yearling is Daring Do never really bugged me. The thought of her only selling her books to areas where she herself lived as apposed to where her adventures take her makes sense to me as well, since they don't see her as A.K. Yearling but as Daring Do. And the legend of Somnambula is also really interesting to me, but there's a part of me that thinks the steam vents in the pyramid were what kept the bridge up, since we didn't see anything that was even close to any suspension ropes, and she did have to take a leap in order to actually step on the bridge safely. All in all I thought the episode was good. I still watch it and enjoy it.
I agree, I think an invisible bridge would have made the story better. And If Caballeron had some part of the pyramid on him or a talisman from The Sphinx that would prevent Rainbowdash from flying away i think it'd be more believable. But still a good episode. I think that the swap of fiction and Reality of Daring Doo is a regional thing. Like There's a great divide in the nation. The south doesn't look like it can afford all the fancy pleasantries of the north as they have all these great dangers that Daring Doo faces on a regular bases but hides out under an alias up North where its a bit safer or rather is an area where problems can be solved much quicker than in others, Like the Maine Six. It could be just the opposite and the South is much safer because their isn't any Big Bad's except the ones Daring Doo Fights and she's the local hero. While as Up North you have Parasprites, Timberwolves, Manticore's, Giant Sea Serpents, and then the occasional Overthrow of the Rulers. Appleloosa might also Know of Daring Doo's exploits but not her Author Persona. They are a more work oriented town with Physical activities not a lot might read in the town as it isn't as popular as it would be up north.
It does make sense that some parts of Equestria don't know about the Daring Do books but do know about the real Daring Do because Equestria doesn't have mass media like we do so more remote parts of Equestria would naturally be less aware of otherwise commonly know things in central Equestria. The Hoofields and MaColts didn't know about Twilight being the forth Princess of Equestria for example. Plus Darling Do seems to operate primarily is the more remote areas of Equestria so ponies would have seen her in person whereas ponies in Canterlot would obviously never see the real Daring Do on one of her adventures given the lack of ancient temples and presence of the Mane 6 to deal with evil.
I think the reason why nobody where she's at know her cuz if they did they would probably try to get her autograph and probably blow her cover saying hey it's derring-do making it harder to do her job and her and making her private life difficult. specially for the bad guys would try to use this against her more often and if her books were sold there I think the bad guys we try to squeeze it out much information to use for future events.
I agree with you on the whole different parts of Equestria having different views of AK Yearling/Daring Do, aren't they supposed to be part of the same country?
Notes From Alexis Not all news travels around evenly. Plus not all books get sold everywhere. So having a place where people don't know her book is very possible and people not knowing DD is real is also very possible. Plus we don't know how much she alters her books so her book could be much further off to reality then we think.
Well, more of a collection of tribes, but at least the center seems homogeneous. I am going to assume so-far unexplored areas will have exactly the properties the show writers need for their next story.
Southern Equestria having a different perspective didn't seem immersion-breaking to me because on the one hand it just reminded me of how I could go to my close friends (who are quite sociable and well connected) and talk about well known pony or Star Trek stuff and they'd say something like "Oh? Well I had no idea. That's not how I heard it. Oh well, back to stuff I care about" even though thousands and thousands of people know these things and spend a tonne of money on related merchandise. On the other hand there's actually no ponynet in Equestria (and even Equestria proper can be easily thought of being a pretty huge place) and we've only been shown one town in the south so we don't know how cosmopolitan the region is, making it seem like there's a lot of insularity where ponies just have their own lives in their own towns. And even though, as Fatmanfalling suggested irately, there must be ponies travelling north and south, the volume of traffic just might not be extensive enough that anypony has ever (yet) flipped out on a southerner for having a different view of Daring Do. Even when Rainbow Dash lost her mind at Starlight not knowing what a wonderbolt was, we weren't given any indication that Rainbow proceeded to bring Glimmy up to speed. Long rant short, other groups of people having an entirely different view about something that seems really big, a view which conflicts with how I thought things were, is realistic to me. But uh, aside from that, all the other complaints about the episode are unarguable. :p
well, if Equestria had no idea what was happening in the Griffon city, and the common ponies have no idea what a zebra is, we can see that Equestria doesn't have the same level of awareness than in the real world.
I would have loved an illusion by the Sphinx too :3
I know nothing concerning the production of this episode, but part of me wonders if, with the steam vents, the creators were trying to create a kind of compromise by which they could fuse two ideas. Like, making one think of the bridge in Indiana Jones while ALSO giving a call back to Feeling Pinkie Keen. After all, it is Pinkie who suggests the leap to Daring Do in this episode, just as she did for Twilight in feeling Pinkie Keen. And while it did not end with Pinkie and Daring Do bouncing off a bubble and a couple of rock platforms, it did look the beginning there that they were leaping into a situation where the only possible outcome was demise, only to be saved by something unexpected and, frankly, unrealistic. I thought the steam vents were goofy myself, but they do lead me to wonder about the above-listed ideas.
