I say some key words like nostalgia or newcomer writers...because that´s what the episode is......for absolute wrong reasons. Turns out that the new writer doesn´t achieve neither the new direction nor the old one.
Non Compete Clause comes as a 2nd part of Fall Weather Friends and personally, that episode felt average to me, season 1 had better episodes than that one. Then, it repeats an overused cliche that not many desire to watch: being competitive against each other by being idiots about it. And not for only just a part of the ep,it´s the entire plot.

I thought AJ and Rainbow left that side from them long ago and many users were citing Buckball Season (from Season 6) as putting their differences apart and letting others in for it. They are friends and while it´s nice to be competitive sometimes, the dynamic just doesn´t work as much as one would expect.What I try to say is that while the writer tries to make callback to that old episode, the new circumstances for it suffer from it.

Basically, the student 6 is great by itself and we saw that in the opener, they could learn and have adventures between each other nicely. However, the potential gets reduced to cute and funny moments in some lines and gets dragged down by Aj and Rainbow and this problem gets carried during all the episode.... for some reason.

Why did we need this plot device? Do something with the students or just put RD and AJ with a different dynamic but not with this one.
Whenever you see the episode, you can draw your own potential plotlines and make on your own which way the episode should have gone. I warned some fags about this one( I watched the leak) and some innocents wasted their illusions and hype about this episode.

Anwyay, if you are going to see it, I would recommend just to point out the good things from it and that´s it.
The Student 6 delivered what they could, Pinkie with one line just stole it and these cutie pies that I am posting.

Have a field with this one, it´s completely understandable to bitch and say shit about it. I rarely encourage that but I think it´s a good moment to post some bitter thoughts. Not even EqD nor Reddit can defend it and the strawpoll in /mlp/ says everything. This rating distribution hasn´t appeared since Carts Before the Ponies or Princess Spike.

Neighsay won this time. He may be the only winner.