:party: :cheer: 200 Episodes! :cheer: :party:
Woo! Cannot believe FIM has made it this far. I can't wait to see this one, as it's aparently a mash up of things the voice actors always wanted to do on the show. Pretty interesting idea! I personally really loved the 100th episode celebration, so I'm down for more fun.
Official Synopsis:
"Twilight and Shining Armor Pit their wits against each other to settle a long-standing sibling rivalry, but they soon discover they are not the only competitors."
Episode Summary:
The episode opens with Spike interrupting Twilight & Starlight's paperwork with an exciting letter! It's an invitation from Shining Armor for a sibling rivalry competition. Through flashbacks, we see the more competitive side of Twilight and Shining Armor growing up, and how they would try and outdo each other in all kinds of fun events. Shining Armor has decided it's time to crown the winner for the last time!
Twilight and Spike rush to meet Shining Armor at Celestia & Luna's castle, where Shining Armor is wearing the crown (having been the last winner before the two grew up and moved out). Turns out, Celestia and Luna have decided they need better defense since Sombra's return and attack. They've brought Shining Armor back to build a new defense system, and Twilight is to be the guinea pig, tasked with breaking into the castle and stealing the Supreme Sibling crown. If she wins, she gets to be the Supreme Sibling Foreverrrr. Shining Armor explains that he has used pieces of Crystalis' throne and some of Starswirls magic to prevent any use of spells in the tower. It also cannot be flown to or reached from underground, and guards are placed in every hall. If the throne room is reached, they will have to avoid the Geese blowing their cover. Twilight returns to her own castle and lets the rest of the Mane 6 know what's going on and begin to plan their strategy. Except... Shining Armor knows exactly how Twilight works and spoils her plans. So instead, Rarity decides to plan!
We cut to a film noir style scene of Rarity and Rainbow Dash interrogating a bar tender to find an entrance. Pinkie thinks they should... go to space? Applejack decides to bring out her country star alter ego, Applecore, to distract the guards with a concert. Fluttershy and Spike plan to become super secret special agents. And Twilight? Well, she can't be involved at all!
No it's time to test these wild ideas. The guards are posed and ready, and here come Appleja- uh, Applecore, with her stage. Pinkie, Spike, and Fluttershy are in the hot air balloon with Rainbow Dash right behind. After Shining Armor and Twilight have a suspicious engagement, the hot air balloon come crashing down, with only Pinkie in it. It distracted the guards enough for applejack to steal a gem from one of the guard uniforms using a plunger device. Pinkie Pie didn't make it to space, sad. Rarity and Rainbow Dash head to the club, only to find it closed! Now who do they interrogate?? Oh, well, the gentlecolt outside will do. He points them to a sealed off and guarded secret entrance. And what's this? Guard change time! Now.... Zephyr Breeze is guarding. Rarity send out a dolled up Rainbow Dash to distract him so she can tear down the bricks. Once Rarity is finished she signals for Rainbow Dash to hurry and join her, and Dash easily gets away while Zephyr is boasting his ego up higher. Spike and Fluttershy are outside the thrown room, and Spike cuts a hole in the stained glass so they can get in. Unfortunately they still set off the guard Geese, but fall through a trap door so they aren't seen. Luna thinks it a false alarm and goes to alert Celestia about it. Twilight begins to worry that things aren't going well.
Fluttershy and Spike are stuck in the little dungeon below the throne room and lament to each other. Fluttershy explains her claustrophobia and Spike reveals that he loved being a part of Twilight & Shining Armor's competitions but he was never seen as a little brother to them like he wanted. Fluttershy reminds him that sibling dynamics are complicated, but Spike still matters to them. Suddenly, a door opens, and Rarity and Rainbow Dash are revealed inside the secret tunnels. Turns out Rainbow Dash likes pulling on levers. The four group up and decide they need to reevaluate their plans. The Mane 6 all reconven and Spike decides that Twilight should make the plan in the end. Twilight thanks him, and Spike tries to pull the "little brother" card, only to be ignored completely by Twilight, ouch.
This time, a giant party is used to distract the guards. While Rarity, now in a guard outfit, is able to get into the castle using the magic gems on the uniform. Rainbow Dash, able to outmaneuver the turbines, carries Fluttershy with her as they traverse the other areas. Zephy seems to already have lost his new job after the hole was discovered. Twilight brings Applejack to some boulders to buck through instead (with the help of Maud to give exact placement of the blows) and return underground. Inside the castle, Rarity lets another guard know it's shift change time, allowing her to take the spot outside the throne room. She opens a window so Dash and Fluttershy can make it inside. The three enter the hallway to the throne room and the geese are immediately set off, but Fluttershy calms them with the promise of a massage. Applejack, Twilight, and Spike are underground with a map, and open a secret wall to into the throne room where the whole group meets up again (including pinkie... somehow). Twilight is ready to get her crown, only for Shining Armor and the princesses to come out of hiding and inform her she has lost. But what's this? That's not the real crown! Spike had the real crown all this time, having used Luna's annoyance at the start of the episode to his advantage, so she would distract her sister and Shining Armor and side with Twilight.
Twilight and Shining Armor decide that the crown should go to Spike, their little brother.
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Updated! Finally watched it hahaha. I went in blind so I had no idea what to expect. It didn't really feel like a special episode like the 100th episode did, so that caught me off guard. I loved the tension between Celestia and Luna (holding out for one last episode about them this season... pleaseeeee?). I didn't even expect the twist at the end. It was nice of them to finally acknowledge Spike and the little brother issue. Not too bad, but not really what I was hoping for!
Just a few things:
Spoiler
1. Why were the Mane Six looking for Mare Do Well when they proved they were actually her all along?
2. Since when has Fluttershy been claustrophobic? She goes into narrow spaces all the time when spring comes.
3. Shining Armor was WAY out of character here. He's never been so egotistical.
4. Applejack sure wasn't being honest by telling a giant lie about a nonexistant friend of her's.
Spoiler
Shining Armor seemed out of character with all of his gloating and bragging. Even though it was supposed to be a friendly competition he didn't seem to care if Twilight and her friends got hurt or trapped trying to get around the defense system.
Zephyr was really annoying to me but I haven't seen the "Flutter Brother" episode.
How did Applejack make up that whole Apple Core story on the spot?
Ponyfan