I had three options when making this list.  Option 1: Do what the show did with Season 3, and cut this list in half to a Top 5 list.  Option 2: Change nothing and keep this a Top 10 list.  Or option 3:  Say screw it, and cover every episode of the season, making this a Top 12 list (For simplicity's sake, I'm counting The Crystal Empire as a single entity).  Based on the title of this journal, I think you can guess which option I chose.  Also, just for fun, I'm going to split this list in segments, since it was kind of difficult for me to put these in an exact definitive list.  You can assume that most of the episodes in a segment are nearly interchangeable.

Segment 1: Heavily Flawed, but Enjoyable
12: Games Ponies Play

This should tell you how good this season was.  This was the worst episode of the season, and it was still pretty good.  It had what I thought was the funniest moment of the season ([link]. Rainbow put in a good performance in a surprise lead role, Rarity's freakouts were great, Pinkie had her moments (Cinnamon bun?), and I like how Twilight learned a mini-lesson about remaining calm under pressure.  But, my problem in this episode is the same problem most people have with it: the way Ms. Harshwhinny justifies giving the Equestria Games to the Crystal Empire.  This is closest I've come to making sense of this: maybe Ms. Harshwhinny didn't know that the good time that Ms. Peachbottom had was made by Mane 6 (minus Rarity).  Maybe HW thought that PB was just some pony on vacation that had just had a great time in the empire on her own.  And it would've worked had HW not said the words "Courtesy of these fine ponies right here".  But, regardless, this episode was still not bad at all, and in any other season, it may've been a middle-of-the-pack episode

11: One Bad Apple

I'm sorry if this has ever happened to you, but I had trouble sympathizing with Babs in this episode.  You see, when you introduce a new character, and they nearly instantly turn into a dick, there isn't much to suggest that they weren't one to begin with, which makes it hard to root for them.  Plus, they made it look like Babs was enjoying her newfound position of Bitch Queen way too much.  There wasn't a single moment of doubt after Babs joined Diamond and Silver.  If they had slipped in some momentary regretful glances back to the CMC, or even if they had cut out some of the moments where she looked like she was having fun treating the CMC like crap, it might've worked.  There were some pretty good parts like the A-Team parody and the song "Babs Seed", which was one of my favorites of the season.  And in terms of episodes about bullying, I've seen worse.  I've definitely seen worse. *coughDragonQuestcough*

10: Spike at Your Service

OK, so Applejack is the element of honesty, right?  So, why didn't she just be honest with Spike?  "Spike, as much as I don't want ya to feel unethical or whatnot, your help is going to get someone killed.  I mean it nearly did kill Rainbow.  I appreciate it, but I don't need your help."  Maybe, it could've been less blunt than that, but that's what they pay professional writers for.  And of course there was the whole, "Why does Spike suck at doing chores for AJ, when he's #1 attendant to Twilight for doing the same stuff?"  But, this episode rises above other flawed episodes from Season 3, because of the fantastic dialogue in nearly every scene (particularly the scene with AJ, Rarity, and Rainbow), the well done 3D rendering of the Timberwolves, and the surprisingly high amounts of humor.  Overall, a very rewatchable episode.

Segment 2: Highly entertaining, but insubstantial
9: Too Many Pinkie Pies

We've reached the part of this list where the episodes are awesome from here on.  Too Many Pinkie Pies has everything you'd want from a Pinkie Pie episode.  Tons of humor and randomness with something going horribly wrong, and Pinkie getting her act together for long enough to set things right just before the end.  But, that's a formula that has been done before on this show with episodes like Party of One, Baby Cakes, and MMMMystery on the Friendship Express.  Don't get me wrong, this episode had me laughing from start to finish, and it took some serious balls to bring up the generation that shall not be named.  But, looking back at this episode, it strikes as being filler.  If this episode had been skipped to make room for an episode following Magical Mystery Cure, what would've been lost?  It was funny as hell, but not all that significant.