If 'Read it and Weep' was 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' of the Daring Do stories, and 'Daring Don't' was 'Temple of Doom' and 'Stranger than Fanfiction' was 'The Last Crusade', does this make this episode, 'Daring Done', the 'Kingdom of the Crystal Skull' of that lineup?
That does line up pretty well with my own opinions of each episode.
I see what you did there...and I agree.
Maybe, but "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" got overshadowed by a lot of really bad elements, namely how old Indiana looked now, and the infamous riding out a nuke in a fridge scene.
And having Shia Labeouf as a son.
Is it infamous because there was no way a /fridge/ would survive a nuclear explosion?
And yeah, Crystal Skull had a lot of potential. I didn't particularly mind Indy being old either. It was... Kinda weird and kept flipping back and forth.
2:08 what I found interesting is the mention of those sister crowns and how one was going to bed used to bring eternal night.
Interesting little connection there, init? Could it be hinting that Celestia and Luna's bonds to the Sun and Moon is linked in some way with this legend? Could they have gained their marks through this somehow?
I do like the lore the mlp staff are giving us to chew on
Am I the only one who realizes that that those steam vents WERE the bridge? u mean, seriously, it's not hard to pick up on. I mean, the legend said it was a bridge, so everyone assumed it was a rope bridge, when in reality it was a bridge of steam
First, it was a stone bridge in the legend - as shown in the images - so they didn't know to not expect that. Second, the problem is that they just found it a little TOO silly to swallow - which is a personal opinion more than a critical one; you either like this episode for its ingenuity and themes, or you don't because it's a little far on the side of camp for you.
No, Joseph is right. The legend showed us a solid bridge but that's what the _characters hearing the story imagined while hearing it._ That's why the "leap of faith" was so emphasized. That's why it was actually a challenge from the Sphinx.
If it was just an actual physical bridge in the legend, all Sonambula ever would have had to do was gently place a hoof forward, feel there was something solid in front of her, and walk. That's not a challenge. She _had_ to leap because the "bridge" required that. Had she just walked, she probably would have fallen in, and had she not moved due to not feeling anything in front of her she would have failed. The Sphinx was testing her by making her cross despite the lack of bridge, and the story was altered both by Sonambula not seeing what saved her and by being retold over the years.
I was not disputing that - just pointing out that to Dr Wolf and others, it was too absurd to accept even WITH the fact that it's a Daring Do story at play. Whatever you or I might think - I was less upset with the Leap of Faith, and more with Calleberon's convenient gloating derailing his plan (plus Rainbow Dash not even TRYING to fight and just passively being captured!) - that doesn't change that for other people it doesn't work.
You have to accept that not everyone likes the same kind of stories you like, in many different ways (like tonally) and move on; all the rationalising in the world won't change that for them.
I, on the other hand, disputes it.
The only one focusing on a Leap of Faith is Pinkie, the general focus is on Hope ..... which may be better or worse depending on how one looks at it .... and even though the two are similar, they are not entirely the same.
Also, there were no comment on leaping onto the bridge in the legend, but there were a note in being guided by the voice of the captured; both being unfitting for the option that the bridge would have been coordinated jetsteams.
The legend would have been different if the bridge indeed had been jetstreams.
The legend emphasized "She took a leap of faith" which was why Pinkie echoed it, and having characters incorrectly imagine things when hearing a story only to get the correct version later is an increasingly common storytelling device but I mean. When there's a perfectly viable alternate interpretation that makes it more interesting and you want to choose to take it the way that you don't like instead, I guess that's your right.
It really isn't that hard to believe there's an area of EQ that doesn't know A.K. Yearling. There's lots of books/T.V. shows irl that are hugely popular yet people still exist who have never heard of them or the author. Heck other countries have sports that are ultra popular there but in other parts of the world the sports are completely unheard of. Granted these aren't exactly the same thing as A.K.'s whole deal, but really, just say this village/town is super far away from other towns and doesn't trade with other towns either, then it isn't that unbelievable. Just because there was a Daring Do convention doesn't mean EVERYONE knows who A.K. or Daring Do is. Hell, i'm sure before they were w]made into movies, many people probably didn't know J.K. Rowling or Harry Potter.
//Raises hand sheepishly// I'll confess to not know J.K Rowling before the movies... or even Harry Potter for that matter.
And if they knew A. K. yearling how would that help? They didn't even knew there was some Daring Do before Cabaleron told them. They didn't even know she saved their city. They could have been thinking she is some mare playing on Daring Do destroying statues and stealing neckleces.
8/10 Pinkie wasn't annoying, Dashie was adorable and not written badly. Only thing I didn't like was the obvious twist, but with this being a kids show, I can accept it.
blaa6 Yeah. Pinky was surprisingly "tame" in this episode all things considered. I don't usually have a problem whenever she goes full off the wall insane, but it is pretty interesting whenever she is a bit more restrained in her wacky-ness and just straight up tries to be supportive through her words and not her smile inducing antics.
