DrForester
Kills Photobucket
Yes, it's that wonderful time of year. Time for new episodes of NeoGAF's most beloved show. This will be the discussion thread for the third season of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. Only a 13 episode season this go round, so enjoy it while it lasts.
Air times:
--- The Hub
---New Episodes
----- Saturday: 10:00 AM EST
New episodes are usually put up on iTunes the next day
As the thread moves at quite a fast pace, this handy guide will link you to the first post when new episodes start airing so you can go right to the new episode discussion. Just click on the episode title to go to start of discussion. This section will also serve as the season 3 episode guide.
If you are interested in watching previous seasons, you can watch on iTunes, and seasons 1 and 2 can both be found on Netflix in America. Season 1 is available in Canada.
Episode 1&2: "The Crystal Empire" - November 10
Northern Equestria's Crystal Empire has once again made an appearance after being afflicted with a curse that made it vanish for 1,000 years, and Princess Celestia commissions Twilight Sparkle to keep the empire from disappearing again.
Episode 3: "Too Many Pinkie Pies" - November 17
Overwhelmed with making the difficult decision to choose just one friend to spend time with, Pinkie Pie avoids making the choice by using a magic mirror pond to clone herself. Her plan goes awry when she cannot keep track of all the duplicates.
Episode 4: "One Bad Apple" - November 24
The Cutie Mark Crusaders are crushed when Apple Bloom’s cousin, Babs Seed, rejects their invitation to become a fellow Crusader and instead becomes a bully determined to make their lives miserable.
Episode 5: "Magic Duel" - December 1
When Trixie makes her way back to Ponyville, as "Great and Powerful" as ever, she decides to prove her might once and for all by challenging and defeating Twilight Sparkle in a duel of magic, causing the latter pony to be exiled from the town.
Episode 6: "Sleepless In Ponyville" - December 8
Over a campfire, Rainbow Dash decides to share some imaginative and spooky tales, causing Scootaloo to have frightening, vivid nightmares; Scootaloo wants to get rid of her nightmares but doesn’t want the others to think she is spineless.
Episode 7: "Wonderbolt Academy" - December 15
Rainbow Dash can't believe her luck when she gets an exclusive invitation to enroll at the Wonderbolt Academy, but soon she is wondering whether she is really cut out for the school and whether someone else would be a better fit.[
Episode 8: "Apple Family Reunion" - December 22
When Applejack is granted permission by Granny Smith to organize the upcoming Apple Family Reunion, she is thrilled at the opportunity but she soon loses focus of the important things in her haste to put together extravagant activities.
Episode 9: "Spike At Your Service" - December 29
Just as Spike is about to be gobbled up by hungry Timberwolves, he is saved by Applejack; Spike feels the need to repay Applejack and is soon offering a little too much assistance on the farm in order to fulfill the "Noble Dragon Code."
Episode 10: "Keep Calm And Flutter On" - January 19
Princess Celestia tasks the ponies with reforming Discord, a mischievous spirit of disharmony, but Fluttershy is the only one who is willing to give him a chance.
Episode 11: "Just For Sidekicks" - January 26
Spike finds himself in over his head after convincing Twilight and her friends to let him pet-sit all of their critters in exchange for a few gems.
Epsisode 12: "The Games Ponies Play" - February 9
In the hopes of proving that the Crystal Empire is more than worthy of being selected as the next venue for the upcoming Equestria Games, Princess Cadance commissions Twilight to work her magic with the deciding Games Inspector.
Episode 13: "Magical Mystery Cure" - February 16
When Twilight casts a spell that switches the Cutie Marks and destinies, the only way to reverse the spell is by writing her own magic.
This thread is for discussion of new episodes, news, speculation, and other talk relating to season 3. Episode synopsis and official previews will not need to be discussed in spoilers. However, if an episode were to leak early, don't mention it until the episode has aired.
This thread is NOT FOR fanart, character rankings, synchtube discussions, trolling, and general fandom discussion. For all that (except the trolling, trolls can go here) please go the lively Community Thread.
