Scootaloo: “Hold on; wouldn’t moving in with Rainbow’s parents mean I’d have to move to Cloudsdale? That kinda goes against my whole ‘stay with my friends in Ponyville’ thing…”
 
Bow Hothoof: “Oh, don’t worry about that; obviously we would be moving to Ponyville first! We know how important you three are together here!”
 
Windy Whistles: “Besides, it gives us an excuse to see our daughter Rainbow more often! We could see her and support her every day!”
 
Rainbow Dash: “…Oh, uh… n-no, Scoot, you should stay with your aunts. I’m… SURE they know what’s best for you.”
 

 
I have returned for the Season 9 Retirement Party! Sorry I’m kinda late with this one, but rest assured I did not abandon you all to travel off to dangerous parts of the globe hunting rare, exotic, and dangerous animals such that I would be preoccupied for years at a time while you all were forced to be passed around from babysitter to babysitter like some kind of hot potato! I just got… stuck in traffic. The traffic of personal obligations. You’ll understand when you’re older, okay squirt?
 
Anyway, this week’s comic is based on The Last Crusade, aka: “Holy Crap, Scootaloo’s Parents DO Exist: the Episode”. It makes sense that they would cover this during the last season, considering how big a question mark its been since the start of the show, but still… I wasn’t entirely prepared to meet them. I always figured they were this enigmatic entity that just kinda abandoned Scootaloo for most of her life and are so non-present that they’re never actually seen (and they will probably continue to be so in my comics). Honestly, I’m not that far off; they DID ditch her to go off hunting monsters or whatever, and after leaving her behind for so long, suddenly they decide they want her back, but in a way that completely changes HER lifestyle while leaving THEIRS largely unmodified, and neither she nor any of her close friends and family get any say in the matter! I… have problems with that. I have problems with THEM as parents. And the show just kinda flaunts them as these cool adventurer-types without really addressing too much just how terrible they are towards their own offspring. I feel for Scootaloo here, but at least she’s adapted well and is stronger a pony for it. Plus their “evil” plan to break up the CMC never came to pass, so all’s well and such.
 
That ending was epic, with that giant party dedicated to the Crusaders and all the side characters they’ve helped out in past episodes all together in the same area (Bow and Windy should’ve been there to see Scootaloo off, though; they are part of her fan club, after all). However, this DOES make this episode feel very much like a CMC finale. And even if they show up in starring roles of future episodes individually… I’m not really ready to say goodbye to them as a group just yet. They’ve been through so much together, entertaining me with their own special group dynamic, and inspiring me in many meaningful ways. Crusaders of the Lost Mark is still my favorite episode of the show, and I love seeing all the adventures they go on, whether they’re trying to find their own talents, helping others figure out theirs, or just getting into mischief in general. The Mane Six may be the stars of the show, but it wouldn’t be the same without the Crusaders, and no one can ever replace them.
 
So EQD’s Artist Training Grounds is starting in a couple of days! Unfortunately, I don’t think I’ll be participating this time. I’ve got some stuff in my life I need to take care of right now, and it feels like I’m barely able to get these comics out on time anymore, so I don’t think I can reasonably commit to the whole drawing-a-day thing this year, despite the much more accomodating schedule. I’ll still be working on comics, and maybe I’ll submit an entry or a few to the event, but it’s not gonna be a big overarching thing like it was last year. Please do support those that are participating, though. Plenty of great stuff I’ve seen come from these, and new artists need the acknowledgement!
 
Cutie Mark Crusaders forever, everypony! Looking forward to the next episode!