8: Apple Family Reunion

Based on how far down on this list both of the episodes with Babs Seed are, you'd think that I'd have a problem with her.  Not at all, her voice is adorable and her interactions with Apple Bloom in this episode are fantastic.  But, this episode feels kind of familiar.  A character that tries something new under the assumption that they have everything under control, but then discovers that said task is a lot harder than originally perceived.  That sounds a lot like the plots from Stare Master, A Bird in the Hoof, Baby Cakes, and possibly Suited for Success and Sonic Rainboom, as well as in other TV shows as a whole.  "Raise This Barn" was a catchy-as-heck song and a lot of popular fandom moments came from this episode.  It just wasn't enough to make the episode elite.

Segment 3: Consistently Fantastic
7: Just For Sidekicks

Spike gets shafted a lot in this series, when it comes to getting good episodes.  Before this, his episodes varied from good but forgettable (Secret of My Excess) to downright terrible (Dragon Quest).  Not that this says a lot, but for me, Just for Sidekicks is easily the best Spike-centered episode in the series.  Cathy Weseluck appeared to be having a blast with this episode, giving us a bit of Spike singing and generally giving us some great dialogue, especially considering that most of the dialogue in this episode is with the animals, who can't talk back.  Unfortunately for Spike, the animals steal the show in this episode, particularly with their interactions with their respective owners, and especially with Tank and Rainbow & Gummy and Pinkie.  The pets get a surprising amount of character development, which most shows like this don't do.  (Except Angel, he was prick going in, and he left just as pricky.)  It was also nice to see cameo appearances from Zecora, Screw Loose, and that one nerdy pony from Putting Your Hoof Down, and I'm sure many peoples' headcanons were altered by the Cheerimac appearance.  It's a shame, however, that Spike still got overshadowed in his own best episode.  This must be how Applejack feels.

6: Keep Calm and Flutter On

This is where the struggling began for me.  I must've switched the order of Episode 6-4 at least fifteen times before I settled on this order, and I'll probably want to switch it after this goes up.  The only real problem with this episode is that it wrapped a little too quickly, and Discord seemed to just accept friendship too easily.  I've always thought Discord was the best villain in the series, since he was basically this super-omnipotent deity, who saw others as insignificant.  He had this superlative, arrogant quality to him, and when that's combined with the charisma John DeLancie brings to the table, you get a near perfect, well-rounded villain.  The episode actually took on some Orwellian tones when Twilight threatened to use a spell that would bypass Discord's free will, and make him behave for the greater good.  I'm big fan of George Orwell's books, so I loved that.  Would it have worked better as a two-parter?  Yes.  Did it work well as a single-part episode?  Also yes.

5: Sleepless in Ponyville

There's nothing wrong with this episode, and it does a couple of things expertly well.  For example, Scootaloo's nightmare scenes are particularly eerie, almost taking on a horror movie feel to them.  And there was an obvious amount of growth between Rarity and Sweetie Belle since Sisterhooves Social.  But the biggest part of this episode was Scootaloo's interaction with Rainbow Dash.  We haven't seen if Rainbow has any other siblings, but she doesn't seem to know much about talking to kids.  But despite this, Rainbow saw that Scootaloo really admired her, and Rainbow knew enough to know that Scoots needed someone to help her, leading to the heartwarming ending.  Also, I'm glad they finally found an excuse to bring back Princess Luna, although dreamwalking is kind of an unusual way to pull that off, but at least they're thinking outside the box.  And despite the rather serious tone of the episode, it was quite funny as well, like the scene where Scootaloo fell asleep on her scooter, which looked like it was pulled right out of Mr. Magoo.  But, the most interesting part of all this is that a return of Princess Luna and an episode for Scootaloo were both heavily wanted by the fans, and they made it in a way that didn't seem like simply fanservice.  Perhaps a positive sign of things to come.  While this episode doesn't do anything perfectly, it does nearly everything very well.

