art by tyuubatu

Season Six has brought us some of the most memorable episodes, some of the most complex and mature lessons, and some of the coolest surprises. It also brought us a few disappointments. ("Applejack's 'Day' Off", I'm looking at you.) This episode was neither. "The Cart Before the Ponies" followed on the quite impressive hoofprints of "Flutter Brutter", "Spice Up Your Life" and "Stranger Then Fan Fiction". The streak of profound and provoking episodes that the writers had created couldn't be sustained for much longer, and it is good that the episode which brought our expectations back to earth was a decent one. "The Cart Before the Ponies" has the kinds of strengths and weaknesses that would have made it a fan favorite back in Season One. It was, all-in-all, a fairly good episode. One that I can re-watch and enjoy, but that won't any top ten lists.

Unlike my normal reviews, I want to tackle "The Cart Before the Ponies" in a manner similar to the classic structure of "the good", "the bad" and "the ugly". I usually eschew this reviewing motif as I find it inherently negative: not only are their two negative categories to only one positive one, but by loading the good up front, the last impressions giving the reader are all negative ones. This biases the review in a way that the writer might not intend and that the material reviewed may not deserve. So I'm going to try to switch it up a little. So let's start with "the ugly".

"The Cart Before the Ponies" has solid morals that it was trying to teach, which I will speak about at more length below the page break. It also had excellent continuity and characterization, which I will rave about. Not to mention, it had a number of fun little things to enjoy. And yet, sadly, it hinged its conclusion on a random element completely separate from the lessons it was teaching... and one that not only required a level of coincidence that would make Quibble Pants froth from the mouth, but fed the entire population of Ponyville a heaping helping of idiot ball stew.

Sportsdrome Speedway

Clarksville, Indiana

We use tracks like this is the real world. But we only do so in order to drastically increase the likelihood of a crash. These tracks are used in races where collisions are not merely a possibility, but are expected and part of the thrill and spectacle. For the derby to use an even more insane, clover-shaped version of this track in a race where the carts were expected to have drastically different tiers of speed... the track is specifically designed to cause this crash. The actions of the ponies involved becomes irrelevant, which prevents responsibility from falling on our misbehaving older sisters. In the end, while Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Rarity have much to apologize for to the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and the latter two owe the other racers apologies for their sportsponyship, they arguably have no need to apologize for the crash itself.

In retrospect, that would account for the other ponies not being a lot more upset at them. They only really become a focus when the CMC point out their poor behavior. It also explains the relative lack of repercussions. To that extent, the episode holds a consistency in areas that may have never been given much thought. Still, I found it particularly annoying, and moreso in retrospect as I realized that simply giving them a normal track with multiple laps would have allowed for the same collision without being so overtly designed to facilitate a contrived plot event.

art by thediscorded

So, with the ugly out of the way, on to the good and not-so-good aspects of the episode... below the break.

"The Cart Before the Ponies" ranks with "Stranger than Fan Fiction" amongst episodes with the best use of wordplay titles, a play on the old saying "putting the cart before the horses". That phrase refers to having your priorities backwards, something which is very much at the core of the episode's conflict, making the title work on multiple levels. Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Rarity are all invited by their younger sisters to help them build carts for the Applewood Derby. But instead of helping, the sisters each take over the project entirely, turning it into a vessel for their own priorities and wish fulfillment.

This is a conflict that is very relatable to children and grown-ups alike. How many of us have experienced having someone who is supposed to be helping us accomplish our vision instead override us with their own? This is particularly common for children to experience with older siblings or parents, often without any sort of malice but just because they believe they know best or get personally invested in the endeavor. It happens with school projects where the teacher assigns an advanced student to help, or in the workplace with overeager and overconfident employees or assistants. And in competitions or other group efforts where a teammate thinks they know better than the leader. Within the brony fanfiction community, I have seen writers allow their proofreaders or critics to take the creative reins, virtually always to the detriment of the work and definitely to the detriment of the author. I have likewise seen authors have to put their foot down and stand up for their own vision, even when that means losing the aid (or "help") of the person in question.

The lesson is twofold. First, the episode acknowledges how hard it can be to speak up for yourself, especially when the person taking illegitimate charge is older or more experienced. But that we need to be able and willing to do that, no matter how hard it might be. The people who are helping you need to be helping you, not in control themselves. Even if they might know more, even if they might be right, your project is your project.

In your endeavors, it is your responsibility to listen to good advice from good critics and advisors, and to chose what advice to take and to implement. If your advisor has the proper mindset of assistance, then they will be able to accept your judgement calls, even when they do not agree with them. If that person feels that you have ignored too much of their advice, or otherwise finds that the project has moved in a direction they can no longer support, then they have the ability and the right to leave. But the only time they have a right to take control away from you is if your decisions create a real risk to health or safety. Applejack had no right to decide "We're not adding a spoiler!" but she had every right to demand, "We are building in seatbelts, and that's final."

