It took forever to find which part of this one to draw… This episode is probably my least favorite so far, but for all very minor reasons. Perhaps it was the climax, maybe it was because a lot of it was just a little bit too silly for me to appreciate, or it could be that it just felt like a filler. Filler was definitely a big feeling on this one..
 
This is the first episode that fully focuses on Pinkie Pie and her thought process. Sure she was the answer to the parasprite problem a short time back, but the episode wasn’t necessarily about her but more like what others thought of her. It wasn’t a real focus on some details about how she really operates, exposing many more quirks about her that are left unanswered, and that’s part of the lesson in this episode, Feeling Pinkie Keen.  
(sidenote: She could have used this as an excuse during the Parasprite problem. I mean, is it possible that the others that are familiar with “Pinkie Sense”, whether it be a lie or not at that time, might have listened more readily to her answer to the problem?)
 
I couldn’t help but find a science versus faith argument being addressed in this episode, as well as confidence in what you know and believe. Twilight Sparkle is perpetually skeptical, always asking questions. Pinkie Pie just is, going with the flow and having faith in her subtle signs to help her get through the day. Twilight lost her way though, in that she stopped being skeptical. She observed, but she didn’t ask questions as much as she should have. And when she did, she didn’t ask the right questions because she was too confused on how Pinkie Sense worked. (the same as how unicorn magic could seem confusing Pinkie Pie) This science and faith wedge grew wider through a lack of communication, something of a problem the last time Twilight Sparkle and Pinkie Pie crossed paths. Even at the start, Twilight had fallen into referring to Pinkie’s antics as just “Pinkie being Pinkie”, to me that’s something of a stigma still lingering from when the Parasprites attacked…
 
It’s easy to say that Pinkie Pie’s credibility is often overwritten by her randomness, because let’s face it, she is completely misunderstood in her intent and actions. Rarely is she straightforward with her feelings. I like to think that Pinkie Pie doesn’t really care for the minute range of emotions that anyone has, and instead focuses on simply being happy, and if one isn’t happy, then her only thoughts tend to settle on what will make an unhappy person happy. It’s just who she is and it’s not a bad thing at all.
 
Much of what was shown in the interaction between Twilight and Pinkie could mimic a lot of the attitudes that can take place between say someone that is a believer in a faith (Pinkie and Ponyville regulars) vs someone that’s a believer in science and skepticism (Twilight Sparkle and anyone not as familiar with Pinkie Pie at all), and how at the same time such individuals could remain friends.
 
Before thoughts stray to a more fired up area of this subject, I’ll go ahead and say that that’s not necessarily in a religious sense. I’m looking more to the the difference between those that like evidence in contrast to those that take things to heart that are based on anecdote and faith. I’ll admit that when I first saw this in the episode, I started to view it on a religious/atheist axis, but after watching the episode again and saw how it was portrayed rather well, I think it’s more on the foundation of how someone approaches life in general without the more stressful details getting in the way..
 
If you have faith in something, if you have your own form of “Pinkie Sense” to get you through the day, be it knocking on wood, a ritual, praying or even a gut feeling that you follow, it’s best approached with how Pinkie Pie presented it. Explain it if asked, and go from there. If not, just try to get folks to smile…
 
Being skeptical can be healthy, very healthy, and if you’re wired for that mode of thought, then good on you. But don’t get on your soapbox (like Twilight did). Because even though she had logic and common sense backing what she said, she wouldn’t let up in trying to prove herself right in light of something she simply didn’t understand about her friend. It’s okay to ask questions, but how those questions are asked and the context to which it applies is a key to success. And let’s face it, when people get distracted with such petty arguments, it’s other friends that suffer from the distraction. Spike, for instance, was pushed by Twilight to stop being distracted because of something urgent that needed to be finished before the Grand Galloping Gala. Yet moments later, she’s off trying to figure out Pinkie Sense, leaving Spike confused as to where her priorities really are…
 
Sometimes those that have the most simple approaches to life are indeed the happiest. And ultimately in the end of the episode, the single most important lesson in all of it shined through. Choice.
 
To desire evidence or to accept the face value of something that requires a little faith, both walks of life and all in between, loses any and all meaning without the power to freely choose any of those paths. Given a true choice, without any threat, coercion, or lies, gives the choice more power than any faith or evidence could possibly provide on their own. I could go more into this, but this is a huge chunk of text as it is, and it’s just my dumb assessment of the episode, take it with a grain of salt. -Noben