At this point, I’m wondering if they ripped of Tolkien, because whenever the characters get in a tight situation…EAGLES bail them out.

@Background Pony #8257
 
This.
 
Also…
 
 
@Background Pony #E5CF
 
“I’m sorry if I sound rude but you’re acting like a spoiled brat at this point.”
 
…
 
…guys, I know this might be a stupid question, but is this guy trying to troll me?

@Hollow_Shades_resident  
Since I wrote that comment, above, I have been made aware of the picture book (I was unaware of it when I wrote that).
 
I’ll go with good continuity in that it connects with events that happened to the characters elsewhere in Equestria, but still bad story writing because people like me who never read the picture book had no idea this creature existed. Without any mention of it before in the comic itself, it seems to pop into existence to resolve a plot point quickly and without much effort from the writer.
 
To see how this looked to me, imagine a hypothetical episode of the television show where a problem is solved by simply reaching into a closet, and pulling out an item that was never mentioned on the air before (that happens to have come from one of the comic book stories). The characters say “OH! That thing!” but anyone in the audience who hasn’t read the comics would be left scratching their heads and wondering where it came from.
 
On the other hand, if the characters actually talk about events that happened in the comic story the item-from-the-closet came from during the same television episode it gets used, then it’s appearance would make sense. Both continuity and story would be served.
 
I like the comics and the television series and will continue to read and watch them, but I’m not interested in buying all of the other books in order to keep up with every possible crossover and event.
 
I hope that makes my opinion clear.

@Background Pony #8257  
I call it good continuity, since it’s already an established creature and they didn’t just forget the picture book existed.

@archestereo  
Then don’t watch the show or read the comics anymore if this is going to be a problem for you. I’m sorry if I sound rude but you’re acting like a spoiled brat at this point. That power of her’s, that was from the picture book where she and the rest of the Mane Six went to settle a feud between the Mermares and Seaponies. It’s not Deus Ex Machina if it’s already been established.

@Background Pony #E5CF
 
…why are you bringing up her element? They didn’t bring the EoH with them in this arc, and quite frankly they didn’t need them at all; at any rate, the closest that Twilight had come to transforming a pony before was when she gave Rarity those artificial wings, and that’s if you don’t count her promotion to Alicornhood; she might be a Princess now, but it’d seem like it’d be too soon for to be able to just pull Deus Ex Machinimas like that (I mean, c’mon, she could’t do an age spell before this, and you’d think a race swap spell would be on the same level as the allegedly impossible gender-swap spell that Twilight managed to fake).

@archestereo  
Oh, yeah like we haven’t seen her power in action before! Seriously, she was already OP before this arc. Her element is/was the most powerful among the Elements of Harmony. Were you asleep during the whole show?

@gg666
 
…notice how I said “let alone the captian of the ship.” My whole point was that he posed no legitimate threat whatsoever; in fact, this entire arc seemed to repeatedly sidestep tension.
 
Take, for example, the encounter with the giant ghost crab. JUST AFTER they established that Twilight’s magic couldn’t affect it, Pinkie pulls an army of tiny crabs out of her plot and they plunder the ghost crab’s domain; that just make the ordeal feel pointless. Similarly, the band of pirates presented no real threat since Princess Twilight was so OP.

@archestereo
 
yes rainuke the ship and then what? you have ponies who can’t swim genius

@Background Pony #8257
 
…not to mention how Twilight was able to just give the pirate gills and fins at will; by this logic (unless I’m making a leap somewhere with the evidence that the canon has presented us with thus far), there’s no reason everypony shouldn’t be sealicorns.
 
For that matter, why’d they act like the mutiny was such an undertaking? We just established just how OP Princess Twilight is, and Rainbow Dash could just frickin’ sonic rainuke the frickin’ ship, let alone the ship’s captain. Furthermore, Applejack could’ve bucked him out cold, Pinkie Pie could’ve done what she does best, etc. Oh, and let’s not forget the mane SIX outnumbered him SIX to one.
 
…and how ‘bout how easily the mermares changed their minds after a chase that possibly lasted for years? I mean, c’mon, not only did that one mermare directly contradict herself, but Fluttershy’s speech wasn’t exactly the most profound rhetoric to leave pony lips (especially since she of all characters should have already known this moral better than her friends to begin with).
 
Honestly, this particular arc was a disappointment and just seems like filler (at least the other issues seemed relevant one way or the other); but the Luna Miroseries was great!

This thing just pops up from nowhere at the end of the story, and the audience is expected to just accept it because the characters are saying “we know what this is!”
 
I call deus ex machina.

think it was from the picture book

A Mantahawk? That sounds like something out of Avatar.