"Daring Do can fly, yet I've never seen her uses her wings."
"They could be useful to get out of trouble."
I'm just glad we now have a show-official Sphinx design. It's a great design, with the dark-maroon color, paws that are in a similar shape to the hooves of the ponies, the canine teeth, the fluffy ears, the slinted eyes, the lionesqe tail, the large wings, even the cloths and head-wear the Sphinx was wearing made it look great. I also like the fact that the Sphinx had magic at its disposal.
I see your point. It didn't really make me hate the episode, but I do agree that it's a bit a lot to take in. It's just that I never really take Daring Do stories too seriously to begin with. I know they're supposed to be over the top and I just roll with it.
Is this a metaphorical dynamic for how J.K Rowling quit Harry Potter?
Richard Dong you mean her going completely crazy after the elections? Yeah I totally see that
No, J.K. quit when she was done with the story
Yeah. Why the search for controversy. Sometimes a spoon is just a spoon.
Richard Dong exactly
J K hasn't quit Potter though seeing as there is pottermore.com AND Fantastic Beasts. Even if there weren't, she had finished the story she was intending to write, so it still wouldn't have been quitting. There is a big difference between finishing the story you intended to tell and just quitting part way through.
I got the feeling that we've finally got a Starswirl episode coming up.
they should make an episode where Trixe, Starlight, ember, thorax, spike and the mane 6 perform a magic show in Canterlot, or Las Pegasus, but Trixe is having a hard time to be ready for the big night of her show, so starlight, ember, thorax, spike and the mane 6 tries to help her, would that be a great idea for an episode
Too many characters for one episode, but otherwise a good idea. Perhaps if it were just Twilight, Starlight and Trixie it would work.
Bud Charles I guess I just wish Ember is shown often in season 7 but she still appear in season 8 in 2018
am I the only one who said FINALLY when pinkie said that Fillydelphia got rid off the parasprites? I mean that happened in season 1 and we are now in season 7. Thats like 2 or 3 years
FinalEnix
Fillydelphia never had a parasprite infestation in Season 1. It was IMPLIED that they did if only because Ponyville had just had parasprites, but it was never stated outright to be parasprites.
Thats correct but now that Pinkie said so means that the implacation had become fact.
The implication I took away was that the vents were always the bridge, and the solid bridge we saw before was just what the characters hearing the story imagined while hearing it. That's why the "leap of faith" was so emphasized. That's why it was actually a challenge from the Sphinx.
If it was just an actual physical bridge in the legend, all Sonambula ever would have had to do was gently place a hoof forward, feel there was something solid in front of her, and walk. That's not a challenge. She had to leap because the "bridge" required that. Had she just walked, she probably would have fallen in, and had she not moved due to not feeling anything in front of her she would have failed. The Sphinx was testing her by making her cross despite the lack of bridge, and the story was altered both by Sonambula not seeing what saved her and by being retold over the years.
I'm still suprised Daring Doo wasn't upset about the whole Friendship journal thing.
They should make an episode where Trxie's family come to ponyville to see her best friend Starlight and the mane 6, would that be a good episode?
I believe its fanon that Screws Loose, the crazy barking pony is Trixie's mom.
Hmm I do have to say there are some obvious problems but over all I like this episode, because I really liked what it was trying to do.
If someone told you that they saw the Mane 6 and they were real would you believe them? There are also some places that are pretty remote and might never have heard of AK Yearling
I do have to say long story short the bridge in TLC was a nice idea but it wouldn't work and you would see the bridge so it's just as bad as the jets.
I do have to say the jets were totally unexpected but I guess if it was obvious there was a way out of this it wouldn't be a leap of faith.
Still a lot of these problems are distracting and probably could've been handled better. However I really liked this episode and it's message of always trying to be hopeful even when staring down a giant monster. Let's just say with everything that is going on I feel is very appropriate.
Stay Strong and Pony On
BlueStar Out
I hate "leaps of faith" on a principle. Somnambula had a voice she knew and the feel of the bridge beneath her hooves to guide her, not "hope". The jetstreams were ..... just not good.
So it’s problem is that it does that unrealistic guy leaps in front of a moving train and dodges it thing
or maybe the steam vents were the bridge . who know she ways blindfolded
That's a good way to look at it, but still: They could use 2 seconds for Pinkie or Daring to notice the vents and see it as "It might work, might not." It would still be a leap of faith but much less random.
This is how it could've look like.
PP: Look Daring! I think I know how to save Rainbow Dash. (looks at the vents)
DD: No, Pinkie. There's no way this is gonna work.
PP: Remember the legend about Somnabula? You just have to take a leap of faith. Wee. (jumps into the vents)
(the rest is exactly the same as in the episode)
It was a decent episode nonetheless, though.
Doc, remember episode 14 of season seven? One of the ponies asked rainbow Dash to recount the time she met Daring Do over a dozen times. Wouldn't that mean that all of Equestria now know she's a real pony and not a work of fiction? I mean by the way Rainbow's fans talk about it in episode 14, it's as though they know the real story of what happened. This doesn't make sense... Could you make a video about it if you don't mind? Or at least, what do you think? Did the public just forget, or did episode 14 take place after episode 18 in the timeline? I don't know, what do you think Dr Wolf?
