Okay, what the hell?

Scoots fell from a tree, and the birds laughed at her.

Does Celestia just have a dartboard with Scootaloo's face on it or what?

I smell a fanfic brewing.

@Steveman - Oh, I loved her in this episode specifically because she was a bitch.

I think J. Jonah Jameson Jr. should come along and show her how you actually run a newspaper!

By getting loads of pictures of Spidercolt!

Who is Featherweight. Featherweight is Spidercolt.

edited 28th Oct '12 9:16:46 PM by Steventheman

Seriously in this episode she's like a proto-J. Jonah Jameson. I love it. Her cartoonish villainy in this episode is way more interesting than her Rich Bitch antics elsewhere. Also this episode has Cakelestia, which automatically bumps it up a few slots.

@Librarian When she calls them "geniuses" and acts generally pleased with them. Sure, it was only because they were doing exactly what she wanted, but it does show that she can turn off bitch-mode when she wants to.

Ah, yep, they're dead already. One of them even dies while another character is delivering exposition.

Well, still, good marks on the protagonist. Never thought I'd say that. I'll see how long that lasts.

edited 28th Oct '12 9:18:49 PM by Pannic

Why does everyone constantly think the E Ps are worse off than the other two races?

So, Snips and Snails are stuck together by bubblegum an evil symbiote and will become a twisted mess of what was a pony.

Sweetie Belle, laugh at their predicament!

I'm just gonna shove in as many Spiderman references as I can.

edited 28th Oct '12 9:20:00 PM by Steventheman

No magic or cool abilities.

They are glued together.

Well, apart from high strength, endurance, and a green thumb... or hoof...

Earth ponies need more love.

edited 28th Oct '12 9:20:39 PM by Pannic

The same reason why people think Shaolin kung fu and whathaveyou is superior than the likes of boxing and wrestling.

Obviously Flashiness = Quality.

Alright, so Diamond Tiara is asking the CMC to become paparazzi.

That's exactly what she would do.

Wait, no, mistaken, Daff isn't dead yet. But he'll die at the start of next chapter, as we meet new character.

CUTIE MARK YELLOW JOURNALISTS, YAY!

edited 28th Oct '12 9:25:41 PM by dRoy

There's been absolutely no in-show evidence that Earth Ponies have greater strength or endurance than the other races.

No not at all. It's not that the things Pegasi and Unicorns can do are flashier than the things Earth Ponies can do, it's that they can do things that Earth Ponies simply can't do, and the Earth Ponies have nothing to balance that out.

Yes, they can grow food, but that's only helpful for farmers. Flying, weather control, and magic are useful for everyone.

edited 28th Oct '12 9:26:25 PM by Bluespade

Earth ponies — Specializes in defense, and is well suited to a strategy that involves slow but steady expansion, and standing their ground against all comers. Special units include the Groundshaker, a siege unit that can slow down ground units and deal massive damage to structures.

Pegasi — Specializes in mobility, their units are faster and have greater visual range but tend to be weaker in strength. Their cloud structures, though relatively fragile, can be packed up and moved elsewhere, which can be useful when losing to a siege, or just migrating to greener pastures.

Unicorns — Their units are the most fragile, but they make up for it with plenty of combat tricks and strong magic-based attacks. All units have an energy meter that depletes when they cast spells. Units include Rejuvenators (can heal or recharge other units), Protectors (can deploy a bubble shield centered around itself that depletes energy when it absorbs a hit), and Jumpers (an advanced unit that can teleport short distances).

So, did they just take a picture of the Cakes trying to calm their kids and claim it as a news story?

Diamond! Stop making everypony around you amoral! The last time that happened, the kids revolted and killed the old teacher for trying to teach maths!

We have seen that Big Macintosh is capable of pulling off some crazy stuff. Also, note how in Fall Weather Friends, when Twilight points to the ponies who are worn out, they're all pegasi.

edited 28th Oct '12 9:28:46 PM by Pannic

I think the main reason is that our perception of the races are kinda skewed. RD and Twilight are basically top tier in their races' respective abilities (flight and magic), and it tends to be rather important for them. RD is a huge showoff who's life revolves around flying, and Twilight is the personal pupil of the Princess.

The Earth Ponies don't get that sort of opportunity to show off; AJ isn't one to really brag, and Pinkie is explicitly considered weird by the other characters, so people tend to write off her abilities as not being race related. TL;DR pegasi and unicorn powers simply come up a lot more often in the show than earth pony special abilities. Doesn't mean that they aren't useful or strong, just that whatever their abilities are don't make for interesting plotlines.

@Blue: Big Mac dragged a house and tossed half the town over the horizon without any real trouble, and it only takes four earth ponies to pull a train. We've never seen any of the other pony races do anything close to that.

edited 28th Oct '12 9:30:58 PM by JapaneseTeeth

So, when does the Ponyville Express write a story on how they were made redundant by nine year olds?

@Blue So pulling trains and houses, or stopping a runaway cart unassisted, or performing intense physical labor day in and day out without sleep for several days on end before giving out doesn't count?

Ninja'd several times over

edited 28th Oct '12 9:31:52 PM by PerpetualLurker

Woah, they just exposed Trixie as a fraud, who doesn't even live in Ponyville? (To my knowledge)

edited 28th Oct '12 9:32:02 PM by Steventheman

A bit of headcanon I have is that Cherilee keeps trying to show her students that they can handle responsibility (like, say, running a school newspaper by themselves), but to her constant annoyance, they keep finding creative new ways to prove otherwise.