4: Wonderbolts Academy

The only thing that's keeping this episode from claiming a podium spot on this list is the fact that they didn't use that alternate ending, which would've wrapped up pretty much everything in a neat little bow.  Instead, the ending we're stuck with leaves more questions than answers, which I really want them to answer in a future episode, because I thought Lightning Dust was a pretty cool character.  It's a shame that the ending was a bust, because if the first 20 minutes or so were its own episode, it would've been one of the best and most powerful episodes in the entire series.  Seriously, we're talking all-time top 5 or so.  As it stands though, it's just a really good episode with a subpar ending.  And a lot of people had a problem with Spitfire not acknowledging that she knew Rainbow Dash, but I'm OK with that, and I'm actually glad they didn't bring that up.  Even if you say you won't give preferential treatment to someone, by acknowledging that not only does Spitfire know Rainbow, but that Rainbow once saved her life, the other cadets are going to think that Rainbow would get an upper hand.  I'm not sure if there is a good way to make this work right, so it's probably for the best that they didn't bring it up.

Segment 4: Ambitious, and Mostly Successful
3: Magical Mystery Cure

I've made a valiant effort to avoid discussing how I feel about this episode for two big reasons.  Reason #1: it's unwise to talk about this episode without an umbrella to protect yourself from the shitstorm that talking about that episode comes with.  And Reason #2: it's an unfinished saga.  You don't see anyone reviewing just A Canterot Wedding, Part 1 or just Return of Harmony, Part 2.  So, why are we getting so pissy about The Legend of Twilacorn, Part 1 of 3?  My opinion of this episode is still very much open to change based on what the Season 4 premiere has in store for this episode.  But, if you put a gun to my head, and you demanded my opinion of Magical Mystery Cure (I'd first ask why you pull guns on people for such stupid reasons), I'd say it's really good.  This episode doesn't screw around; it cuts out the filler and gets straight to the point.  That's the reason nearly every line of dialogue in this episode is in song form, it can convey more information in less time.  And the music in this episode is phenomenal.   I must commend Daniel Ingram for writing such a great episode.  (What? M.A. Larson wrote it? Could've fooled me.)  What My Cutie Mark is Telling Me might just be my favorite song in the entire series, I must've heard the SimGretina remix of True, True Friend fifty times, and Celestia's Ballad blew me away and had me shedding liquid pride.  Oh yeah, and Derpy was in this episode.  That was pretty cool too.  Again, if the writers screw this up in the upcoming episodes, I reserve the right to change this ranking.  But, I do have faith in them.  Think about all the other episodes with questionable premises that turned out to be awesome.  Look Before You Sleep, Suited for Success, Green Isn't Your Color, Party of One, Family Appreciation Day, Read it and Weep, A Canterlot Wedding, Keep Calm and Flutter On, I could go on.  The writers almost seem to take pleasure in taking seemingly bad ideas, and turning them into hits.  Trust the writers.  This will very likely turn out better than you think.

2: The Crystal Empire

Yes, I get it.  Sombra sucked as a villain.  He had exactly 20 lines between both episodes, and literally 15 of them were grunts, laughs, or roars.  But, I'm firming in the camp of him making a comeback in a future episode.  Plus, every villain can't be John De Lancie.  It'd be cool, but it can't happen.  But, other than Sombra being the most uninteresting antagonist in the series' history, the rest of the episodes were actually pretty damn good.  There were plenty of great character interactions, particularly between Twilight and Shining, Twilight and Cadence, Applejack and Rarity, & Rainbow and Fluttershy.  The first song was catchy and did a good job showing off the new animation quality, while the second song showed us about all the cool stuff coming in the Crystal Faire.  The ponies looked really cool in the crystalline forms, especially the Mane 6.  Spike FINALLY didn't get shafted with the ending.  We got to see some cool, new forms of magic, like the gravity spell, which I really, really want to see again.  The Nightmare Door was genuinely creepy, and it would be cool if we saw it used again.  And then, of course, there was the wife-throwing scene, which literally every single person who's seen this thought was hilarious.  A lot of people questioned why the crystal ponies recognized Cadence as "The Crystal Princess", but I think I have an idea.  Instead of being a singular entity, think of "The Crystal Princess" as a title that someone steps into, like the Doctor.  Overall, this episode was great.  It was the weakest of the three season debuts, but that's kinda like being the worst Beatle.