Twilight Sparkle - The Nerd
Voiced by Tara Strong, singing voice by Rebecca Shoichet
A unicorn originating from the Equestrian capital of Canterlot, Twilight is initially an anti-social pony who would very much rather spend her time reading books alone than hanging out with friends. Her stance shifts dramatically as she discovers about the magic of friendship, even though she still values a certain measure of solitude inside her library. Because of her intelligence, she tends to get somewhat snarky when her opinion clashes with someone else's. Although her great organization skills make her a natural leader, she is prone to breaking under pressure or when reality contradicts her theoretical knowledge. Twilight has amazing magic potential, and is our "point of view pony", a sane counterpoint to all the weird stuff that happens in her world.
Applejack - The Country Pony
Voiced by Ashleigh Ball
Applejack is all about business. This earth pony is in charge of her family's apple orchard, and is a hard-working equine who will do anything to gain an extra (honest) buck. She might not be the most intellectually-inclined of ponies, but she can always find a moment to help her friends, and is the go-to pony in Ponyville for any physical tasks, as she is probably the best athlete in town. Despite this, Applejack is stubborn as a mule, and has trouble admitting when she needs help herself. Her messy, straight-talking, no-frills nature sometimes puts her at odds with other, more prim ponies, but her diligent nature makes her one of the most respected ponies in town.
Rainbow Dash - The Hot-Shot
Voiced by Ashleigh Ball
This pegasus pony has no shame about advertising her love affair with a female pony, and that pony is herself. A full-blown braggart, Rainbow Dash has, nevertheless, the skills to back it up - after all, she is probably the best flier in her town, if not in all of Equestria. Her dream is to belong to famed aerobatics team "The Wonderbolts", but nevertheless, her rock-solid loyalty is devoted to her friends. Despite her bragging, Dash is very insecure when she knows she's being judged, but has little patience for anyone less bold than herself and is quick to judge them as useless. She is extremely brave, even in face of unfavorable odds, but tends to jump into danger without thinking things through.
Rarity - The Diva
Voiced by Tabitha St. Germain, singing voice by Kazumi Evans
Rarity's magic may be nowhere as strong as Twilight's, but this unicorn is all about talent - artistic talent. She's the artist of Ponyville, an eximious fashion designer and dress-maker, being the owner of her own atelier and shop. Rarity prides herself in being the most beautiful pony in Ponyville, and would be hard-pressed to show herself in public with a hair of her mane out of place, but her vanity is only surpassed by her generosity, as she will do anything to make sure that her friends look their best - even if it is against their wishes. Her perfectionism and fussiness are strong to a fault, as she sometimes descends into obsessive-compulsive behavior if things aren't absolutely the way she thinks they should be.
Fluttershy - The Shrinking Violet
Voiced by Andrea Libman
Despite being a pegasus pony, Fluttershy is as much of an opposite to Rainbow Dash as it can be imagined. She is extremely shy, as her name suggests, very sensitive and somewhat of a scaredy-cat, but all who get to know her recognize her enormous gentleness and talent to handle all kinds of animals. In fact, animals are the main trigger to dispel Fluttershy's bashfulness, as she gets very enthusiastic when she gets a chance to interact with them - and they, of course, love her too... or else! Her fear of the unknown can be paralyzing, but she always ends up rising to the occasion, specially when her friends are in danger, causing a hidden protective instinct and a mysterious power of persuasion (“the stare”
to reveal themselves.
Pinkie Pie - The Joker
Voiced by Andrea Libman, singing voice by Shannon Chan-Kent
Pinkie Pie defies all explanation. Everybody knows that she loves to party, and is the most social pony in Ponyville, knowing absolutely everyone. But besides that, Pinkie Pie seems to be permanently possessed by sugar rush, showing constant hyperactivity and engaging in wacky hijinks, impromptu singing and seemingly nonsensical behavior that, nevertheless, ALWAYS has a method to it. She is a skilled baker who loves all kinds of sweets and works at the local candy shop, but she'd much rather break the rules of physics and mystify all of her friends, all the while seeming to KNOW something that everyone else doesn't. Her frantic nature means that she sometimes doesn't get taken seriously, and she seems incapable of (or unwilling to) understanding metaphors and figurative speech. Must be seen to be believed.
