Friendship Is Witchcraft



Friendship is Witchcraft is an Abridged Series using material from My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic. It is a joint project headed by Jenny Nicholson and Griffin Lewis. Most of the voices are done by Jenny Nicholson while Griffin Lewis does the music, editing and sometimes the voices.

Rather than directly parodying the show, it presents a version of the MLP universe where each character is just a bit...different. Twilight Sparkle is an obsessive fanfic author, Spike is a universally scorned target of abuse, Fluttershy is an insane cultist, and Pinkie Pie is an orphan who just wants to be loved. Oh, and Sweetie Belle is a robot, but no one seems to have noticed. The resulting show almost feels like a pony version of Sealab 2021.

The series features original background music and even original musical numbers. Via use of clever editing and special effects, it even seems to be developing its own story arc, revolving around Pinkie's attempts to use gypsy magic to go back in time and save her dead parents.

It can be found here.

"Spike: Augh! Spike: Not again!"
 * Abusive Parents:, to hilarious extents.
 * Twilight to Spike.
 * Ad Break Double Take: Parodies the one from 'Look Before You Sleep', where lightning strikes a tree near Twilight's house.

"Fluttershy: Bouncing baby bunnies burning brightly...!"
 * Added Alliterative Appeal: Done rather morbidly in 'Dragone Baby Gone.'

"Luna: Together, we shall do friend activities such as... puzzles, and... hugging, and... OTHER THINGS!"
 * Adorkable: Luna/Molestia, if in a more conventional fashion (accent notwithstanding) than in canon.

"Fluttershy: This is your cult leader Fluttershy, speaking. Praise Smooze! And, um... remember to leave some money in the donation tray... um, if that's okay with you."
 * Affably Evil: Fluttershy.

"Twilight Sparkle: When Fluttershy isn't helping animals learn﻿ to read, she's tempting the devil with her dulcet tones! And she's yellow!"
 * All Love Is Unrequited: Diamond Tiara is poorly hiding her Tsundere crush on Apple Bloom, while Silver Spoon has a crush on her.
 * Amazingly Embarrassing Parents: Diamond Tiara's mom, who gets drunk at her daughter's mark mitzvah and starts singing Smash Mouth. Badly.
 * Ambiguously Jewish: Diamond Tiara, not because of surname nor mannerisms, but because of her "mark mitzvah" celebration upon getting a cutie mark. It's only really ambiguous because the finer points of pony religions are unaddressed.
 * Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: From "Lunar Slander":

"Apple Bloom: But... Applejack says that-- Rainbow Dash: Hey, who are you going to listen to? (does goofy 'applebucking' pose) Someone who does this all day? Or your sister?"
 * Back From the Dead: When one comes back, a number appears that counts how many have been revived.
 * Bad Bad Acting: Applejack and Rarity playing "Applesack" and "Charity" in Twilight's fanfiction.
 * Rarity's discovery of Sweetie Belle's heart breaking drawing inspires her to write a monologue for her Hearth's Warming Eve pageant audition
 * Rarity (noticing a pattern?) pretending to have Disco Fever.
 * Rarity takes acting classes. Sweetie Belle accuses her of being a robot because she has difficulty expressing real emotions.
 * Spike's butchering of "Reflection" in his audition for the Hearth's Warming Eve pageant. Perhaps it's for the best that Twilight forbids him to dream.
 * Bait and Switch Comparison: In "Cute From The Hip":
 * Bait and Switch Comparison: In "Cute From The Hip":