Segment 5: This Episode Kicks Ass, I Don't Care What You Think
1: Magic Duel

Going into this episode, I was apprehensive, because I didn't like Boast Busters that much.  Trixie was OK in that episode, but the Mane 6 turned into heckling jerks when Trixie showed up.  Despite that, this episode had me hooked from start to finish.  I loved the new Evil and Malevolent Trixie, and how she was messing with the ponies of Ponyville, particularly Snips and Snails, who never really got punished for the events of Boast Busters.  I thought the age spells looked cool on the ponies who got hit by them.  I loved how Zecora was being Yoda to Twilight's Luke.  Fluttershy in her bunny stealth costume was obnoxiously cute.  The way Twilight fought back against Trixie was really smart.  It could've backfired if Trixie simply put on both pendants instead of taking off the Alicorn Amulet and then putting on the fake pendant, but it was a chance they had to take at that point.  Wasn't a fan of Fluttershy falling back firmly into doormat territory, but at this point that's a nitpick.  Magic Duel is one of my favorite episode in the entire series.  Easily in the top 5, probably in the top 3.

I'll go further in depth on these episodes, when I eventually do my review of them on my YouTube page.

I've decided how I'm going to do the episode reviews on my MLP YouTube channel.  I want you guys to tell me what episodes from Season 1 I should review.  Once we go through your favorites, we'll do my favorites of the remaining Season 1 episodes, then the rest of Season 1, and we'll repeat for Season 2 and 3.  So I ask you guys, what Season 1 episodes do you want me to review?

If you are at all interested in any of the following things:

-Pony-related Podcasts
-Episode/Fanimation Reviews
-Blind Commentaries for New Episodes
-Occasional PMVs
-Videos showing how I do these covers

Then, look up my new YouTube Channel: [link]

I should upload on there fairly regularly.

I'm going to be doing a live stream of my ponifying of Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage.  It'll start in about 30 minutes.  There might be some hiccups at the start, but it should be sorted out in no time.  Here's a link: [link]

EDIT: Sadly, I can't get the audio to work right, so I'm afraid this will have to be postponed.

I've never been to a comic book/anime/video game/MLP convention.  But, there's a convection happening this weekend, called Cyphacon, and it looks like this con is going to have a little of all of that if this poster is to be believed: [link].  If you're around the Western Louisiana or Eastern Texas area, come check it out.  I'll be wearing a Luigi hat, if you want to find me.

I'm about to accept requests to join the podcast I mentioned a few days ago.  Here's how it will work:  first, you MUST have Skype, some way to record your voice (Audacity is what works for me, but if you have something different that should be fine), and a half-way decent microphone.  Also, it would be nice (but not necessary) if you had an OC that I can put in the final video that would be used to represent you.  The first four people to message me on Skype saying that you want to be in the podcast will be in.  My Skype name is also NickyV917.

EDIT: All the spots have been filled.

I've been thinking of starting a YouTube podcast.  Basically, me and three or four other people talking about MLP and other stuff.  Would you watch it or be interested in being it in?

Who are the two people in the logo of FFXIII-2?: [link]

How would you have reacted if Season 2 ended after a Canterlot Wedding, Part 1; and Part 2 didn't air until the Season 3 debut?

Does anyone know a good pony pun for "Halo"?  Because I'm drawing a big blank.  The closest I have is something with Scootaloo, but I'm stumped.  Can I get some help, please?

-EDIT: Thanks, guys.  Got my name, and it's sufficiently punny.

I just realized that I'm getting very close to several fairly important milestones in my time on DA.  So, here's a heads-up about what will happen at each milestone.

1 Year of Covers: (Happening on March 28th) I'm going to re-do my first cover: Mario Kart: Double Dash.

250 Images: (Currently at 217) I'll do a livestream of me doing a one of my covers (I'll try to have live commentary with it, we'll see how it goes).