This even applies in a group project where no voice is more important than another's. In such circumstances, you need to be able to work within a team, and you need to be able to compromise. But you also have to make sure that there is something within the project where you can say that was you. Everyone needs to work together to make sure everyone gets to shine a little.

art by luminaura

The second half of the lesson was overtly stated with Rarity's advice, "You mustn't think older ponies automatically know best." And I will admit that I was not entirely comfortable with this moral, despite being absolutely correct. The reason is that this moral could too easily be twisted into an excuse to not listen to the advice of older or more experienced people. And that is just as much a road to disaster as ceding control to them that should belong to you. Children need to have a healthy respect for their parents (so long as those parents do not behave in a way that undermines or destroys that respect). They should understand that parents often do know better, and that they usually have both the experiences and perspective to make better decisions.

Likewise, people in superior positions have often earned that position, or at the very least are privy to information because of that position that you do not have. Even peers often have perspectives that offer critical understanding you would be best to heed. In short, this moral isn't a blanket excuse for disobedience to authority nor is it a reason to simply ignore or dismiss anything you don't want to hear.

However, this episode is addressing the other side to this. People who are older or more experienced are expected to be wiser and make better and more informed decisions. But not only is that not always the case, it is regularly not the case. Just because someone is older, that doesn't mean they have applicable education or experience. A mature adult who has lived their whole life in a small town likely does not have a better understanding of city traffic than a teenager who has been driving in the city for two years. I suspect many of my readers have parents whose understanding of computers and the internet is dramatically less than their own. (I cringe at the lack of understanding of technology shown by many of the elderly politicians who are in charge of making policies regarding it.) People tend to know what they are interested in or passionate about, so your older siblings are probably not going to have the grasp on your hobbies that you do.

Likewise, age and experience lends itself towards cementing of opinions, and the ingraining of behaviors and mindsets that could be outdated, inappropriate or downright detrimental. Personally, I will always and forever use the historical convention of the double-space after then end of a sentence. Despite what many of you may have been told (and what a few essays on the internet incorrectly but adamantly insist), this is not an invention of the era of the typewriter. Double-spacing has been the historical convention of the printed word for centuries. Observe this page of The History and Art of Printing (London, 1771) written by Philip Luckombe which speaks on the subject:

The writing convention of the single-space after a period is extremely new, something that has only been invented with the proliferation of proportional fonts. But that doesn't make it wrong. In fact, it has become the standard in nearly all modern writing. It would be easier to argue that the classical double-space is wrong; yet I continue to write using the method that has been ingrained. I acknowledge that it is not the modern style (and yet laugh at those who froth and rant that it is some sort of abomination). And so, while I may have a greater amount of education in the art of writing than many newer authors, and more writing experience, I am probably not someone you would want to type up your homework essay for you.

"Embracing the Joke"

art by SilFoe

In addition to the moral, one of the highlights of the episode for me was the characterization. The episode didn't have much wow-factor, and all the real surprises happened in the first few minutes. But one of those was the way the Cutie Mark Crusaders swapped what medals we expected them to go for. And they did it so smoothly that I found myself surprised that I hadn't considered them to want those goals when the prize categories were first revealed. Apple Bloom's desire to race and win hearkened back to her desire to win back in "Brotherhooves Social" (and even her enthusiasm for her sister's inevitable winning in "The Last Roundup"). When Sweetie Belle started waxing about how she adored the traditional carts, it was so in-character that I was thinking "well, of course she does." And while Scootaloo surprised me with her cavalier attitude towards speed, she has never been as obsessed with it as Rainbow Dash. But she definitely has a passion for being awesome, and the competition to stand out with style and flair would certainly appeal to that. I had flashbacks of "The Show Stoppers". And to top it off, trying new things has been the CMC's modus operandi since day one.

Likewise, the CMC's idolization of their older sisters (or "sister" in Scootaloo's case) is well-documented. Even when Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle have had issues with their sisters, they have always come out with a greater appreciation of them. How hard would it be to be assertive with them when the girls idolized them so? Especially when they are these sisters.

Apple Bloom:Applejack, you are the most awesome sister ever! ... It's not opinion! It's objective fact! You saved Equestria like a gazillion times, you're smart, funny, strong. Why you're the best sister of all time! Probably the best Apple of all time! Right, Big Mac?