"Skills: Clubs, Spikes, Clubbing Spike Item: Spiked Club Dislikes: Clubbing, Spike"
 * We also have this from Rarity: "But we have nothing in common, I come from a rich family, and you like to eat apples."
 * Beat: In "Cute From the Hip", one lasts long enough for Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle to blink in time with the music several times.
 * Big Brother Is Watching: According to Rarity, the Robot Police are always listening.
 * As are the Fashion Police.
 * And the Candy Police...
 * And judging by Fluttershy's reaction, the Magic Police...
 * Bizarro Universe: Word of God stated that they consider the show itself like "a bizarro universe version of Friendship is Magic" that airs on an alternate universe Adult Swim-like version of The Hub.
 * Black Comedy: A giant ball of parasprites crashing into a bowling alley knocking down all the pins is pretty funny, except when it kills eight ponies. Then it's hilarious.
 * Rarity's parents are brought back from the dead, and soon go off for a vacation in "Neigh, Soul Sister". Listen in the background for what happens.
 * Rarity has PTSD. Cue jokes at her expense.
 * Even she herself calls it 'Post-Traumatic Dress Disorder.'
 * Black Magic: Not exactly defined yet, but there is some kind of distinction between "witchcraft" and "legal magic".
 * Blind Without'Em: Rainbow Dash admits that her astigmatism made her too nearsighted to join the army during the war or the Wonderballs now. Everything's blurry from her viewpoint. She mistakes Apple Bloom for Applejack at first, and then later both Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. She refuses to listen to her eye doctor about getting glasses, though.
 * Bread, Eggs, Breaded Eggs: Fluttershy's profile in "Dragone Baby Gone":

"[LEMON]jack: Take a shower! Use deodorant! Breathe through your nose! Throw some spiders! Molestia: What? I feel like that stopped making sense."
 * Bread, Eggs, Milk, Squick: [KIWI]jack giving Molestia tips to be sexier:

"Sisterly Double Dutch Sisterly Bobsleigh Derby Sisterly Turing Test Sisterly Soul Scan Sisterly Do-The-Apple-Family's-Chores-Extravaganza"
 * In "Neigh, Soul Sister", the Sentient Social activity list is as follows:

"Apple Bloom: Uh, Pinkie, if you're going to start singing, could you put the lyrics at the bottom of the screen?"
 * Breaking the Fourth Wall: In "Cute From the Hip":

"Fluttershy: It's so... tall/steep... Rainbow Dash: Well it is a tall/steep thing!"
 * The extended version of said song has Pinkie singing about baking the fourth wall as part of her plan.
 * Brick Joke:
 * The "Elmer's bath" that Fluttershy took prior to 'Dragone Baby Gone' appears to be a part of the usual treatment that she and Rarity have at her cult's "Conversion Spa" in 'Neigh, Soul Sister.'
 * In "Dragone, Baby Gone", Twilight tells the dragon her Gaia name, Celestia2. Later, in "Lunar Slander," a Gaia user with the name Celestia2 suggests to Celestia that her sister is trying to destroy the throne, and that she should make her most faithful student a princess instead.
 * "Pinkie's Brew" contains the lyrics "Eye of newt and cinnamon". In "Lunar Slander," Pip reveals that he lost an eye, and that his given name is Newt.
 * Before confronting in "Dragone, Baby Gone", Twilight offhandedly mentions that she may have to frame Molestia again to secure her place on the throne. Later, in "Lunar Slander", it's shown that Twilight was responsible for Luna's banishment, just so she could have a chance at being a princess.
 * Buffy-Speak: Regarding the mountain in "Dragone Baby Gone":

"Doctor American: I'm American."
 * Bus Crash: Implied with ; after leaving, the sounds of an offscreen crash are heard.
 * Also what happened originally. Apparently Pinkie's brew is wreaking havoc with reality.
 * Butt Monkey: Everypony hates Spike. They always think of mean things to say about/to him and give him the hardest tasks such as holding a lightning rod on top of Twilight's library.
 * In fact, in the montage in Episode 3, the Element, Skills, Item and Dislikes of every pony in Team D.E.S.U. are displayed. Every pony has "Spike" in their dislikes. Also see the Bread, Eggs, Breaded Eggs example above.
 * Calling Your Attacks: "Rainbow Dodge!" "Rainbow Kick!"
 * Came Back Wrong: Possibly, depending on how much Granny Smith's skin was falling off before her death.
 * The Cameo: Defied. Doctor Whooves in this series is instead named Doctor American.

