Trotting Through The Snow: My Little Pony Mirco-Series Issue # 6 (Applejack)

Hello  & welcome back to Trotting Through The Snow.   Now last time, we looked at Hearth's Warming Eve and sadly that has been the only Hearth's Warming episode but thankfully,  the comics gave us another Hearth's Warming tale that was released in July.  Odd but Hearth's Warming Eve In July.   Well, anyways, this was the 6th issue in the My Little Pony Mirco-Series and it was the last one for the Mane 6 and the pony featured was Applejack.

Covers

Cover A 

I have to say that I really like this cover.   It has that feeling of a quilt being knitted by Granny Smith and I do like that it includes all of the Apple family.  Because Babs and Braeburn haven't been seen very much in the show. Babs Seed has only been in two episodes and as of right now, there are no plans to bring her back and Braeburn has only been in a single episode.

Cover B

This cover is more in line with the story.  It's  not that bad,  I like the action of it and AJ protecting the apples makes sense in the context of the story. Though,  I still like Cover A better.

Staff

Story/Edited by Bobby Churhow 

The writer for this comic wasn't bad and it did seem like they watched all of AJ's solo episodes but at the same time, they didn't bring anything new to the table regarding Applejack.  That's not a bad thing but Applejack is a character that I have a hard time getting invested in and this comic was no exception.

Art & Lyrics by Brenda Hickey

Brenda Hickey's art wasn't bad and it captured the feel of the show.  Take a look.

You may have noticed that she was also credited for lyrics.  This comic included a song.  Which seems a bit odd.  Now, this isn't the only issue to do so as Pinkie Pie's comic also included a song and the artist behind that reached out to a Brony musician to record that song but even on it's own, that made sense because Pinkie is the type of character to break into song.  AJ isn't really a character to sing on her own. She has to have a reason to sing and it is usually for a celebratory reason.  

So, this is just my opinion but I don't feel there was much of a need for a song to be implemented into this particular issue.

Colors by  Heather Breckel 

I must give the colorist credit on this comic as this issue was very bright and vibrant.  And  I feel that even more then the art, it captured the color of the show.

Lettered by  Neil  Uyetake 

The lettering unlike the Fluttershy comic really didn't feel very distinct  but it served it's purpose, well enough.

The Plot


It's  almost Hearth's Warming Eve and we open as we see the Apple family sans  AJ  working in the family kitchen making apple sauce.   The three are in good spirits but then the cowgirl herself comes barging in, complaining that they have too much work to do. Granny Smith takes a bucket of water to her eldest granddaughter and tells hers to simmer down because having everything being just is not what the holiday is all about.  Applejack in a touching moment states that she knows that but she couldn't live with herself, if something happened to the farm or her family. Applejack tells her family not to worry because so long as her family is, she's happy.  That night as the Apple family sleeps and we get a nice gag showing that Mac still has Smartypants (Don't tell Twilight),  a creature comes to Sweet Apple Acres and starts to take the apples and replace them with squashes (Ewe, I hate squash).   Applejack awakes to find her family out on the farm as they learn of their apples being replaced with squashes.   AJ questions what could've done this and Granny Smith reveals that she knows what did it,  The Sass Squash.  Get it,  Sass  Squash.  It sounds like Sasquatch.

Yeah,  not funny. The three young Apples question  Granny about this.  Granny takes them back in and explains to them that when they were first setting up the farm,  that they were having the same problem and a young Granny Smith was determined to find out what was going on.  She shows them a picture of the Sass Squash and mentions that they had not seen it until now. This is when we get an adorable moment featuring little Apple Bloom coming with many various ways to defeat the beast such as training Wiona to hunt the beast. Here,  just look.

Big Mac suggests that he can use his net.  And Granny says that she can use pots and pans to bang noise.  AJ splashes her family with water.  (Is that a thing in this family?)  As she tells them not to fret because she wants them to enjoy their holiday and she'll take care of the beast on her own.  Oh great, this is starting to turn into a retread of Applebuck Season.  Her family  tries to convince her that she can't do it alone but the cowgirl won't listen to reason.  She  first starts off by making a cage but that doesn't work as she falls asleep and when she awakes, she finds herself trapped in the cage.  When Apple Bloom comes out and lets her know what happened and offers her help.  But again, AJ turns it down that is after she asks Apple Bloom to help her out of the cage.  We later see AJ think to herself that she needs to think like a Sass Squash and starts to act a little weird.  As Granny put it as the Apple Family looked on.

