My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic: E16S6 SPOILERS

My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic: Epsiode 16 season 6. Play by play commentary, SPOILERS!


I just want to say, I love how the Crystal Ponies have turned Spike into a larger than life legend in his own time. A fanfiction writer had Spike's greatest DIE DOWN as time past. But that's not how legends work. They GROW more fantastic and incredible as time passes! And with Spike growing into one BIG dragon as the generations pass, they're going to be building shrines to him in a couple hundred years!

And the Rarity doll makes a reappearance.

OKAY! That made me smile! Crystal Empire is deserted, this screams trouble is afoot, and and Spike ditches his disguise for it being obviously unneeded, THEN the crystal ponies pop out of nowhere saying how Spike is here to save the day. (I'm getting Bridle Gossip vibes, IN A GOOD WAY! )

On another note, while I HATE the stupid 'human-wank' that the Conversion fan setting has become on top of all the stupid character derailing, one did have an actually interesting idea on how Flurry Heart would be a VERY effective deterrent against weapons of mass destruction being used on Equestria, since she pretty much is one herself. As a mare, most would run away from her screaming on the battlefield.

And the crystal ponies then drop lots of hints that they've got changelings. And the sheer PARANOIA that a race of shape-shifters with mind-control magic would cause is shown through and through!

Cadence uses the foalhood dance to identify that it IS Twilight.

Sunburst says how after Flurry Heart's crystaling, the crystal empire is the biggest source of love in Equestria, and Flurry Heart would be their most logical target.

However, they don't bother to check on Starlight and Spike, but I imagine they have a lot of ground to cover on the plot and have to keep moving.

It's interesting to note that they say "a changeling". Of course, like ants, if you see one, then there being plenty more around is not a stretch. So it's hardly an unreasonable precaution on all fronts. Even if we've established with Kevin that not all changelings are inherently dangerous.

And the guards request the one and only Spike take part in searching for "the changeling."

Normally I'd dislike this kinda thing, but personally? I LIKE that Spike is getting some respect in the crystal empire.

And by sheer dumb luck, Spike stumbles on the changeling, (who can shape shift into dragons, now that is settled).

And it's established, individual changelings are SAPIENT and CAPABLE OF SPEECH! They're not mindless animals directed by Chrysalis' will.

I wonder if this means what fan once thought, Chrysalis' army that invaded Canterlot was just that, an ARMY, with SOLDIERS.

And the changeling, SAVES SPIKES LIFE?! "I ... wouldn't want you to get hurt because of me." And capable of empathy.

And the changeling says he just wants what ponies have, and he doesn't mean LOVE, he means FRIENDSHIP!

And we establish again, changelings DO hatch from eggs. And they come out as nymphs, rather than larva. Does they do hatch with a white membrane around them.

He calls it the 'nursery hive', suggesting that changeling are need mass breed, rather than having individual parents. It's possible that they're either artificially spawned, or Chrysalis goes through cycles of laying the next generation of subjects. The 'spawning tree' above the eggs suggests they could be GROWN like humans in the matrix. ... Is it any wonder they have no love of their own?

It's clear that this poor guy was a freak of nature by his own species' standards right from the start, since he doesn't show the same viciousness the other nymphs around him do.

Though I wonder if the whole is a sob story Chrysalis fed to him, but that makes LITTLE SENSE, since Spike found him BY ACCIDENT, if this was part of a SCHEME then Spike finding him would have been slightly more orchestrated. There's way too many variables that could have taken things off course ALREADY! If you're a fake defector, you DON'T freakin' HIDE from the people you're pretending to defect to!

It's interesting that griffins had to be TAUGHT what friendship was, while a changelings comes up with the idea on his own. This again suggests to me that changelings and ponies might be closer related than neither will admit.

DAMN! They start out so tiny! And they instinctively crawl towards and on their queen who doesn't reject it.

We also establish that yes, Chrysalis CAN use telekinesis in her natural form and her horn isn't just for show/zapping.

While she seems to smile for a bit, almost calmly, it quickly becomes a look of a bloodknight who just got a new bazooka. I'm not sure how much that looks like the expression of a loving mother, no matter how much Chrysalis thinks non-changelings are just livestock.

And this little guy unlike the rest of the nymphs he'sSCARED of her. Again suggesting he's a mutant freak.

Maybe I spoke too soon, since they don't appear to have wings or rearlegs, but given the white layer looks like COVERING rather than a natural part of them, it might be they're more like how marsupials mature once born.

And learn yes, he WAS a nameless, faceless grunt that the mane six likely beat the hell out of without a second thought. And reality ensues, as we learn not every solider in the enemy army thinks this war was such a great idea and is along for the ride because he was draft the same as the rest.

And seeing the true friendship of the mane six INSPIRED HIM... sadly it seems the love shield spell didn't tell the difference between changelings who want to hurt anyone, and those who would happily live in peace if given the chance and sent sailing.

And he splintered off from the rest of the swarm. And do learn again, yes, changelings DO NEED love to freakin' LIVE (then again, so does everyone when you think about it), it's NOT just to power their magic!

And we see also, that yes, it IS a horror hunger, the more hungry a changelings gets, the more their instincts take over. ... That's... actually pretty horrible.

And the poor guy is starving to death.

And. Another bomb is dropped. CHANGELINGS HAVE INDIVIDUAL NAMES!

This guy's name? Thorax.

And he makes no pretense, "Well, I was raised by an evil queen." He just called his own queen evil. Another bomb drop. Chrysalis is evil through and through, every single changeling alive isn't.