900 Watchers: (Currently at 767) I'll open up an AMA (Ask Me Anything)

1,000 Watchers: I'll close the AMA, and release a video where I answer all the questions on said AMA.

You guys should know by now how much I like TheSpeedGamers.  Well, they have another marathon coming up this weekend.  From the 8th until the 11th, the TSG guys are going to play 72 straight hours of Capcom's classic franchise, Mega Man.

For my newer watchers, TheSpeedGamers (TSG) is a group of gamers based out of Arlington, Texas who do marathons of video games for charity.  Over the course of five years, they've done marathons for Japan Relief, Gulf Restoration, Susan G. Komen, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, the Michael J. Fox Foundation, and many more.  They've played all kinds of different franchises, including Mario, Halo, Assassin's Creed, Kingdom Hearts, Zelda, Metal Gear, Castlevania, Final Fantasy, and many more.  And during that time, they've raised close to $400,000.

The marathon will be broadcasted live on thespeedgamers.com.  The group encourages donations through great gameplay, commentary, contests, and prize incentives.  During the event, viewers can chat directly with the team via IRC chat, or social media networks such as Twitter and Facebook.  TheSpeedGamers have featured many huge Internet personalities such as YouTube's famous Let's Players, ChuggaaConroy and ProtonJon.

And it isn't just vanilla Mega Man games.  Also on the docket will be the Mega Man X games (all the way to X8), Zero, Command Mission, Powered Up, 64, Battle Network, and many more.  They're even playing Mega Man Soccer.

I know that some of you guys love Mega Man, since I have 10 Mega Man Games on my to do list, and I keep getting requests for more Mega Man games (I'm looking at you, Morphius).  So, if you can check it out this week, I'd be very appreciative.

P.S.: If my attempt to convince you to watch the marathon didn't work, maybe this awesome feat of animation made by the same person that made this sexy icon will ([link]

So, the Mane6 Fighting is Magic Cease & Desist happened, and we were all sad.  Mane6 has been in touch with Hasbro, and it looks like there's no way Fighting is Magic will have ponies.But, the project is not dead in the water.  Lauren Faust has become an official member of the Mane6 crew.  She has offered to create new characters for the game.

First off, Lauren, you amazing person.  Much love to you.

But, there are a few more things that this news tells me.  For starters, the game won't be released for a while longer as they try to reshape the characters and backgrounds.  I have heard that the new characters will be quadrupeds (My Little Alpaca, anyone?), which makes sense, because having to change the quadrupeds into bipeds would seem insanely hard to so.  And since the music is fan-made, I doubt the music will have to change, so that's good.

Now, I'm not huge on fighting games to begin with, and odds are I'd play Fighting is Magic a little, just because of ponies.  But, now, with this whole saga Mane6 has endured, I'm probably going to play it, even without ponies.  If you want to see the article on the Mane6 website, here it is: [link]

10: Will this be the theme song? ([link]

9: Will the same team from FiM be doing EqG? (Will Tara Strong still VA, M.A. Larson still write, Daniel Ingram still compose, etc.)

8: Will their personalities be the same? (Human Pinkie Pie breaking the 4th wall could be pretty cool)

7: Which other characters will become humanized? (We've seen concept art of Trixie, but how about Zecora, Spike, the CMC, the Princesses, etc.)

6: What setting will they be in? (The first image we saw of them looked like it was in a high school, but all of the ponies on FiM had jobs, so presumably they already graduated from school.)

5: Will popular characters from EqG eventually show up on FiM?

4: Why is Fluttershy wearing rocket boots?

3: Will the unicorns still be able to use magic, and the pegasi still be able to fly?

2: Will new episodes of EqG air between seasons of FiM, essentially giving us endless MLP?

1: What about Lyra?

Most of you don't know this, but before I wa s on DeviantART, I was a Let's Player on YouTube.  But, when these covers started getting popular, I decided to focus more on them than the LPs.  But, when I get my new computer, I'm going to start doing covers, and start doing LPs again.