I think different information travels at different rates...
I'm looking forward on a Starswirl the bearded episode that has some relation to twilight. What do you think of that kind of episode doc?
You were thinking the same thing I said to a friend about the bridge scene. It would have been more fitting for the leap of faith thing if the bridge was unseen. Daring Do and Pinkie are walking across what seems to be air, yet it feels solid underhoof. Daring moves over and tests to see how far over the bridge goes and finds out it's sort of narrow so they'd have to be aware while keeping focused. The vents also seemed off and I got a museum vibe from them.
I think with Rainbow being captured, if they had just had her put up some form of a fight it would have helped. Have her kick back one of the badies and move to take off but two of the grunts nearest grab her hind legs and pull her down, overpowering her based on their size and weight.
With the doctor's name that I cannot spell to save me, when I first saw him I was like "hey, it's the doctor guy who sells things to demon gods. Now for them to realize it's you based on your failure to make your voice sound different." I figured Daring would have realized it was him given how many times she's run into him. I question how she could have had so many interactions with him and not be able to pinpoint his voice when he's speaking aloud to a crowd while accusing her of crimes she's not committed. She could have at least been a little suspicious of the single pony saying she's done things she hasn't done yet.
The ending was very sweet and I enjoyed because of it showing she does care about others and that she may try to be more mindful of those around her while saving the world. ^^ As for the book thing, maybe it's like how some stuff will be available in one country but not another based on whoever's got overall say for what comes in and out of their territory? Possibly like how some anime's that (in my opinion) should get a decent English dub don't and (as far as I know, never researched it) only have the original Japanese dub with English subtitles, while possibly being dubbed in other languages that aren't English. ><
Sorry for the long comment ^^;; ~bows politely~
You know, when I heard Daring Do was retiring, I thought it would be because Dash published her being real in the Friendship Journal. The actual cause was more disappointing.
it makes more sense if you fall back on the city state ideal, equestria is not just one nation but a large colection of small ones, a republic similar to america with canterlot at its core, this of course makes celestia less a princess and more an empress but i think we all kinda figured that one out a long time ago.
Am I the only one who got a Temple of Doom vibe with the village? Also, I enjoyed Sonambula's story in the Legends of Magic comic more than I did in this episode.
The odd thing is that Somnambula was the name of a villain back in a two part episode of Generation 1 of MLP.
Season 2, episodes 11+12. Which originally aired 30 years ago this week.
on point one: Didn't bother me till you said something, but now: yeah. Also was expecting something more Last Crusade myself on the bridge. Big problem to me was that an old foe stirring up trouble was predictable as soon as the clippings were read.
Dr. Wolf, remember the MST3K mantra: It's just a show, sit back and relax.
I think I can take a guess how the next two legends are going to go down.
A Health of Information- After Zecora got sick with Swamp Fever, Fluttershy tells Zecora her favorite legend to keep her spirit up about finding a cure. She tells about Mage Meadowbrook and how she used a healing flower to save a zebra village.
An Uncommon Bond- Starlight is in the middle between the quarreling Trixie and Discord. She turns to Twilight for advice. It is there that Twilight tells her a story about Starswirl the Bearded and how he and Scorpan became friends. In it, Scorpan felt divided between the ponies and his brother Tirek.
Yeah, it didn't take me long to figure out that the pony in the light brown cloak was Caballeron.
Maybe all these episodes about legends are leading up to a big Starswirl reveal?
I reallyyy hope that happens... The possibilities! (im starting to sound like Dr. Wolf. Great.)
With the distance between this town and the rest of Equestria (it appears to be as far south as the dragonlands, if not farther) - and the fact that their technology varies between "here's a camera / headphones" to "only letters for sending news, it seems perfectly viable that at that distance, selling AK Yearling books where ponies won't buy them is a waste, and that news of Daring Do being a real pony and a nuisance wouldn't travel very far in the areas where the books are sold - BECAUSE everyone thinks she's a character.
It's a double edged sword, Daring Do has parts of Equestria where ponies know she's real, but ponies aren't likely to believe anyone.
----
On the other hand! This episode would have been amazing if it connected to the previous episode, with AK quitting because Twilight and RD revealed her identity as the real Daring Do.
Momma Nessy
Actually, if you check the episode with the official map, it's west of the Pie Family Rock Farm. Because apparently Southern Equestria is West of Western Equestria.
You know i have a theory that the steam vents were the bridge from from the story, like the vents were supposed to give off enough constant steam that they formed a cloud that only a pegasi could walk on. But they cant make that cloud anymore due to old age.