Spike, "Why, hasn't anyone ever been nice to you?"

And we do see, Thorax is NOT cut out to be a solider, but he can't change his nature, which sadly we see he barely has under control! ... You can't 'cure' someone of what they are. There are parts of us that are just a part of us, and no amount of therapy or medication will ever truly change those parts.

You sincerely have to fee sorry for Thorax. He doesn't WANT to be evil, but his very BIOLOGICAL dictates he's a designated villain whether he likes it, or not.

And poor Spike, given that it's established changeling have mind control magic, I imagine he's going to have problems convincing anyone, "No no no, THIS changeling wants to be friends."

Anyone notice how the front armor of the crystal guards looks like a smilie face?

And we see, just as Spike is their hero, but the idea of a GOOD changeling is just so alien they can't even comprehend it! I imagine it's not random chance that SA and Cadence are their rulers, since the only information they have on the changelings are the traumatized accounts of being on the receiving end of Chrysalis' evil.

Shining Armor however... sadly, shows just how deep those scars go. "There's no such thing as a nice changeling." Given everything SA experienced? I don't blame him.

I imagine Cadence and SA never SAW Kevin in Ponyville.

And Spike is forced to play along and call it a 'bad joke.'

Thorax is disappointed, but not surprised, but not at the ponies, but at what he is. "How can you expect ponies who look like this, *shape shifts* to trust something that looks like this?" Shape shifts again.

Why did I just imagine Thorax saying to Shining Armor, "You were her slave for a few days. Imagine being her slave since before you hatched."

I honestly have no idea how this episode will turn out. Though so far it is a bitter reminder how deep war prejudices can go.

Everything you do doesn't just reflect on you, it reflect on anyone and everyone whose like you or might be like you.

I wonder where Thorax got that form from.

This episode is actually a little hard to watch. Not because it's BAD, far from it, but because Spike is trying to sincerely do the right thing, but we learn that fear and bad first impressions don't magically go away. And Thorax can't work for Chrysalis again, but the ponies will never accept that. This is a tragedy done right.

At least it hopefully won't be as mindlessly cruel and pointless as 'Course Oblivion', no seriously, that Voyager episode was just sadistic.

And Spike gives him the alias 'Crystal Hoof.'

And the flurry of lies begins. Of course, Thorax shows he sucks as infiltrator. Is it any wonder he was assigned to 'front line grunt.'?

And Crystal Hoof gets a chance to be a person.

Though Thorax admits that he feels unsure about keeping up this farce forever.

Thorax is scared out of his mind when he comes face to face with Cadence. Like anyone sane person in his situation would be.

And he's in the same room as Flurry Heart, who is likely now a lighthouse of love.

And Cadence innocently welcomes him to take a closer look at Flurry Heart. )-: Oh-no.

tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php… Warm Blood Bags Are Everywhere in 3, 2, 1....

Why do I not feel happy about being right?


And when the ponies jump to the logical conclusion that Thorax is an imposter... Spike sadly goes along with that.
And Thorax, in spite of his instinct to feed overwhelming most of his reason, his heart still breaks in two at this.

Canon: Changelings can cry.

Thorax runs for it.



The entire crystal empire is up in arms. But Spike realizes he knows where he has to be.

I just realized, Thorax said 'raised by', that means that Chrysalis DOES take an active role in rearing the next generation.

Spike goes back to the cave where they first met.

And whao, changelings CAN disguise themselves as rock!

Thorax, "Get away from me!"

And they're back where they started... Spike tries to hang on to the cliff side.

"A little help?"

"Why do you think I'd help YOU? I'm an evil changeling!"

"... Because... you're my friend... I only wish I'd been one to you."

That isn't a tear jerker, I don't know what is.

Thorax proves he's still a person and saves Spike.

And Spike proves once and for all that he's an actual hero.

Why am I having flashback to when One Punch Man put up a farce of being an opportunist, so the other supers who were willing to die (all gave some, some gave all) to protect the people from the Ocean King continued to be supported and loved for their sacrifice.

Ironically, it's Starlight who begins to wonder if all this extreme up and arms is really needed.

Cadence logically says that if there's one changeling, the rest of the swarm is likely on its way.

While Twilight actually finds herself agree with Starlight.

SA, "Spike, get away from that thing!"
Spike, "No, he's not a thing! His name is Thorax, and he's my friend."

And... Spike gets his own musical number? 0-0

This... this bloody actually made me cry!!!! 0-0 IN FREAKIN' REAL LIFE!!!

I don't think I've cried on this show since Crusaders Of the Lost Mark.

Spike proves indeed he's a hero by admitting to himself he's weak, and thus gains true truth.

He's risking giving up being the hero to the one place that sees him as everything he wants to be... for the sake of a friend he made that day. Of his own free will. How is that for courage?

I thought the animation was kinda weak for the number but it STILL made me cry! That says how good it is.

And now the moment of truth. 19:23 I'm actually kinda SCARED to see where this goes. Because I sincerely CAN'T SEE where the story going even with freakin' 30 seconds left!

Sigh. Forward ho. -_-

And Twilight accepts Spike words.

And Cadence does the same. Spike has won them over.

And SA does a 180 and welcome Thorax.

And Thorax wants to learn all he can about friendship, bring that back to the changeling kingdom... I like the idea of Thorax and Gilda, since it helps establish that helping other is teaching them to help themselves too.

And Thorax's ultimate ambition, for changelings to make their OWN love!



Starlight Glimmer, "Friendship lesson can happen anywhere."

End of episode.

I liked it. I freakin' LOVED IT!!!! GOOD EPISODE!!!!