"*Snails takes a massive bite out of a cake with a smiley face drawn on it. The cake frowns.* Diamond Tiara: Hey! Cakey is my best friend! I get to decide when she dies!"
 * Catch Phrase: Applejack's "What in the name of Lee's ghost..." and "Gravy!"
 * Character Blog: The non-canon Ask a Pony blog Sweetie Bot Replies.
 * Characterization Marches On: In the first episode, Princess Celestia seems to actually like Twilight Sparkle -- albeit in more of a "celebrity and Big Name Fan" way than their close relationship in the actual show -- and actually asks her for a friendship report. Later episodes show Princess Celestia to consider Twilight obnoxious at best and creepy at worst, and establishes the letters as something Twilight took it upon herself to send and Celestia wishes would just stop.
 * This may have something to do with the massive shipfic about two of her friends that Twilight sent.
 * Chekhov's Gun: The line "They say a kitch-en time save nine" from "Pinkie's Brew" seems like a throwaway rhyme, but when various parents start coming Back From the Dead in "Neigh, Soul Sister", there's a counter counting up to nine.
 * In the same episode as Pinkie's Brew, Cheerilee gives a seemingly irrelevant and paranoid lesson about robots that seems to have no bearing on anything. Then, at the end of the episode, Sweetie Belle is introduced.
 * Cloudcuckooland: You'd be hard pressed to pick which character in Ponyville is the farthest off the deep end.
 * As of the second episode it seems that Twilight Sparkle is at least a little crazier than Applejack and Rarity. Though not by much.
 * And Pinkie Pie is the only sane pony.
 * Companion Cube: Diamond Tiara gets a gift box, and declares it her new best friend. While Silver Spoon is right next to her.
 * In the same episode...

"Sweetie Belle: Applejack: Moonshine gravy!"
 * Comedic Sociopathy: Most of the Mane Six seem to suffer from it to some extent.
 * Mocked by Sweetie Belle:
 * Beat*

"Rarity: You! Little! B-"
 * Crap Saccharine World: As mentioned above, it's made as a Bizarro version of the series, with all the awfulness and strangeness such a description implies.
 * Credits Gag: Rarity's parents are named "Mommity" and "Daddity"
 * Cross-Dressing Voices: Anypony voiced by Griffin Lewis. Silver Spoon in particular sounds a lot like Lumpy Space Princess. And Celestia sounds more like a queen than a princess.
 * Curse Cut Short: Just barely audible in 'Read it and Sleep.'

"Dear viewers, We have officially received our first cease and desist letter regarding the use of copyrighted material in our videos.
 * Cute Is Evil: Fluttershy, the soft spoken, aggressively Moe, leader of a doomsday cult.
 * Deal with the Devil: Inverted with Molestia offering her title to Twilight for assistance making friends.
 * Devil in Plain Sight: It's pretty ridiculous how the other ponies regard Fluttershy when she called the parasprite swarm her "Army of Darkness", killed at least 13 dragons and many other demons, enjoys clubbing Spike with her spiked club, throws rabbits into bonfires, and leads a Religion of Evil (see below).
 * Even Evil Has Standards: Fluttershy seems to be honestly trying to talk Rarity out of donating Sweetie Belle's college fund to her cult.
 * Disney Owns This Trope / Clumsy Copyright Censorship: Parodied in "Lunar Slander", right from the beginning:

The word "apple" and the image of an apple are legal copyrights of the Dole corporation. This episode has been modified from its original version to keep within good legal standing. We thought that DOLE would be a BRO about this, but clearly there is no BRO in DOLE. We hope you enjoy the episode regardless."

"Newt: Ever since I lost my eye, I've been craving nothing but candy! Twilight: Talk about holiday spirit."
 * Through the rest of the episode, any apple-related imagery is blurred out, and any mentions of apples is subtly changed to other fruits. This includes jack's name.
 * Dramatic Irony: Sweetie Belle accuses Rarity of being a "" when she protests attending the Sentient Social with her. Of course, she's also (quite obviously) a robot herself, but nobody (including herself) notices.
 * Dysfunction Junction: Applejack and Rarity are tormented by their memories of the war, Pinkie Pie is an orphan accused of witchcraft, and Fluttershy is... Fluttershy. Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash are the only two of the Mane Six who aren't horribly emotionally scarred, and even Twilight occasionally lapses into obsessive madness.
 * Eagle Land: Doctor American.
 * Early Installment Weirdness: Some of the running gags established in later episodes are so pervasive that their absence early on can be striking.
 * The first episode's establishing shots feature silent background characters
 * "The Perfect Swarm" uses traditional censor bars and bleep sounds.
 * The original music gets progressively more elaborate throughout the series, making the early episodes seem somewhat sparse in comparison.
 * Establishing Series Moment: Fluttershy singing "Hellfire". In the first ten seconds.
 * Everypony Hates Mathematics: According to Cheerilee, numbers are strictly forbidden in Ponyville.
 * Everything's Better with Princesses: Along with Princesses Celestia and Molestia/Luna, in "Dragone Baby Gone" Twilight claims Celestia has named her a princess along with being the leader of Team D.E.S.U.
 * And as of "Lunar Slander".
 * Extraverted Nerd: Luna's Danny Phantom fanart is "sure to make you squee in delight!"
 * Extreme Omnivore: Applejack has eaten mud (pretending it's chocolate) and an old sandwich on the floor ("It's still good!").
 * It seems to run in the family; Apple Bloom eats paper.
 * Eye Scream: Half the time a character says "Talk about eye candy" it's because something is in or on their eyes.
 * Subverted in "Lunar Slander".

