So, is it just me, or does Applejack's voice sound weird. I know Ashleigh Ball has said that she's been trying to make Applejack's voice lower, since Rainbow Dash is more high-pitched, but here it just sounds a little... goofy. It almost sounds like someone's doing a really exaggerated Applejack voice. This kind of sucks, because I always loved Applejack's voice, as well as all the voices in the show, so I'm a little upset that I can't enjoy her talk like I usually do.
So it's APPLEBUCK DAY! Which I guess is their new name for Applebuck Season... This is especially weird since Applejack continues to buck the next day, so it isn't really a "day", it's a season, like the previous episode. Again, I really wish they were more consistent with names, ESPECIALLY since it's Meghan McCarthy who wrote this, so she should know what it's called!
Admittedly, Applejack dancing around those falling apples did make me chuckle a bit, given how this fandom likes to interpret Applejack and her love for apples.
When I saw Applejack ringing the bell, and the mane 6 plus Spike arriving, my only thought was "Why are only they arriving? Where's Applejack's family?" Also, have the mane 6 and Spike just been trained to come if AJ rings that specific bell? I dunno it's weird. And yeah, they do handwave why the rest of AJ's family isn't there, even if it did feel like a handwave, I think it would have been better if they explained it sooner rather then after Applejack revealed her giant apple. Speaking of which, I'm surprised that the vampire fruit bats didn't try to go for that after AJ revealed it.
BTW, can I say that the vampire fruit bats have a relatively generic design? I mean, say what you will about how unimaginative the normal fruit bats are, they still LOOK different and unique, here they just look like really hairy bats. Something tells me that creativity is running slim in this season... and it only just started!
The song... felt a bit underwhelming, I'm ashamed to admit. Like, I REALLY wanted to like this song, but something just wasn't doing it for me. I can see what Meghan McCarthy said about Daniel Ingram channeling Danny Elfman for this segment, I was definitely getting a "This is Halloween" vibe from it, but something didn't feel quite right. Maybe I need to listen to it again for it to grow on me, though then again, most Daniel Ingram songs immediately grow on my the moment I first hear them. Something I thought was kind of silly/stupid was when all the other mane 6 suddenly side with Applejack and start singing with her and almost ganging up on Fluttershy, then when the song is over they calmly say that Applejack had the better argument. That one gag where Pinkie still looks happy was pretty funny, though. Again, I feel bad because a lot of people complain about certain songs because they don't add anything, but I'm okay with them because I really like them. But here... I don't really seem to like it. I wish I knew why...
Above nitpicking aside, I like the dynamic of this episode. Of course Applejack sees the vampire fruit bats as nothing but vermin and wants to get rid of them, and I really like how Fluttershy sticks up for them. I'm tempted to side with Fluttershy, since I'm not about to dismiss a species just because of how they look and what they need to do to survive, but seeing how the rest of the mane 6 almost immediately sides with Applejack, I feel like I had no choice but to side with her. I dunno, I was expecting Twilight or maybe Pinkie Pie would be reasonable enough to see both sides, but no, it's Fluttershy all by herself. Wait, I'm nitpicking again, aren't I? Either way, I was all for Fluttershy's humane solution.
So Fluttershy agrees to use "the stare" to distract the bats, after some negotiating with the rest of the mane 6. Some people seem to really hate "the stare" because it undermines Fluttershy's caring personality, and the fact that she actually has complete control over it removes a lot of her kind nature, in the eyes of some people. I honestly don't know I'd go that far, and I also don't know if I like it's use here.
Also, Twilight's spell backfires, what a surprise... But then again, Twilight basically took away the vampire fruit bat's desire to eat fruit... WHAT THE HELL ARE THEY SUPPOSED TO EAT NOW?! I was expecting a Parasprites fiasco all over again, but no, they just hang out in the apple orchard, reading and junk. Like, it's really disturbing when you think about it... Not that the mane 6 care, they just want the bats to stop eating the fruit, so who cares if they starve! Strange, though, that Fluttershy still went along with it... Eh, peer pressure has always gotten to her before, like in Dragonshy and Magic Duel... Still, UNLIKE those episodes, this episode has a far more tolerable way of how the mane 6 treat Fluttershy, in that they don't freaking ignore her and push her into something without her consent. Here, they actually listen to her, and argue with her, and it's through this talk that Fluttershy finally agrees to go through with it!