Welp,  She's lost it

We later see Applejack setting up mirrors and we get a cute little gag with Mac checking himself out in one of the mirrors. He came out offer his help with his net. Applejack turns down his help because she wants to capture the Sass Squash on her own. Though as we see that doesn't work. Later on,  Granny Smith comes out to try and talk some sense into her granddaughter.  As we find Applejack disgusied as a tree. Apparently, Applejack has booby trapped the entire place.  Granny Smith is a bit worried about AJ and doesn't want Applejack to lose sight of what is truly important. And then we get the song.  Let's skip that part.  After many more attempts,  AJ gives up.   Well, we are done folk. Goodbye.

No, sorry.  There's more to go.  Applejack comes in down trodden and feeling bad but Granny tells her granddaughter not to be so hard on herself because that creature has eluded capture for generations.   It won't be caught, if it doesn't want to caught.  And the family agrees to work together to capture the Sass Squash. Apple Bloom uses music, Granny bangs her pots and pans and when the beast comes along, Mac uses his net and they capture it.  And it's revealed that the Sass Squash was actually.....


Granny Smith

Apparently, she did this to bring the family closer together but Applejack took over like usual.  And then the comic ends with Applejack writing a letter to Princess Celestia about slowing down and taking time for yourself.  And that the holiday is about spending time with family.  That's something, Hearth's Warming felt a bit shoehorned into this issue.

The comic ends as we see Granny Smith taking a pie to the real Sass Squash.  All in all,  this issue is... okay.  I don't hate it but I don't really like it either.  My issue is that the writer of this episode just that it feels like every other Applejack story. Most notably Applebuck Season.  Because as I pointed out AJ  is just being stubborn and not willing to take help from anyone in the family.  We've already seen Applejack learn this lesson. This comic is basically just a retread of the lesson, she learned in first solo episode back in the first season. And that in part is one of the big reasons, why I don't Applejack because the writers really haven't done anything new with her.  This issue plays off her most common traits: family and apples.  Just once,  I'd like to see a story that takes AJ outside of her comfort zone like the wonder Rarity issue did but alas that was not the case.  I wanted to like this issue. Really, I did but it currently ranks as my least favorite MLP comic.  It's not bad but it just treads old ground.



Characters


Now, this'll be broken down into Main & Supporting. With that out of the way, let's get started.



Main Character


Applejack

My biggest issue with this particular story is that Applejack's stubbornness comes off as being very annoying seeing as she's already that sometimes you can't do everything on your own and it's okay to take a lending hoof. Honestly,  Applejack was the biggest thing that brought this story down.   She's not a bad character but nothing interesting is ever done with her during her solo outings.  It's frustrating because I do see a character in there I could like but the writers need to stop retreading the same old ground.  That is how I lost interest in her so quickly.  When I first got into MLP, I thought AJ was going to be one of my favorite character but she currently ranks at the bottom.  

Supporting Characters

Granny Smith

Granny Smith probably had the most active role in this tale of the supporting characters in trying to teach her eldest granddaughter, a lesson (one SHE'S ALREADY LEARNED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)  Still, with that said,  I liked Granny's role in this issue.  It was the good matriarchal role to use to provide a lesson.

Apple Bloom

  

This one scene with Apple Bloom almost makes up for the lackluster story but it's not enough to save it.  However,  Apple Bloom is just adorable as always in this tale and all of the different ways, she comes up with to defeat the Sass Squash were so funny and her fast thinking was so great.

Big Mac

Mac was fun but he really didn't offer much but that doesn't upset me because unlike his sister, he's not the star of this comic.

Antagonist

Sass Squash

Sass Squash is a creature, we didn't get to learn much about other then he steals apples and replaces them with squash. Where does the squash come from? Though I do like that he mostly remained in the shadows and I also do like that he's really not a bad guy as the ending shows but we are given a reason as to why, he takes the apples.

My Final Thoughts

The first time, I read this issue, I went in knowing that there was going to be a good chance that I wasn't going to like it but I didn't expect it to be so disappointing.  I went in hoping that maybe it'd give me a reason to like Applejack but no,  it gave me more reasons to dislike her.  Well okay, not AJ herself but the stories that are told with Applejack.  Sad to say but I think this is the weakest MLP comic that has been released thus far.  Ah well.  Join me next time as I close out this event with some help from Magic Dust. Peace!

Trotting Through The Snow: Hearth's Warming Eve

Hello  & welcome to Trotting Through The Snow.  My special Christmas edition of Trotting Through Life.  I must admit that this episode holds a special place in my heart as this was the episode that I first watched.  I can still remember it.  It was one year ago and I was putting up Christmas decorations around the house and watching Demo Reel.  I had to turn it off because it was just so bad and then I turned on the TV, just looking for anything Christmas related and I came across this episode.  My reaction at first was "Why would I watch My Little Pony?  But it is Christmas themed".    It  was the fact that it was a Christmas episode that won me over and by the end of this episode, I was ready to  watch more episodes.  With that out of the way, let's begin.


