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Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Trotting For Love: Neigh Anything Pt. 2: Presentable In Periwinkle (My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic IDW Issue # 12)








Hello  & welcome back to Trotting For Love and back to our two part look at Neigh Anything,  this time, we are looking at Cadance's  part of the story. Ex-squee me but...




As we've already stated, I'm a big fan. I will try and reel  in, the fan-boy as much as possible. With that out of the way, let's see how my bestest princess fell in love.   Okay, just one more...




Okay,  I got it all out of my system now. 


Covers


Cover A




















I really like this cover as it feels as though, it is taking the day after the events of issue # 11 went down and Shining Armor is just beating himself up over it.


Cover B




















Awww, this cover is adorable and with little Twi-Twi looking on, it gives me a Hearts and Hooves Day looking on, hoping that her B.B.B.F.F  (Big Brother Best Friend Forever) to get to be with the love of his dreams. Thankfully though, she didn't resort to using a love poison and instead just decided to use charts to scientifically prove that the two are meant to be.  



The Plot


The comic picks up at the teahouse, where the Mane 6 and the couple were enjoying lunch.  Cadance starts her tale off, on the night of Cadance foal-sitting Twilight for the first night after Shining's smooth introduction, where the teenage mare grills the little filly for info on her B.B.B.F.F
























The little filly is easily clued in that her foal-sitter likes her B.B.B.F.F just as much as he does.   They graph and chart their comparability and to prove the two are meant to be.





















Also,  the sunshine rhyme known as the playground Oath makes it's first appearance canon appearance.  Cool!  With all of the information from the graphs and charts, Cadance is determined to make Shining Armor, her very special somepony.   Back in the present, Shining Armor wants to know why his L.S.B.F.F kept this secret and she tells them, that one simply does not break the playground oath. With Pinkie throwing in a "Yeah".    Back in the past, we see that Cadance finds Shining's little concert attack, endearing. But Buck won't have any of this and starts to call, Shining a dork to make sure that Cadance doesn't want to be with Shining Armor.




Back in the present,  Fluttershy wonders how she could've gone to Fall Formal...














Oh right,  that not Fall Formal.    Cadance explains that she wanted to try and find Shining Armor to go to the dance with her but she overhears Cheerilee saying that she heard that Shining Armor was going to ask someone else to the Fall Formal, not realizing that they were talking about her.





















Because of this, she accepts Buck Wither's invitation to go to the Fall Formal (must resist Equestira Girls joke).   I'm sorry but I have to, let's see already did Helping Twilight Win The Crown and This Is Our Big Night,   Ah got it, on the night of the Fall Formal,  Cadie is talking to her friends in her room, Lemony Gems and Diamond Rose on how she doesn't want to go to the Fall Formal with Buck but rather with Shining Armor and she wants him to be more then just a friend for life.




















Cadie's friends  at first do not get why, she doesn't want to be with Buck and instead wants to be with Shining Armor. It boils down to Buck's popular, Shining isn't.  Cadance is smart in that, she uses this to her advantage by letting her friends knows that now that she's going after Shining Armor, Buck is back on the market. which causes Lemony Gems and Diamond Rose to fight over, who gets to console Buck after Cadance breaks up with him.  Sheesh!    Meanwhile,  Shining Armor and his pals concoct a plan to reveal Buck's true colors in front of the school.























Back  at the palace,  when Buck arrives to pick up Cadance, she lets Aunt Celestia know that she doesn't intend on coming home with Buck and at first,  Tia chides her niece saying that isn't very princess-like but after being an annoyance and flat-out rude to the Princess of Equestria,  Celestia tells her niece.

Ditch him the first chance you get.


Good ole Tia, giving her niece great advice.  At the dance, we see Shining Armor with his "date", it's just Poindexter in a dress.   But not before we get  a cute exchange between Cheerilee and the future Mayor Mare talking about what their job aptitude tests told them, they would be a teacher, and a politician and they both say,  that's never going to happen.






That night, a cross-dresser was born, what did you think Periwinkle in the subtitle refers to?   Cadance sees Shining and RuPaul in-training and sees through the ruse and uses this to her advantage and dumps Buck, while 8-Bit and Gaffer distract him from the rafters.  At this,  Cadance and Buck Withers are named Fall Formal King and Queen.  Buck takes this time to make fun of Shining Armor but the student body comes to Shining Armor's defense and Cadance take the crown and makes Shining Armor, her king.





















And Shining Armor finally gets kiss from Cadance as the story ends.















Back in the present, Fluttershy asks whatever happened to Buck,  Shining lets her know that he became nicer over the years and at the moment, an older Buck with Lemony Gems enter the teahouse as they are now in a relationship.





















I liked this issue a lot.  Out of the two issues that this story arc makes up,  I find myself enjoying this one more. And yes, that is in part because Cadance is the focus. We've already established  that I'm a fan but even past my Cadance fan squeals, this is just an all around more fun read.  Issue # 11 was build up and Issue # 12 was the payoff, and boy, did it pay off!!!  Having said, all of this,  Neigh Anything is one of my favorite arcs of the MLP comics.


Characters

This'll be broken down into Main, Supporting, and Antagonist.  Let's begin.


Main Characters


Cadance




















Cadance was just a lot of fun in this comic and I liked how she acted all nerdy with the charts and graphs with filly Twilight, and getting her perspective, you knew that she wanted to be with Shining Armor and I have to admit that I had more fun watching Cadance's attempts to get Shining Armor, to be her very special somepony.


Shining Armor





















Shining Armor was fun and I'm glad that since this was Cadance's story, we got less Shining Armor being awkward moments like in the previous issue.  Sure, there were still awkward moments but not as many because this wasn't his story.



Supporting Characters

Seeing as I went over, Shining Armor's friends, yesterday, I won't be doing that again because I can't really add much more to them.


Twilight Sparkle




















Filly Twilight played a bigger role in Cadance's story and even, if it was only a few pages but she offered more to the story then Lemony Gems and Diamond Rose.  The whole charts and graphs moment to prove that her B.B.B.F.F and Cadie should be together was just adorable.


Lemony Gems and Diamond Rose















Unlike Shining Armor's friends, these two really added nothing of value to the story.


Antagonist

Buck Withers













Buck got to be more antagonizing in this issue, especially when he tried to make fun of Shining Armor as he was being crowned but I loved seeing him, get him comeuppance in the end,  as he is just the type of bully  that deserves to get a taste of the way, he treats other ponies.


My Final Thoughts

I greatly enjoy this arc and as I said up above,  Pt. 2 to me is better but both Issues # 11 - # 12  make for a really fun story that fans of Cadance (such as me) and Shining Armor will enjoy, as it delves into how they met. Y'know,  we need something to close out Trotting For Love. Ah, yes, here we go,  the wedding reception of Shining Armor and Cadance, where...

Love Is In Bloom










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