...Say, maybe I like this episode after all!
Anyway, yeah, next day (since apparently Applebuck Day lasts more then one day) apples are still drained and the bats aren't to blame. They have a... genuinely creepy stake-out. Like seriously, the colors, shading, and overall atmosphere in this episode is top-notch! I think this episode would go along great with Castle Mane-ia as good Halloween episodes! ...Too bad it's Christmas. Anyway, we see Fluttershy being tempted by the forbidden fruits, as the rest of the mane 6 have close encounters with vampire Fluttershy. I didn't really see the point of this; I thought they were going to turn into vampires themselves, but it was just them getting spooked out. Eh, maybe they needed to pad out the episode...
Pinkie's scared that "Flutterbat" will eat them and digs a hole... you know, I never found Pinkie all that funny, but at least she isn't annoying here. Anyway, Twilight explains using some pretty cool magic how Fluttershy turned into Flutterbat, and says that she has to use the same spell she used on the vampire fruit bats on Flutterbat to reverse it. Applejack immediately agrees, even thought it would mean the vampire fruit bats might return to normal. On the one hand, I really like this, since it shows how much AJ cares about her friends. On the other hand, I don't think it was ever made entirely clear that if Fluttershy returns to normal, the vampire fruit bats will, too. All that's said is that it'll be "reversed", which could simply mean she'll turn back to normal. I don't know, I fell like that could have been clarified better, even if it did show a bunch of white VFB flying out of Fluttershy returning to normal...
Speaking of which, AJ decides to use her giant apple to lure Fluttershy there... I don't see why she needed to cut it, I think it's size would be enough to lure her. Or they could have just used a fresh apple to lure her to the big apple and THEN spring their trap! That way, Applejack wouldn't need to ruin her apple she was planning to enter into that contest or whatever...
Speaking of the trap, I know they were basically implying that Flutterbat would use her "stare" against her, but that doesn't really make any sense. Would Flutterbat still be able to use the "stare"? She hasn't been seen using it or anything... and when she looks in the mirrors, it doesn't look like she's using the "stare" back at herself, it just looks like she's looking at the mirrors and she's shocked by what she sees... Again, I feel like Meghan McCarthy wanted to get something across but didn't really succeed in doing so, kind of like The Crystal Empire...
But whatever, Fluttershy gets turned back to normal, and Applejack creates a pen for the vampire fruit bats to stay in... Geez, that didn't take long at all. Why didn't they just to that to begin with? I suppose Applejack just wasn't considerate enough to even try this. And then we get the journal entry... ho boy, what an entry this will be! When we see Fluttershy's cottage, I was hoping we'd see Discord again, but alas, we don't... I wonder if and when we'd ever see him again. Twilight has a spell that will summon him, but if you remember in Princess Twilight Sparkle, the spell involves using the Elements of Harmony to summon him, and they don't have those anymore... So good luck summoning him now.
And it ends with Pinkie Pie pretending to be a vampire... and a close-up of a fang in Fluttershy's teeth?! GOD dang IT, STOP WITH THESE *bleep*ING TEASES AT THE END OF EPISODES! First there was that stupid "Pony of Shadows" bit in Castle Mane-ia, then there was that fake-out in Flight to the Finish, then the comic book disappearing in Power Ponies, and now this?! Please, just stop! Princess Twilight Sparkle, as well as Meghan's tweets, have teased that there's a season-long story arc, thus making everyone think that all these teases will actually amount to something. But wait, maybe they will, oOoOoOoOo-no they won't. I'm sorry, but after three and a quarter seasons of constant continuity hiccups, and sometimes outright contradictions, I'm finding it very hard to believe that they'll get back to ANY of these things. You can only press my good will towards you so far, Ms. McCarthy!