Episode Title


Hearth's Warming Eve

At first glance,  this title may seem unimportant but as  the episode goes on, we learn that this is actually  the MLP equivalent of Christmas.


The Plot

We start the episode off as we see the girls arrive on the Friendship Express to Canterlot as they were hoof chosen by Celestia to put on this year's Hearth's Warming Even Pageant.

Okay,  I love Rarity's Christmas Tree, Hearth's Warming Tree Hat.  That is so something I would wear. We later see the girls walking through Canterlot as they play a game of "I Spy",  where best pegasus filly, Scootaloo makes a cameo in a reference to a Christmas classic film, I can't stand.

Later on, we see the girls backstage getting ready to put on the pageant,  where we see the different ways, the ponies are reacting such as my girly,  Fluttershy suffering from stage fright, whereas second best pony, Miss Rarity is ready to bask in the spotlight and Dashie thinks that the show should be all about her.  After Rarity asks Applejack to close a window,  AJ chides Dashie about the true meaning of the play. Spike comes in and informs the girls that the play is about to start.  Thus concluding the argument and the window closes on it's own.

I hope you enjoyed seeing the Mane 6 because, this is the last time until the end of the episode, we will see them as their show characters.  Really,  this opening is best looked at as being a prologue to the actual story. And seeing as the episode is broken up into three acts,  like a play. That is how, I'll be breaking up the review.


Act I


The play then begins as Spike narrates and tells both the audience in attendance of the history  of how, the ponies were divided into three tribes,  and did not get along.  Earth Ponies, who grew food, and the Pegasi, who demanded food for payment for providing weather as did the unicorns for magically raising the sun and moon.   (This takes place before the time of Celestia and Luna's reign).   The three tribes could've cared less what happened to one another.  This culminates in a giant blizzard. Because of the goings on, the three tribe leaders decide to meet and hold a meeting and this is where we are introduced to the leaders,  Commander Hurricane (Rainbow Dash),  Princess Platinum (Rarity) and Chancellor Puddinghead.  The meeting goes about as well as meeting can with three leaders that despise each other.   Hmm,  that sounds familiar.

This meeting was rather intense and you  could honestly feel the hatred that these three had for one another.  It honestly seemed as though, there was nothing that these three could agree upon and that was the case.   We later see each of the three leaders return to their second in command's explaining that the meeting went poorly because the other two leaders refused to cooperate.   We are then introduced to the second-in-commands, Smart Cookie (Applejack),  Private Pansy (Fluttershy) and Clover The Clever (Twilight Sparkle).

  

After the questioning,  the three leaders decide that that they need to head out and find a new land.  Thus, closing out Act I. 

Act  II

Our three leaders set off to find their land and we see them  trying their different ways to find land.  Starting with Hurricane and Pansy flying through clouds.

Princess Platinum and Clover start travelling through a forest and in true spoiled princess fashion,  she whines about walking for only five minutes.  And then they come across a stream and Princess Platinum says that she will not lower herself to the standards of the other tribes but she has no problem with Clover lowering herself.

I'm sorry but see Platinum ride Clover made me think of this.

Ahem, back to the episode proper.   Meanwhile,  Puddinghead and Smart Cookie travelling upon a gem encrusted mountain  (someone tell Miss Rarity, where she can find gems).  They had been walking in circles because Puddinghead holes in the map, so that she could see and keep talking.  Because, as Puddinghead said, we wouldn't want her to stop talking.

In a stroke of reverse psychology,  Smart Cookie convinces the Chancellor that she should let Smart Cookie handle the map and unsurprisingly, it works. We later see each leader declare their new land and name it,     Commander Hurricane declares her new land, Pegasopolis,  Princess Platinum names her land,  Unicornia, and at first,  Puddinghead names her land,  Dirtville but Smart Cookie suggest Earth and Puddinghead takes the credit for it.  The three leaders, then discover that their new lands are all within walking distance of one another. That does not bode well.

Also,  according to the MLP Wiki,  Unicornia was land in a G3  special titled  The Runaway Rainbow.

UH..................... I think Rainbow Dash has the perfect reaction to this

Now, we can put that girly girly girly girl thing behind us as we get back to the good stuff.   Arguments ensue about who has rights to the land.  Chancellor Puddinghead throws a snowball at Princess Platinum.  Just as they realize that the blizzard has returned.  Thus closing out the second act.