"Applejack: Apple Bloom, the grapes are different than our kind! You know what that means! Apple Bloom (cheerfully stomping grapes): Destroy! Destroy! Destroy!"
 * Fan Nickname: Sweetie Belle gets called Sweetie Bot. No points for guessing why.
 * Fantastic Racism: In addition to the cast's utter contempt for Spike, adult dragons are apparently kept in cages in Equestria, for children to throw things at. Twilight all but directly states that the only reason baby dragons don't suffer this fate is because they're considered too small of targets.
 * Applejack is apparently a huge xenophobe:

"Apple Bloom: Applejack and I dec— Applejack: ...ided that I could do the race with you, and we're only— Apple Bloom: Going to charge you twenty— Applejack: Hundred dollars."
 * Finishing Each Other's Sentences: In "Neigh, Soul Sister."

"Applejack: Hey, all of us have some depth to our characters... Rainbow Dash: I don't! Applejack: Almost all of us have some depth to our characters..."
 * Flat Character: Rainbow Dash, proudly so.

"Fluttershy: Do you know what a bunny fire is?
 * Foreshadowing: "Gypsy? I'm not a gypsy! I'm a pastry chef! Those aren't even similar! ...Or are they?"
 * Freudian Excuse: Fluttershy's evil seems to be the product of her hellish childhood.
 * Is it like a fire? For... bunnies? Are you still angry because I threw your velveteen rabbit in a fire?"

"Rainbow Dash: Well, we've tried rainbows and dashing, so I'm basically out of ideas."
 * Fun with Acronyms: Team D.E.S.U.: "Dragon Euthanization Specialty Unit."
 * Gag Dub
 * Gilligan Cut: Applejack in 'Dragone Baby Gone.' Apparently rattle snakes just aren't that fast in July.
 * Also in 'Cute From The Hip.'

"Princess Molestia: (magically pulls Fluttershy to her and hugs her) Prepare yourself for a glomp. For this kind act, you have earned yourself one thousand hugs starting now."
 * The Glomp: In "Lunar Slander."

""I did what I had to to protect the Apple family!"
 * Gratuitous Japanese Twilight introduces herself to Luna with watashi wa and is quickly cut off, suggesting the makers never got beyond the first chapter of their learn Japanese text book.
 * Earlier their dragon destruction team was called team D.E.S.U. although the u in desu is silent when pronounced.
 * Great Offscreen War: "Read It and Sleep" and "Neigh, Soul Sister" contain numerous references to "the war" and what happened in it. Despite this, all we know is that Applejack considers Rarity a deserter, and has done things she wouldn't otherwise do, including at least one war crime. Meanwhile, Rarity was traumatized by her time in the trenches.

"I'm sure that's what you said while you were driving that stampede into a school house!""


 * Hair Trigger ABBAlanche: Invoked by Fluttershy. For that moment, the falling rocks (and mountainside).
 * Hollywood Tourettes: Averted. Spike's Tourette's doesn't cause obligatory swearing, but it does cause him to involuntarily teleport his epic fantasy trilogy to Celestia... who destroys his years of work, thinking it's another one of Twilight's creepy fics.
 * Pony Mom, Non-Pony Dad:, whose normal appearance is justified.