The ponies from Somnambula Hate Daring Do, because when ever she's around she leaves damages behind and never pays her bills from the hotel inn, like that mare from the hotel inn said, she stays but never pays her bills and couple of bad ponies break in and destroy another rooms, and the apple cart from that old stallion
I love the legend of Somanbula, as it was deeply inspired by Egyptian mythology from her design to the Sphinx and the story been told in hieroglyphics, I am a huge fan of ancient Egypt history and mythology, and I love how Pinkie was portrayed in this episode being the one to inspire Daring Do to never give up and helping her and Rainbow clear her name 9/10 ^^
Still wanting to know more about Somnabula. She has two spells in show that she apparently made which indicates she became an alicorn at some point.
I agree with you on the scene with the steam vent, it would have been much better like you described, but this is a show aiming at young girls, it was most likely chosen because it looks funny, or goofy
Thinking of ways to create ideas for an MLP video game. Steam vents that you bounce on... and acid lava pits.
They should make another background ponies episode like In slice of life, but this time it takes place at Canterlot, like moon dancer and her friends try to get tickets for a concert, but every pony in Canterlot are on the rush to get to the concert, upper crust, jet set, Fancypants and Fleur dis Lee in this episode as well
Honestly, I'm just not a big fan of this episode.
I originally thought that Daring Do was going to retire because her villains had finally started to read her books, learn her tricks and gain the upper "hoof" over her. But the book series wasn't going to end, the books would instead be handed over to the a long time friend, Twilight Velvet. Who, on her blind bag trading card is described as "loves writing stories!" and was implied to be the author of the Daring Do books in the comic "Neigh Anything", Issue 12.
Rainbow Dash, infuriated that nopony else but AK could write a Daring Do book would go to confront Twilight Velvet. Ak Yearling, Pinkie Pie, Velvet and (near the end Sparkle) would show that Velvet was once a brave adventuring pony and understands the lifestyle (as a reference to the G1 pony she's based on) and will still be true to the "Daring Do" lore and Rainbow Dash can come consult on the writing.
AK is safe to fight another day, her villains are duped, Rainbow is content, and Twilight Velvet's comic book canon is brought into the show's canon.
Remington
So... you dislike it because it doesn't match a fanfiction you wrote about it in your head? That's a bit silly.
We believe Mage Meadowbrook will make an appearance on the Fluttershy episode "A Health of Information".
I think that one story of Sonnambula may tie into what happened during the rescue mission. I can imagine if Daring Do was revealed in the world of Equestria.
In the words from the documentary Wrestling isn't Wrestling, "Hang on to your suspension of disbelief because it's about to take a ing beating."
Wonder if anyone realizes that the name Sonambula goes way back to the original MLP series, G1. She was a witch or something that hypnotized the ponies and made them turn old, one of the better G1 two-part stories.
I agree interlay, the premise it's a bit of a stretch, especially wean delivery ponies drop off a new apple cart at the end. I think they went with the stem vents because that thought everyone would expect the invisible bridge.
In Equestria, there is no logic, only chaos.
Has anyone else here read “Little Lost Raichu”, a Pokémon crossover? I was really amazed at how the author really shifted away from the canon timeline during that arc, by having Quibble get to Yearling first, and RD and PP having to catch up to them and the Raichu.
9:49 I agree with that but maybe there is a portal that no one can see except daring do that leads to an alternate universe, it would explain the similarities between daring do and rainbow dash and maybe between moondancer and twilight. But it is just a theory, a mlp theoy
Loved the episode a lot I like learning about Egypt so much
I did have a problem at first with the partition between Daring Do and Yearling. Then I remembered that there was already an indication that the continents of Equestria (the planet) have almost no contact with each other. Bear in mind that apparently you have to be a great scholar to even have heard of Zebrica and the Zebras. And I can see a reason why there isn't a lot of traffic. The oceans and the air outside of well settled areas are filled with giant magical predators. Rarity, Applejack and Pinkie couldn't even go on a brief coastal excursion without running into a sea monster. It helps explain why the inhabitants of Equestria (the nation) think that Daring Do books are total fantasy. They're barely aware that South Equestria even exists. To them it's terra incognita and the books are like adventure novels written in Japan in the 18th century about someone who fights bad guys in Canada. So far as they know it's impossible for A.K. Yearling to actually know anything specific about South Equestria. Equestria (the planet) has never had an Age of Exploration. There are even chunks of North Equestria that aren't very well known to them.
Which raises of course another riddle. How does Yearling get to South Equestria? And even more so...how does Pinkie? This doesn't seem to be a case where Pinkie used her reality warping power. That only works when it's funny and this wasn't. They didn't carry her there. I'm guessing Yearling's first discovery of an ancient relic of vast power is some kind of shortcut to South Equestria (which is their equivalent of South America...only with Egypt added to it for more relic-hunting love).
I think this is the only time I have ever thought you were NOT overthinking the episode. This episode really jumped the shark.
I agree about the steam vents and I expected something like the bridge from Indiana Jones or we could have even had a purely invisible bridge, we did see an invisibility spell at the end of season 6, because steam vents propelling a pony really. A Pegasus maybe but Pinkie is an Earth Pony don't they usually have a denser body mass.