And, if you're interested, you can choose what game I do for my comeback LP.  I'm going to put up a poll after this goes up.  And whoever leads the poll on the day I get my computer will be the game that I play. (I'm also doing Mario Kart: Double Dash.) If you're interested, my channel is at youtube.com/nickyv917.

Ok, I'm sure we've all heard about and were saddened by the news that Hasbro ordered a cease-and-desist to Mane6 regarding Fighting is Magic.  It was a real shame and, at first, I was on Hasbro's side.  They have an image to maintain, and having your brightly colored ponies Shoryuken one another isn't a good way to keep James and Judith Shareholder happy.

But, then I found out about what's happening in the MLP comic book.

If you haven't read it yet (which I haven't, but I'm pretty sure of what I'm about to say), it regards the return of Queen Chrysalis, and in this comic, some fairly fucked up stuff goes down.  View Exhibit A: [link]

I get that this isn't a part of the show or made by Hasbro.  But, it's still affiliated with Friendship is Magic in the same way Fighting is Magic was.  The only difference is, the comic has the blessing of Hasbro.  So, to summarize in the eyes of Hasbro, Twilight hitting Rarity in the face with a book, horrible.  Pinkie shooting Fluttershy with a party cannon, deplorable.  Kitten murder in front of children, A-OK.

It was a beautiful afternoon.  Not a cloud in the sky, which, of course, meant that Rainbow Dash had done her job.  And after her job was done, you could always find her napping on a cloud on the outskirts of Ponyville.  It was the perfect place to get away from it all.  It was pristine. Peaceful.  Silent.

At least, that's what the plan was.  Her dreams were interrupted by a loud, strained buzzing sound.  Dash peered off her cloud, and saw little Scootaloo hauling all of her supplies into the Everfree Forest.

"Hey, Squirt.  What's with the gear?", asked Rainbow, from atop her cloud.  "Oh, hey Rainbow.  I'm gonna use this stuff to get my cutie mark", replied Scootaloo.  "Probably could've guessed that with you", quipped Rainbow, "Well, have fun.  Don't hurt yourself." "Thanks, Rainbow. See you around", said Scootaloo as she rode off into the forest.

She needed to find a spot in the woods that was fairly open, but had some sturdy low-hanging branches to hang the trapeze swings from.  It took some work, but she found the perfect spot.  It was a spot that had been logged out, but the surrounding forest had remained untouched, leaving several branches hanging overhead.  It was the perfect spot to get shot out of a cannon.

After she unloaded her wagon, she put on the climbing boots and climbed up one of the trees with a hanging branch.  She attached one of the trapeze swings to the branch, and then, she did it again three more times with the other branches.  Then, she aimed the cannon just above the first swing, making sure to compensate for her weight.  Finally, she set up the trapeze net at the place where she thought she'd land, should she miss the swing right out of the cannon.

As she was putting everything together, she thought about just how perfect her plan was.  There was a chance that she would get all three of the things she desperately desired in one stunt.  First, the branches were too far apart to reach by simply jumping.  She needed to be able to fly.  Second, the routine she had planned was complex enough that she'd probably earn her cutie mark by the time she stuck the landing.  And third, with her cutie mark and flying ability, she'd earn the respect of Rainbow Dash.

With everything set up, she set the charge, put one of the fuses into the cannon, and lit the other end. She only had 15 seconds to climb into the cannon.  She quickly jumped up, and snugly fit herself into the barrel of the cannon.  She began counting down. 10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2...

"Wait, how strong is this charge gonna BEEEEEEEEEEE?"

When the fuse ran out, Scootaloo was blasted out of the cannon.  She went way over the swings, way over the safety net, and was still climbing higher.  She needed a miracle, and none was in sight.

So, she started flapping her wings.

She thought, "If there's any time for my wings to start working, NOW IS THE TIME." She flapped her wings, but she didn't feel any change in her trajectory.  So, she flapped harder, still nothing.  She closed her eyes and kept flapping and flapping and flapping.  And suddenly, she felt something.