Likewise, the episode's circumstances played directly to the established desires and flaws of Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Rarity. The latter two have a long history of becoming self-absorbed. Rainbow Dash doesn't merely love racing and winning, she got her cutie mark it it! Likewise, Rarity's cutie mark is a symbol of her creativity and style. And Applejack's is a symbol of her strong familial ties. Applejack is a firmly-established family pony who takes the Apple traditions seriously to a fault. Of course she is going to want to preserve them. This is not the first time she has had issues with this.

The older sisters have never learned this particular lesson, although they have certainly learned many lessons adjacent to this one. This is natural. Personal character traits that cause one set of behaviors usually cause others. And even when you learn a lesson about one, and change that behavior, doesn't mean you will automatically change other behaviors stemming from the same core. Nor does change come easily. We may have to relearn the same lessons. That's just the reality of people.

Now, I want to take a look a some of the bad, before finishing off with a few more good points. The biggest complaint that I have, aside from the insane track design, is the time constraint. Even allowing for my personal headcanon of industry and Earth Pony Magic, a single day to build carts from scratch is ridiculous. And I don't think they would have lost anything if they had made it a weekend instead. This show has had a habit of creating ridiculous time constraints for their characters, and often to no valuable narrative effect. This may be a minor nitpick, but I find it annoying.

art by DimFann

Now for something I didn't have a problem with, but I hear some did: the carts are apparently motorized. Diamond Tiara's cart is designed to look like the pony equivalent of a Rolls Royce. My least favorite episode of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is "The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well". One of the problems I had with that episode -- the least of that episode's problems, in my opinion -- was that it created a bizarre divergence from the technological level and motifs of Equestria. In a world with pony-pulled vehicles and wind-up hair dryers, suddenly we had hydro-electric power plants and construction machines.

Over the course of the last several seasons, however, the show has created a very technologically eclectic Equestria that I am more able to accept than I could then, and that part of that episode no longer bothers me like it originally did. "Super Speedy Cider Squeezy" introduced powered vehicles, and I have regularly voiced how much I wished I had that episode to draw from while writing Fallout: Equestria. By this point, the introduction of powered carts is actually completely in line with what we have already seen. It follows well from episodes like "One Bad Apple" with the mechanically-powered parade floats, and the magically-powered flying device worn by Tank.

This is a progression, not a divergence. And it is a progression I welcome with only a little hesitation. If anything, this makes all the roads and parking lots filled with carts in Fallout: Equestria make a lot more sense.

And finally, a few minor, positive points:

"Cheerileader"

art by cheezedoodle96

Cheerilee was awesome in this episode! Not only is she best troll...

...but she tries to gently point out to the older sisters what they are doing is wrong...

...and she ensures all the kids get to have their derby. Adult-free, the second time. She is easily the most mature character in the episode. Plus, Cheerilee in a cheerleader's outfit is adorable.

The flashbacks were fun, especially getting to see little Derpy as the winner of "most creative".

I enjoyed seeing the other racers. Snips is racing with a pony I presume to be his father. I couldn't help but notice how the stallion's mustache looked very similar to the one Twilight conjured up for Snips in "Boast Busters". That is a sweet touch of continuity. And the barber-pole derby car suggests hair styles might be a family passion. Maybe Snips and Babs could start a salon together when they're grown up. (Aaaaand.... there's already a fanfic for that, isn't there?)

And I am sure a lot of people are wondering who that pegasus colt with Derpy is. Whoever it is, they chose well. Derpy is a former derby winner, but she didn't try to make the cart "her way". (Or, for that matter, attempt to drive it.)

It is both endearing and sad that Diamond Tiara is doing the derby with Randolph, her butler. I suspect nobody else in her family had both the time and inclination to do such a project with her. But at the same time, I have to believe that Diamond Tiara is treating him much better than she used to, and their relationship is much better than in "Twilight Time".

It is a small thing, but I also liked hearing Apple Bloom greet Sweetie Belle with "Hey, Crusader."

I also liked seeing Scootaloo apparently "embracing the joke" (see picture somewhere above). And the final design of her cart was awesome! Apple Bloom's and Sweetie Belle's were likewise very impressive.

The final surprise came at the end. I must say, I'm happy that they didn't show the end of the do-over race. We can easily imagine that the CMC won. But we are also free to imagine some of the other kids won this time. It really wouldn't have added anything to the episode to show the victors, and may have even detracted from the moral of the story and our enjoyment of it. It was better this way.

And as a final note, I will admit that the song was fun but didn't really do much for me the first time I watched this episode. However, I make a point of watching these episodes multiple times before writing up my Afterthoughts. And with the second viewing, the song sunk it's hooks into me. I've had this delightful, damnable thing stuck in my head for three days!