"Applejack: Oh, hay. I gotta go on home and wreck something so I can file an insurance claim saying the storm did it. See ya!"
 * Hurricane of Puns: Can be seen as faithfulness to the source material dialed Up to Eleven.
 * Insurance Fraud: Applejack's excuse to leave when she sees Twilight's fanfiction.

"Sweetie Belle:"
 * Ironic Echo: Sweetie Belle practices a song early in 'Neigh, Soul Sister' about how much she loves her sister Rarity. Compare to the song she sings during the race, after rejecting her.
 * Irony: Despite being an ostensibly soulless robot, Sweetie Belle is the only character besides Spike and Pinkie to have any emotional depth.

"With just a little teamwork we can all- Twilight: I'm going in alone!"
 * Just for Pun: Twilight Sparkle tries numerous puns for the name of her book fort for Princess Celestia.
 * Kick the Dog: "Spike's Big Day."
 * Least Rhymable Word: Even Zecora has trouble with the word "circle".
 * Laughing Mad: Twilight giggles in a rather unsettling fashion just before showing Rarity her Applesack/Charity fanfiction.
 * Law of Disproportionate Response: seems more upset with her father over his refusal to come to her softball games or not putting pictures on the fridge as opposed to
 * Leeroy Jenkins: Twilight.

"Celestia (narrating): Taking drastic measures, Celestia banished her wicked sister to Space Camp for one thousand hours."
 * Lighter and Softer: Possibly due to the standard inversion of the source material, Molestia's backstory is considerably less tragic than Luna's.

"Twilight: Fort... e?"
 * Literal Minded: Twilight thinks Princess Celestia wants her to build a "book fort." At the end of the episode we find out the princess had told her that "books are your forte".

"Princess Celestia: Didn't you learn something about one of your dear friends? Twilight Sparkle: Oh, right! Dear Princess Celestia, today I learned that it doesn't matter if you can slide two feet, or even five or six feet. What's important is that you look cool no matter what."
 * Lock and Load Montage: 'Dragone Baby Gone' uses the one from 'Dragonshy' for the most part, substituting a stat list after each freeze-frame (and adding one for Twilight, who wasn't part of the original).
 * Loser Protagonist: Apparently shaping up to be In fact, every appearance of hers after "The Perfect Swarm" more or less involves her attempts at witchcraft.
 * Losing Horns: Frequently.
 * Lost Aesop: The original episode lesson always gets shoved aside by things that distract Twilight.
 * Episode 1 "The Perfect Swarm":

"Twilight Spakle: Oh, who was that pretty lady?"
 * At the end of Episode 2 "Read It and Sleep" Twilight's friendship report is actually.
 * In Episode 3 "Dragone Baby Gone" she ends up writing to the Princess about
 * Also in Episode 3, Twilight cuts Applejack off just as she was about to finish her teamwork speech.
 * Episode 4 "Cute from the Hip" Twilight starts out with what sounds like a normal letter about remembering her childhood only to go on about how much she likes writing and sending letters to Princess Celestia.
 * Averted in Episode 5 "Neigh, Soul Sister". Even though Twilight doesn't appear in the episode, she gives a lesson (via a micro tape Sweetie Belle swallowed) on always loving one's brother, mirroring Rarity's and Sweetie Belle's lesson in the original episode.
 * In episode 6 "Lunar Slander" has her write about the difference between a ghoul and a phantom, and how she will one day be able to be a princess to deliver her letters as soon as they're done.
 * Lucky Translation: Although the Russian translation sadly loses some of the glorious puns that this show has, the joke about Twilight (not) speaking applenese (по-яблонски) is made even better than in the original.
 * Also works similarly well in the Japanese translation, as the names of every language in Japanese ends with the sound "-go", coincidentally so does the Japanese word for "Apple" (Ringo).
 * Lull Destruction: Possibly parodied in "The Perfect Swarm", where several shots of Twilight walking along not speaking are dubbed with idle jaw-hanging-open vocal sounds. This occasionally crops up in other episodes as well.
 * Lyrical Dissonance: "Pinkie's Brew" starts off as a zany attempt by Pinkie Pie to go back in time but quickly becomes depressing as it's clear she wants nothing more than to see her parents. There's a reason the song cuts out partway through in the episode.
 * Manipulative Bastard: Twilight Sparkle plays Molestia like a harp from Hell in Lunar Slander, and is all but confirmed to have been the one who convinced Celestia to banish her to Space Camp in the first place. Her  might push her into full fledged Magnificent Bastard territory.
 * Motor Mouth: Done briefly by Apple Bloom in Episode 4, first while talking to Rainbow Dash about cutie marks, then again while talking to Twilight about Pinkie's gypsy magic.
 * Ms. Exposition: Diamond Tiara's talent.
 * Mythology Gag: The Smooze was a villain the 1986 movie.
 * Narcissist: Along with a touch of Cloudcuckoolander, Twilight's reaction to seeing her own face (as Apple Bloom's cutie mark)?