She felt her body begin to level off.  She was actually flying.  Scootaloo was in a state of shock.  She didn't know what to do next.  There was just one problem.

She didn't know what to do next.

She started to wobble.  Thinking that she wasn't flapping her wings hard enough, she trying flapping harder.  But, all that did was cause her to go completely out of control.  She plummeted out of the sky, right back toward Ponyville.

Rainbow was just finishing up her nap, when her ears perked up.  She heard a whistling sound, and it was getting louder.  She looked up just in time to see Scootaloo hurtling toward her.  Rainbow leaped off her cloud just as Scootaloo flew right through it.

Scootaloo leaned her head up to try and keep from slamming into the ground.  She was able to level off right before she hit the ground.  But, she was still flying incredibly fast, she still had no idea how to stop, and she was still headed straight for Ponyville.

Applejack had just set up her food stand.  She had brought her brightest apples, her juiciest pies, and her fritteriest fritters.  She was ready for a good day.  Until.

"AHHHHHHHHHH".  Scootaloo was aimed right at her cart.  She hunkered down, braced for impact, and began thinking about how much more she could get done if she wasn't consistently busy repairing stuff.  But, the impact never came.  Applejack opened her eyes, and saw Scootaloo right in front of her.  Panic was still in her eyes, her wings were still frantically buzzing.  But, she was flying in place.  A.J. looked behind Scootaloo, and saw Rainbow grabbing Scoots' tail, while flying in the opposite direction.

"Relax your wings, kid", strained Rainbow.  Scootaloo calmed down, and fell to the ground.  She'd used up all of her energy, and was on the verge on passing out.  A.J. gave her a cup of apple cider to pick her back up.

"I'm... sorry,... Rainbow", stuttered Scootaloo bewteen gasps of air and sips of cider.  "Don't worry about it, kid.  Nobody got hurt, so it's all good.  I just didn't know you could fly that fast", said Rainbow.  "I can't... I shot myself... out of a cannon".  "Why would you do that, that's kinda insane?", said Rainbow, now much more concerned.  "I told you... for my cutie mark... and...". "And what", wondered Rainbow.

"I don't know... how to... fly", admitted Scootaloo.  "Well, there're easier ways to learn how to fly than shooting yourself out of a cannon.  Look, if you're looking for advice on flying, I could give you some tips".  Scootaloo's eyes shot open.  "REALLY?", shouted Scootaloo.  "Well, sure.  As long as it keeps you from shooting yourself out of a cannon", said Rainbow.  "OH MY GOSH, THAT'S ONLY WHAT I'VE ALWAYS WANTED SINCE I FIRST MET YOU", fangirled Scootaloo.  "Ooooooook, then. Come on, Scoots.  I've got a couple of ideas for you."

The two trotted off, with a smile on each of their faces.  "Well, I'm glad that's all sorted out", said Applejack, "Who wants some apples?" "A.J., I'm glad I found you", said Pinkie.  "I heard somepony needed energy, so I brought the quintuple-chocolate boysenberry-jelly filled ultra-donut.  Now, where this worn-out pony?" "They already left, and she's all perked up now", said Applejack.  "ARRRRRRGGH, WHEN AM I GONNA SELL THIS THING?"

"So, have ya talked to Pipsqueak yet?", asked Apple Bloom, between sips of her milkshake.  "Not yet, but the school ball isn't for another few weeks", replied Sweetie Belle. "I'll ask him soon." "You might wanna hurry.  Word 'round the printin' press is that Silver Spoon's had her eye on him," warned Apple Bloom.  Sweetie's eyes shot open.  "Yea, I'll ask him tomorrow before school."

From around the corner, the two fillies heard a buzzing sound.  It sounded like Scootaloo on her scooter, except it sounded like she was straining to pull something.  Sure enough, when Scoots turned the corner, she was towing a load of equipment stacked higher than her.  Among the supplies were a couple of mattresses, climbing boots, a full-sized trapeze net, some trapeze swings, and a battle-ready, non-party-related, full-sized cannon, complete with several long fuses and a couple charges.

