My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic #31 Review

“Ponyville Days” concludes! How does the second and final part fare? Let’s take a look.

Here’s the official description from IDW:

‘Ponyville Days’ Part 2. The town struggles to mend a major divide, while hordes of tourists descend on Ponyville and threaten to overwhelm the populace!

“Ponyville Days” is quite an interesting story. It’s definitely ridiculous in concept since the town basically goes into civil war. Friendships are separated and the town’s inhabitants are basically acting like kids on a playground who just can’t get along. It’s silly, but the first part was immensely entertaining. Maybe a little unrealistic, but there’s no denying the reader felt Twilight’s panic when she saw the chaos. Part 2 lacks the chaotic fun of the first one. It sadly makes the town’s inhabitants look even more immature, but is still a fun little read.

Christina Rice brings Twilight back into the center. Despite being a princess, she has never stopped being a character whom has great stress over out-of-control situations. That’s why I particularly liked Spike here, serving as a voice of encouragement. The story is generally uneventful when compared to the last one. Most of the characters act like kids, especially in the splash page where they all bombard Twilight. The Mayor in particular is also disappointing, considering she’s well, supposed to be the mayor. At least Fluttershy was a solid voice of reason for the part, and Pinkie’s constant mishandling of Ponyville history was priceless.

The art by Agnes Garbowska was more on the lackluster side this time. A lot of their faces look out of proportion. Still, its simplicity is nice. The main cover perfectly captures the stress Twilight has to face inside. Though, Applejack is oddly missing. The subscription variant by Charles Paul Wilson III is quite thematic. While having nothing to do with the story, it’s worth picking up because it’s one of the most atmospheric Rainbow Dash pieces I’ve seen. The RI by S-bis is one of the most unique covers of the entire series yet, depicting the ponies in a crystalline-type look. (Though Rainbow Dash does look a little deranged. Despite that, it’s poster-quality.)

Overall, the conclusion to “Ponyville Days” lacks the fun of the first installment while furthering the sad state of the town. Still, it’s an entertaining read as we see Twilight go from character to character in hopes of getting them to cooperate. Next up, “Night of the Apples!” (Not joking!)