"Pinkie Pie: I'm just a kid! I fit in! Twilight Sparkle: Pinkie Pie, didn't you already have a childhood? Pinkie Pie: No."
 * Then this guy appears on Apple Bloom's flank, and she asks the same question with the same tone.
 * She also immediately decides that since Celestia put her in charge of taking care of the dragon problem, she can declare herself Princess Twilight (with this picture in the group shot).
 * Never My Fault: Twilight manages to blame every mistake she makes on Spike.
 * Nice Hat: While she's still a designer, giant hats are Rarity's specialty. She also has a "hat scarf."
 * The Nicknamer: Cheerilee doesn't know any of her students' names, and so calls them things like "you" and "girl with the bow."
 * Applejack tends to call people non sequiturs like "lawnmower" and "wagon wheel."
 * Noisy Robots: Sweetie Belle is almost always heard whirring whenever she moves.
 * Noodle Incident: Twilight maintains that her attempt to make waffles in a bounce house would've worked if not for Spike's weak grip, but Celestia forbidding Twilight to enter a bounce house ever again says otherwise.
 * No Waterproofing in the Future: Water makes Sweetie Belle ""
 * One of the Kids: Played for tragedy.
 * beat*

"Sweetie Belle: Rarity: Cry? That's not a war face."
 * Only Sane Mare: Oddly enough, Pinkie, despite her canon personality. Her friends still insist on treating her as an evil gypsy witch.
 * Sweetie Belle is the only one to call out other characters on their callousness, when she's not busy "" and declaring her love for her sister. Despite being a robot.
 * Original Character: In-Universe. The bat-winged pegasi are Molestia's OCs.
 * Orphanage of Emotional Abuse: Judging from Pinkie's Orphanage songs, she was taught that she probably wouldn't ever be adopted because she was an 'ugly pink earth pony' and wasn't special enough to be loved.
 * The Other Darrin: Rainbow Dash is voiced by Keesha Bush-Trenerry in "The Perfect Swarm" and Jenny Nicholson in later episodes.
 * Out of Character: Rarity's decision to attend the Sentient Social instead of the return of Lord Smooze is one of the only endearing moments in the series.
 * Out of Character: Rarity's decision to attend the Sentient Social instead of the return of Lord Smooze is one of the only endearing moments in the series.

"Sweetie Belle:"
 * Overly Long Gag: recounting her Hilariously Abusive Childhood.
 * Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle's stunned blinking, to the point where they eventually start blinking with the background music. Followed immediately after by the three thinking of names for their group, to which Sweetie Belle can only think of ""
 * Repeated in "Neigh, Soul Sister". While listening to Spike's audition tape, Sweetie Belle's reflection in the mirror occasionally blinks out of sync with her.
 * Paper-Thin Disguise:
 * Parental Abandonment: Pinkie Pie is an orphan. Her parents are dead.
 * Rarity's parents also died six years ago while on vacation.
 * Pet the Dog: Rarity missed the eclipse and the attempted return of The Smooze in order to attend the Sentient Social with Sweetie Belle. Even her reasoning for doing so is a little heartwarming. "I wanted to save your soul". She cared enough for Sweetie Belle that she wanted to make sure she got through the apocalypse, when it did arrive.
 * The Philosopher: Sweetie Belle.