Scootaloo drove up to the other Crusaders and parked her scooter next to her friends with a look of pride on her face.  The others could tell she had something big planned, but judging by the equipment she was hauling, it wasn't going to be pretty.

"I may regret asking this, but what's with all the firepower?" Sweetie asked with a clear sense of worry to her voice.  She and the others had tried going extreme for their cutie marks in the past, and they never ended well.

"Well, you girls know Blast Cap?", asked Scootaloo, excitedly.  "I don't think so", replied Sweetie.  "Is he that old, creepy guy with only one eye and the wooden leg?", pondered Apple Bloom.  "That's him.  He hooked me up with all of this great stuff." "Scootaloo, didya ever why he's missin' them parts?" Scootaloo thought about it for a second, "I don't know, it never came up."

"Can someone please tell me who this Blast Cap is?  You know I hate being out of the loop like this", chimed in Sweetie Belle.  "Applejack told me a lil' bit about him.  He lives on the edge of the Everfree Forest, sellin' bootleg explosives." "And I think we'll need that kind of power for our next cutie mark attempt", Scootaloo said, trying to finish Apple Bloom's sentence.  "Which is...", the two fillies said in unison.

"CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS, CIRCUS PERFORMERS", shouted Scoots.

Normally, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle would be more than ready to jump into whatever it took to get their cutie mark.  But, if it meant looking like Blast Cap, it wasn't worth it.  They're plenty of other safer ways to get their cutie mark.  The only problem was telling Scootaloo that they didn't want to go.  It's been a long time since Scootaloo had been this excited for a mission.

"Gee, that sounds like... fun.  But, I have to... um... WORK ON ZAP APPLES.  Yea, I'm really close to getting my cutie mark for zap apples." "But, wasn't zap apple season was over a month ago?", inquired Scootaloo. "Ummmm, zap apples are magic.  They don't go bad", Apple Bloom said.  But, in her head, she was thinking, "PleasebelievemePleasebelievemePleasebelievemePleasebelieveme". "Fair enough", said Scootaloo.  "If you're that close to your cutie mark, go for it." "Great, thanks, see ya later", Apple Bloom said quickly as she ran off.

"Well, Sweetie, it's you and me, just like old times.  You ready to get shot out of a cannon for your cutie mark?" "Um, actually, I'm going to be helping Rarity today", Sweetie stuttered out. "What're you two doing?", wondered Scootaloo.  Sweetie thought, "OK, how did Apple Bloom do this?". "Um, we're collecting... zap... gems?"

"Zap gems?", said Scootaloo with an air of skepticism.  "Yea, zap gems.  They're basically like regular gems, except if you aren't wearing plastic gloves, they'll zap you", said Sweetie, knowing she had successfully completed the stupidest lie ever.  Scootaloo sighed, "Ok, Sweetie.  Have fun with Rarity." "What?", said Sweetie, stunned that Scoots actually believed her.  Not giving Scootaloo a chance to respond, Sweetie bolted before Scootaloo could tell her dumb that fib was.

Knowing she was on her own, she scooted off to the Everfree Forest ready to earn her cutie mark.

The other day I was wondering if there was a crossover of MLP and the Minnesota Timberwolves NBA team. Shockingly, I found none. But, this gave me an idea for a contest.

I call it "Defy Rule 34.2" (The rule that states "if it exists, there is a pony version of it").  Find something related to ponies that has not been made already, then make it.  It can be anything.  A crossover.  A baby version of an adult pony.  A bizarre pairing.  Anything.  As long as its never been done before.  I'm looking for creativity.

Send me a note with your submission.  The deadline is March 15th.  I'm not sure what the prizes will be, we'll decide later.  Let me know what you think of this and have fun.  Oh, and spread the word.  I want lots of entries.

I'm still without a computer, so that means that I can't do any pony covers, but if you want more video game covers with ponies on them, may I recommend .  They aren't as punny as mine.  But, they look very well put together.  Check him out.