Thank you Doc for pointing something out that I initially dismissed keep giving viewers more food for thought.
Actually there is only one left Dr.Wolf. The characters brought up in the show that were in Legends of Magic was Starswirl, Rockhoof, Mistmane, Flash Magnus, and Somnabula. The last one is Mage Meadowbrook.
I agree with you about the steam vents/bridge issue, Doc. And Rainbow gets captured way too easy (even in the comics). It's like she can't remember she can fly around/over all those earth ponies.
I think an invisible bridge would be too obvious, I was absolutely expecting it. Though granted, the steam vents doesn't really solve that as it goes from predictable to just plain unimaginative.
The south end of Equestria they went to is way past the Bad Lands. Also, as a parody of Indiana Jones, it's the same as how he was known as Indiana in some parts of the world and as a glasses wearing professor back home, publishing his work in scholarly journals and donating (selling?) artifacts he "found" to museums to keep them out of the grubby hands of private collectors.
To be fair, the mane six's exploits seldom seem to leave Ponyville, and Quibble Pants had a hard time believing Daring Do was entirely real. It's very much possible that A. K. never wrote published her stories there, or they were banned from the village (like how some religious factions banned Harry Potter for supposedly being satanic).
Aside from the "Leap of Fate" rehash from "Feeling Pinkie Keen" and the obviousness of Caballeron as the villain, I quite like this episode. It's not the strongest written, but after over a month of below average writing, anything that seems to at least have some sembelence of quality is greatly welcomed.
Well Sounthern Equestria seems pretty isolated in a middle of the desert and this isn't a modern world with easy communication even if people can travel if they want to. I assume the newspapers are local based on what we have seen for example: Maybe some Daring Do books arrived at the local library but they were dismissed as propaganda (and I have the feeling A.K adds some things otherwise the adventures would be articles not book length) so the books story stopped selling them before relevant adventures to this story.
Bearing in mind this episode was accidentally leaked about a week ago, I was kind of expecting something worse than a pony forced to pull an "I Am Spiderman No More" because of some collateral damage.
I had to the map with AK hearing existing in the northern part of the EQuestria and daring do is considered fiction and the southern part is vice versa is really something I can't stop scratching my head because what's the point of keeping her daring to secret it almost everyone else knows about her by reading her books and stuff. Still it's really nice the way the made the moral of the story about not losing hope.
Honestly, the only problem I had was the steam vents I banged my head so hard on my desk it was SOOOOO dumb, but I loved the rest of the episode
Thing is though didn't they already make Somnambular into a dream flower? Also was the Sphinx supposed to be G4 Katrina
I found the vent bridge to be very plausible due to the "telephone game" concept of verbally handed down legends. Anything within a legend could be open to interpretation
It makes sense when you realize that on the other side of Eqestria Luna is the day princess.....
What/who would be the 5th and last Legends of Equestria character???
I don't know. I think maybe that 'Indiana Jones, Leap of Faith' bridge was included at the script at one point, and then, for whatever reason, was forcibly written out.
Yeah, these "for the plot only" things... Being captured by Caballeron's goons while being the fastest pegasus alive? In the middle of the city, near ruined Somnambula's statue (which even in rubble is still important to ponies living here) and nopony saw the kidnapping but Daring Do and Pinkie? I don't buy it. It would make more sense if after "breaking" Daring's spirit, Cab ran away into a darker alley and Rainbow would fly after him to get answers. She wouldn't even think that's a trap.
And the part in the pyramid. I agree, invisible bridge forcing you to take a leap of faith, just like Somnambula, would have more sense.
Quick question for you, Doc. Did you know who the hooded pony was from the beginning? It took _me_ a little while but I did figure it out way before the reveal
Also, two new characters left to explore? They already put out the latest this week, so it's just the mare with the witch doctor hat left. They might just make a Equestria Girls side-series after Legends of Magic ends if anything.
I am waiting for the episode where Daring Do's secret gets out and half of Equestria feels outraged that they have been lied to and the other half realise how much danger they have been in without knowing it and praise Daring Do for saveing them
They should do a similar story like this but with another character. It would be interesting to give Starlight a pony who refuses to forgive her for her past actions and wants to ruin her hero status in order to insure that Starlight is "punished" for her past crimes. Celestia would even be a great idea because I'm sure over the years her constant defeats/kidnappings/stone imprisonments/inactive actions would have gotten many ponies to think she is no longer worthy of her crown. Surely some might freak out if they found out that she ignored warnings over the royal wedding or chose not to aid during Discord and Sombra's return.
I would like to see if all these legends characters, is building up to a big climax, at the end of the season.
If not. Then... ok!
I agree with the invisible bridge. The "steam vents" felt like a cop out
I totally thought they were gonna go with an invisible bridge like in Indiana Jones and the last crusade too. That would've been way better than fricking steam vents.