"Rainbow Dash: I always liked rainbows and all, but I was dashing nowhere in a dash. It wasn't until my very first dash that I rainbowed a rainbow need to dash. And rainbow! Dash rainbow dash rain dash rainbow rain dash dash!"
 * Pokémon-Speak: Rainbow Dash's SMURFING devolves into this in her story of how she got her cutie mark:

"Applejack: We didn't name ya Apple Bloom so you could grow up to be the president."
 * To Twilight, Apple Bloom sounds like she only says the word 'apples.' She thinks she's speaking "Applenese."
 * Poor Communication Kills: Parodied in "The Perfect Swarm"; Pinkie Pie repeatedly tells the others exactly what she's doing and asks for help, only to get completely ignored.
 * Prophetic Name: From "Cute From The Hip":

"Zecora: Gather, kids, and form a circle
 * Punctuated for Emphasis: Rarity starts doing this several times in "Read It And Sleep", only to keep getting interrupted before she can finish.
 * Red Eyes, Take Warning: When Sweetie Belle declares Applejack is her new sister, she displays these.
 * Religion of Evil: Rarity is in a cult led by Fluttershy. They worship "Lord Smooze", a monster from the G1 movie. Oh, and they attempted to summon him during a solar eclipse with the intention of ending the world.
 * Ridiculously Equine Robots: Cheerilee starts episode 4 by giving a lecture about the dangers of robots, who are indistinguishable from, and believe they are, actual ponies. Then Sweetie Belle appears and starts talking in Robo Speak and nopony bats an eye.
 * AI Is a Crapshoot: Apparently, robots go on murderous rampages if they ever discover their true natures.
 * Rhymes on a Dime: Subverted with Zecora, who is introduced as "the whimsical rhyming zebra" and proceeds to screw up her first chance:

And listen as I...um...uh...'circle'...um...

...Hey, kids, who wants to follow me to the creepy statue?"

"Cheer up, kiddo, don't be sad. This night didn't turn out so...s-sad. Just listen to what I've sa-ai-ad And then you won't feel so sad!"
 * She later botches what should be an easy rhyme while trying to console the children over the cancellation of Molest Fest as well:

"Spike: I'm too dumb and fat! And your blueprint's just a great sketch and a clever pun!"
 * Robo Speak: Sweetie Belle at times drops into stilted speech. Even when she's talking about heartfelt emotions or life and death, it still sounds heavily synthesized.
 * Robot Filly: Unknowingly, Sweetie Belle. It's a hilariously Paper-Thin Disguise.
 * Running Gag:
 * "Talk about eye candy..."
 * Subverted when Newt tells Twilight about losing his eye, and craving candy ever since. "Talk about holiday spirit!"
 * Twilight constantly checks up on Bon Bon, who casually waters the flowers... even when the parasprites start eating the town.
 * Each time lightning flashes in 'Read It and Sleep', Spike reminds us where he is.
 * "Buy some apples!"
 * "Look how [adjective] I can [verb]!"
 * "Get out of my way, [noun]!"
 * Spike's weak grip.
 * "Destroy! Destroy! Destroy!"
 * The constant mentioning of "giant hats."
 * Everyone is skinnier than Spike.
 * Someone commenting on Dash or Applejack demonstrating why they're the Element of Honesty/Loyalty gets poorly dubbed over with their Canon Element.
 * Twilight's "Neh!" when there's a lack of better words to say.
 * Luna's "Bluh?"
 * The noises characters make when their mouths are hanging open.
 * Applejack's constant use of rattlesnakes in her metaphors, despite the fact that they never make sense.
 * Ponies yelling randomly about either what they're doing or feeling (ie. The beginning of "Read It and Sleep").
 * Saying Sound Effects Out Loud: Sweetie Belle's "" in "Neigh, Soul Sister".
 * Secret Test: attempts to justify  actions by claiming this was the point of everything they did.
 * Self-Made Orphan: In all fairness, though, had it coming.
 * Self-Serving Memory: In "The Perfect Swarm", Twilight Sparkle's recollection of the scene with Spike from the beginning of the episode.

"Applejack: Sometimes I just stare into the flames and think about how small we all are..."
 * Shell-Shocked Veteran: Rarity and Applejack did some dubious things during a previous war.