Spike - The Token Male
Voiced by Cathy Weseluck
Despite being only a baby dragon, Spike acts as Twilight's able assistant, living with her at the library and helping her with her research. Providing a much needed male point of view to Ponyville's happenings, Spike is pragmatic and sometimes sarcastic, but extremely loyal to his caretaker. He acts as the means of communication between Twilight and Princess Celestia, sending and receiving messages royal messages via his magical breath. Spike holds a poorly disguised crush on Rarity, and there's little that he wouldn't do to please the white unicorn.
Princess Celestia - The Wise Ruler
Voiced by Nicole Oliver
From her throne in the city of Canterlot, Celestia has ruled over Equestria for over 1,000 years, and using her powerful winged unicorn magic, she ensures even the movement of the Sun (and the Moon, in her sister's absence). A kind and dedicated monarch, Celestia is also sometimes seen as having a prankster streak. She’s Twilight Sparkle's mentor, and the one who the purple unicorn must send regular reports to, regarding her findings about friendship. She will often manipulate Twilight Sparkle and her friends in the right direction, but ultimately wants to let them overcome problems on their own.
Princess Luna / Nightmare Moon- The Sorrowful Heart
Voiced by Tabitha St. Germain
The younger sister of Celestia, Luna used to rule along with her older sister, managing the nights and the movement of the moon. However, her heart grew bitter with time, because of her feeling that her nights were unappreciated by her pony subjects. Corrupted by hatred, Luna became Nightmare Moon, and vowed to make night become eternal. Banned to the moon by Celestia, she stayed there for 1,000 years, and upon her brutal return, only the use of the Elements of Harmony by Twilight Sparkle and her friends was able to stop her plan. Back to her original form, she accepted her sister's forgiveness, and returned to her side to rule once more. These days, Luna would like nothing more than to earn the respect and friendship of her subjects, but her outdated royal demeanor seems to get in the way of her being as popular as her sister.
The Cutie Mark Crusaders (Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle) - The Kids Next Door
Voiced by Madeline Peters, Michelle Creber, and Claire Corlett; Sweetie Belle's singing voice by Michelle Creber
A group of three fillies who unite on their quest to earn their cutie marks, which are the reflection of a pony’s special talent and their purpose in life. From the left, they're Scootaloo, a pegasus with a penchant for extreme sports; Sweetie Belle, the younger sister of Rarity and owner of an amazing voice and musical talent; And Apple Bloom, Applejack's sister and a great builder and fixer. With these descriptions, one would think it would be a breeze for the CMC's to get their cutie marks. However, their obliviousness regarding their own talents is a great part of what makes their unnecessarily elaborate efforts funny (and sometimes frustrating).
The PonyGAF Community Thread can be found here. In the community thread you will find fanart, and other fandom related discussions not directly related to season 3.
Previous Threads:
The Season 1 Thread - See where it all began
The Season 2 Thread - And where it continued
Fan community links
The Round Stable - General news site with feature pieces and interviews delving deeper into what makes the show tick
Equestria Daily - The largest fan blog, gathering the most notable fan creations and fan feedback.
MLP:FiM Wikia - The better source for pure information on the show and its characters.
MLP:FiM at KnowYourMeme - The barometer for the subculture’s popularity on the web. Lots of interesting facts and figures about the fandom, as well as a repository of pictures and video links. Also has a well made "history of..." for the fandom.
To commemorate a third season of poni, PonyGAFfers were asked to draw their own versions of PonyGAF's mascot and GAF's unofficial ponification, Belle Eve.
And special thanks to the following gaffers for this closing bit. And for Myke Greywolf for putting it together. Also thanks to Myke for writing up the character guide and a few other parts of this OP, and making the banner.
Contributors were:
- BSellers267
- CappyFish
- Careksims (creator of the Belle Eve character)
- LuffyZoro
- McNum
- N8
- Nobodyspatzy
- Orcastar
- Razek (bring him back!)
- Snytbaggen
- Owlowiscious
- Bakpony
- Xzeon