While I did enjoy the episode I too have a suspension of disbelief. The steam vents, the fact South Equestria has no idea about the books, and the one that hit me the most strangely with Rainbow Dash getting capture. I don't know why I'm overthinking that part over everything else, but in one episode she is capable of flying fast enough to break the sound barrier so she could have easily gotten away, or taking on an army of changelings only to get captured by a few thugs because he story demands it. Her friends weren't so quick to help her either, they literally could of just rand up and started throwing punches. And there I go over analyzing again. Jeez I get what your saying this whole episode just kinda seems to jump the shark a bit. Or in this case bubbling green slime, or acid, or lets just mutant melted jello because I'm not sure entirely what to think of this episode. I enjoyed it but I feel it could have been executed better.
I think this was my least favorite episode of the season so far.
It would be awesome to see Starswirl in the show some other way than just when they read some history... But I don't think it's going to happen but still that is one thin I wanna see..
And I agree with you about this episode...
Yeah, the last third really kinda drags it down. Suspension of Disbelief is like driving a crane: there's only so much it can bear before everything comes crashing down.
the only way I can think of this whole thing about one area knowing Daring Do and not A. K. Yearling and the other are being the other way around is if we were to assume that Northern and Southern Equestria don't really mingle that much. I mean, with everywhere that the Mane 6 have gone, it seems areas like what we've seen here as "Southern Equestria" have just about never shown up in them. I don't think it'd be much of a stretch to simply believe most ponies stick to their half of the country.
Moral of the story: when your favourite book author/ hero wants to quit writing books, stalk him or her immediatley and annoy him or her until he or she gives in to write more of your favourite stories and never give a crap, that he or she might be happy to quit writing /to have dangerous adventures to explore other stuff or simply enjoy a calm life in wealth
In relation to the leap of faith, I doubt that there wasn't anyone of a post-teens that didn't see The Last Crusade reference and was expecting the invisible bridge, so instead ask, how many expected the vents... I was personally surprised and amused, also it looked hilariously adorable.
On a technical level, could they have had a flexible, stretchy, invisible bridge between the sinking platform and the start without making up some magical aspect nonsense without explanation of some fictitious material?
As for explanation of the vents, who's to say that the legend has changed and it was a path you could not see and was always the steam bridge, after all many forgot Luna and nightmare moon believing them only fiction, so the legend could simply have been "a bridge she could not see" not that she was necessarily blind folded.
Could have been fan service to enable fans to right up their iterations of what actually happened regarding the legends of magic, in a manner that in a sense comes with some dirt...
You're not overthinking things Doc. I had the same "Oh please" reaction when I saw the steam vents. I was genuinely looking forward to how they would get to RD, and then... what a letdown. I wouldn't say the episode was awful, but I won't be coming back to it any time soon.
I haven't read the comic's but I loved that they now have Ancient Egyptian culture in the show!
if you tie the Mane 6 to the mythos represented in "their" episodes you get:
Applejack and Rockhoof
Rarity and Mistmane
Rainbow Dash and Flash Magnus
and...
Pinkie Pie and Somnambula.
That last one is a bit of a stretch, but i can sort of see Somnambula and Pinkie as both giving ponies who are both optimist. But also, with Somnambula as a pegasus, it brings to my mind Surprise.
IF thats the case, then the next one should be Fluttershy with Meadowbrook, and finally Twilight with Starswirl the Bearded.
The ancient Egyptian atmosphere is what sold me to see this episode. I've been into Egyptology for years.
And RD's concern about AK's retirement sounded more like she's worried that AK wasn't gonna write the "Daring Do" books anymore and not for AK herself.
Is it just the books RD likes, or is there more to this?
My theory is that RD has self-esteem and convenience issues, as well as a lot of self-doubt, even though she's act like a narcissist and all that and a bag of chips in front of others, but this is just mask she wears so others won't see her as weak.
Where do the "Daring Do" books come in? Simple: RD sees herself as Daring Do, or, to be more specific, Daring Do is the image of what RD wants to be, but she lacks those qualities due to her own lack of confidence in herself. And that's why she reads the books: they're a coping mechanism.
When RD gets wind of AK retiring from writing the books, she panics like she's losing a loved one or part of herself.
Knowing that the books will be discontinued, RD won't be able to get the confidence and ego boosts she relies on now.
That's just my take on it, anyways. ^^
DR Wolf i need your insight here. When Celestiia and Luna was captured by the Changlings who controlled the moon and sun?
Remember that with the exception of dragon mail there is no instant info like in our world.
They knew about Daring Do only because of Cabaleron. They didn't know about her before. Also i never saw any communcation dvices in Equestria. So some parts don't have to know what is happening in more devloped parts of Equestria.
Daring Done with Somnambula's prequel should have been better if those steam vents were established early on, & back in the now DD & PP should've made things easier for them, & jumped from the sides instead of making the long gap to RD, then use either the steam vents to push them back up, or jump back to the sides.
We still have Mage Meadowbrook to look forward to this September.