Act III

Act III  opens up with all the ponies escaping the blizzard inside a cave but alas the quarreling between the three leaders continues as they argue, who gets what part of the cave. Due to the constant arguing, creatures known as windigos are causing an ice blizzard and it causes each of the three leaders to freeze.  

The three advisers keep on good terms as they are about to be frozen and admit that they do not hate one another.  They keep warm and keep in good spirits by singing songs.  This is after Clover identifies the creatures as windigos because her mentor,  Star Swirl The Bearded taught her about them.   The songs that they sing would later go on to become the traditional  winter carols that the citizens of Equestira sing during Hearth's Warming. 

  

All of the ponies come together and rejoice in harmony as the leaders are defrosted and they declare their new land, Equestira.    

Yeah,  don't ask me why,  the flag has two alicorns on it.  The play ends with the ponies singing The Hearth Carol.

And thus that closes out the play.

Epilogue

Backstage after the play is completed, Twilight Sparkle suggests that Princess Celestia chose the Mane 6 to put on the play as they exemplify what being a good friend, truly is. They notice that the window from the prologue is still open  (Not actually the case but the girls don't know that)  and the resume their argument about who should close it.  However, they hear the sound of a windigo and Dashie volunteers to close the window. And the episode ends as we get a shot of Canterlot with the Fire of Friendship (what Clover The Clever used to fight off the windigos) in the night sky.   

This episode holds a special place in my heart.  Being the very first MLP episode, that I watched and liked. This may not be my favorite episode of season 2  (That honor goes to Sweet and Elite) but it is the episode that made me interested in the show.

Characters

Now,  before we get to the characters,  I'll be honest and admit that  I do have one complaint.

Narration

Spike  voiced by Cathy Wessluck 

Spike was hilarious as the narrator putting on his best fake British accent.  Another thing,  I have to say that I loved about this episode was the fact that this episode played with the fact that this episode was a show within a show story.  As because what the viewing audience saw was not what the ponies saw.  The ponies just saw the stage,  the viewing audience actually saw something different.

I loved this touch because it was able to transport the audience to the time, the story actually takes place.

Main Characters

Chancellor Puddinghead (Pinkie Pie) voiced by Andrea Libman

One of my issues with the episode is that the characters being portrayed by the Mane 6 just felt like they were the characters from the show proper and had no discerning features of their own.  That's not entirely true for all of them but with Chancellor Puddinghead, there was no difference between Puddinghead and Pinkie Pie.

Commander Hurricane  (Rainbow Dash) voiced by Ashleigh Ball

Dash's portrayal of Commander Hurricane came across as a overtly militaristic leader that just wanted to use fighting to solve all of the problems.  This does kinda seem like Rainbow Dash in simplistic terms of how,  she had been accused  of acting first before thinking.

Princess Platinum  (Rarity) voiced by Tabitha St. Germain 

In many respects,   I view Princess Platinum as being what  Rarity detractors like to call out one of my top three ponies for being: spoiled and shallow.   I view as being what Miss Rarity could've become, if she didn't have her friends to keep her in check.  

Supporting Characters

Clover The Clever (Twilight Sparkle) voiced by Tara Strong

Clover was easily one of the most important ponies, when it comes to defeating the windigos and in essence setting up Equestira as she was the one that was able to ward them off with her magic.  Also,  I do love the tie in, with Star Swirl being her mentor.

Smart Cookie (Applejack)  also voiced by Ashleigh Ball 

I have to be honest and say that I actually liked Smart Cookie better then AJ in part because she played so well off of Chancellor Puddinghead being the straight pony to the wacky antics and came across as being snarky.  Which I loved.

Private Pansy (Fluttershy)  also voiced by Andrea Libman

Pansy was just Fluttershy and really out of the three advisers, she had the least to do.  Bummer but ah well.  

Music

The Heart Carol (A Circle of Friends)

Just like the rest of this episode,  I like this song and it is very cheerful and it feels me with the Christmas spirit.   Also  according to the MLP Wiki,  show composer Daniel Ingram views this little diddy as the real Brony anthem.  Yeah, I can see that.

My Final Thoughts

Even with the minor gripes I have,  I cannot hate this episode at all.  I love this episode very much.  This episode holds a special place in my heart being the first episode that got me into the show.  This wasn't the episode that made me a fan but it is the one that set me down the path to becoming a fan and for that I am grateful.  Thinking of this episode just puts a big smile on my face.  This was my first episode and nothing can ever replace that feeling. Join me next time as I take a look at one of the mirco comics.  Who's in the spotlight?  Applejack.... oh, I'll try to be fair.