Actually, I'm not at all surprised that some parts of Equestria don't know about the Daring Do books. After all, there are many unspoken parts of that world that didn't know all the alicorn princesses, or know about how Griffinstone collapsed, and even some ponies that apparently lived under a rock and forgot that the Elements of Harmony were a thing.
I can somewhat forgive more of the predictable elements in the episode, mostly the mythology/cultural nerd in me just appreciated the new change of scenery as well as the Sphinx so freaking much! I was hooked by this new area and the new world building. For that I am willing to see past the more...questionable things.
I think you are right, if one or more of the henchponies were use to spread the rumors I could believe that. Speaking of henchpoines, why didn't one of them use a net to throw over Rainbow Dash? Also, where were the town ponies when Rainbow Dash was being taken away? Why was only Darning Doo and Pinkie Pie on the streets. Why steam vents at all? I think a drainage pipes for the green stuff would have been better.
The fact that A.K. Yearling is Daring Do never really bugged me. The thought of her only selling her books to areas where she herself lived as apposed to where her adventures take her makes sense to me as well, since they don't see her as A.K. Yearling but as Daring Do. And the legend of Somnambula is also really interesting to me, but there's a part of me that thinks the steam vents in the pyramid were what kept the bridge up, since we didn't see anything that was even close to any suspension ropes, and she did have to take a leap in order to actually step on the bridge safely. All in all I thought the episode was good. I still watch it and enjoy it.
I agree, I think an invisible bridge would have made the story better. And If Caballeron had some part of the pyramid on him or a talisman from The Sphinx that would prevent Rainbowdash from flying away i think it'd be more believable.
But still a good episode. I think that the swap of fiction and Reality of Daring Doo is a regional thing. Like There's a great divide in the nation. The south doesn't look like it can afford all the fancy pleasantries of the north as they have all these great dangers that Daring Doo faces on a regular bases but hides out under an alias up North where its a bit safer or rather is an area where problems can be solved much quicker than in others, Like the Maine Six.
It could be just the opposite and the South is much safer because their isn't any Big Bad's except the ones Daring Doo Fights and she's the local hero. While as Up North you have Parasprites, Timberwolves, Manticore's, Giant Sea Serpents, and then the occasional Overthrow of the Rulers.
Appleloosa might also Know of Daring Doo's exploits but not her Author Persona. They are a more work oriented town with Physical activities not a lot might read in the town as it isn't as popular as it would be up north.
It does make sense that some parts of Equestria don't know about the Daring Do books but do know about the real Daring Do because Equestria doesn't have mass media like we do so more remote parts of Equestria would naturally be less aware of otherwise commonly know things in central Equestria. The Hoofields and MaColts didn't know about Twilight being the forth Princess of Equestria for example. Plus Darling Do seems to operate primarily is the more remote areas of Equestria so ponies would have seen her in person whereas ponies in Canterlot would obviously never see the real Daring Do on one of her adventures given the lack of ancient temples and presence of the Mane 6 to deal with evil.
Feels like the entire episode is just an excuse to tell Somnambula's story and do some world building on Pony Egypt.
I think the reason why nobody where she's at know her cuz if they did they would probably try to get her autograph and probably blow her cover saying hey it's derring-do making it harder to do her job and her and making her private life difficult. specially for the bad guys would try to use this against her more often and if her books were sold there I think the bad guys we try to squeeze it out much information to use for future events.
I agree with you on the whole different parts of Equestria having different views of AK Yearling/Daring Do, aren't they supposed to be part of the same country?
Notes From Alexis Not all news travels around evenly. Plus not all books get sold everywhere. So having a place where people don't know her book is very possible and people not knowing DD is real is also very possible.
Plus we don't know how much she alters her books so her book could be much further off to reality then we think.
Well, more of a collection of tribes, but at least the center seems homogeneous. I am going to assume so-far unexplored areas will have exactly the properties the show writers need for their next story.
Southern Equestria having a different perspective didn't seem immersion-breaking to me because on the one hand it just reminded me of how I could go to my close friends (who are quite sociable and well connected) and talk about well known pony or Star Trek stuff and they'd say something like "Oh? Well I had no idea. That's not how I heard it. Oh well, back to stuff I care about" even though thousands and thousands of people know these things and spend a tonne of money on related merchandise.
On the other hand there's actually no ponynet in Equestria (and even Equestria proper can be easily thought of being a pretty huge place) and we've only been shown one town in the south so we don't know how cosmopolitan the region is, making it seem like there's a lot of insularity where ponies just have their own lives in their own towns. And even though, as Fatmanfalling suggested irately, there must be ponies travelling north and south, the volume of traffic just might not be extensive enough that anypony has ever (yet) flipped out on a southerner for having a different view of Daring Do. Even when Rainbow Dash lost her mind at Starlight not knowing what a wonderbolt was, we weren't given any indication that Rainbow proceeded to bring Glimmy up to speed.
Long rant short, other groups of people having an entirely different view about something that seems really big, a view which conflicts with how I thought things were, is realistic to me.
But uh, aside from that, all the other complaints about the episode are unarguable. :p