"Applejack: Dance on that table. Should come natural to ya."
 * Shipper on Deck: Quite literally: Twilight Sparkle has written a 70 chapter ship-fic involving "Applesack" and "Charity".
 * Shout-Out:
 * The Hunchback of Notre Dame gets numerous allusions. For starters, in addition to Fluttershy's association with "Hellfire" serving as the Establishing Series Moment, it also provides her Leitmotif in episode three.
 * Also, in the extended version of Pinkie's baking song, she says "God Help the Outcast" which, coupled with how Fluttershy keeps calling her a gypsy, makes her essentially Esmerelda.
 * "It'll all be secret, but fun."
 * "It's time to taste the painbow."
 * once threw her velveteen rabbit in a fire.
 * Apple Bloom fears that Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara are going to drop pigs' blood on her at the party.
 * The class at the start of "Cute from the Hip" chant "phallic symbol, phallic symbol", mimicking the school scene in the 2006 version of The Wicker Man. Cheerilee identifies it as the Equestrian national anthem.
 * "The spinning cutie mark was already taken by our local Beyblade champion!"
 * "Cutie Mark and the Funky Bunch!"
 * Among the cutie marks Twilight gives Apple Bloom are the Ty Inc. logo, the eye of XANA, and Nyx.
 * The use of "plot" in the sense fans of the show have come to use it.
 * After watching Applejack and Apple Bloom herd some sheep into a pen, Sweetie Belle wonders, ""
 * Spike singing "Reflection" from Mulan.
 * "I've got soul, but I am not a soldier."
 * The sheep leading the prison break is the falsely accused Jean Valsheep.
 * Fluttershy's cult plots to revive the Smooze, a villain from G1.
 * "Okay, well, I'm gonna go schmooze. Nothin' can stop the schmooze!"
 * A subtle one, but when Applejack and Rarity gasp at Twilight "getting the costumes," there's an interrupting Time Skip transition pretty much identical to the ones used in Majora's Mask.
 * The same sound plays when the day of the eclipse starts.
 * Twilight's Rupony Kenshin cosplay.
 * SMURFING: Rainbow Dash does this with "rainbow" and "dash".
 * Sound Effect Bleep: Played straight in episode 1. Starting in episode 4, it's replaced with a sound clip of Apple Bloom saying 'Buy some apples!' with an apple and a "censored" bar covering the offending muzzle.
 * Parodied in "Lunar Slander", where due to a cease and desist letter prohibiting any depiction or mention of apples, the apple image over the muzzle and Applejack's Cutie Mark is blurred and the sound clip of 'Buy some apples!' is censored accordingly.
 * Source Music: Molestia's entrance is accompanied with "Gotta Go Fast" playing on her iPod.
 * Standard Snippet: "Neigh, Soul Sister" briefly uses "The Syncopated Clock".
 * Stealth Insult: Done incredibly subtly with Applejack and Rarity in Episode 2.
 * Stealth Insult: Done incredibly subtly with Applejack and Rarity in Episode 2.

"Sweetie Belle:"
 * Stealth Pun:
 * Rarity's sleep song -- based on "Art of the Dress", itself a parody of the song "Putting It Together" -- prompts Applejack to remark that she doesn't "care much for covers."
 * "Your talent is wiggling--" (Silver Spoon wiggles her butt) "--my talent is exposition; both of our talents have to do with plot!"
 * "What an interesting plot, Twist!"
 * In The Perfect Swarm, Celestia exclaims "I'm sorry to have to put you through so much tribble."
 * "The eldest came to be known as Celestia, because she raised the sun each day. Her younger sister, who used her powers to raise the moon, was called Molestia."
 * "...I'd have to say that this was the most touching Molest Fest yet!"
 * Stepford Smiler. Pinkie. Oh, dear God, Pinkie. She learned to pretend to be happy while growing up in an orphanage, and her skills are listed as baking, smiling, and facades.
 * And Rarity. Poor, shell-shocked Rarity.

"Twilight Sparkle: Dear Princess Celestia, today, on a separate adventure, I learned that the letters in my name spell Skillet Witgraph! Can I change my name again? Your faithful student, whooo knooows?"
 * Strange Girl: Does not even begin to describe Twilight Sparkle.

"AC:The race has begun We must run fast Jump over the mud Having a good time"
 * Subverted Rhyme Every Occasion: There isn't a lot of actual rhyming in "Sweetie's Big Race", but two parts have clearly subverted rhymes:

"AC:Making tacky jelly Put it on your head We're gonna win the race Because I am a good racer!"
 * and

"AC:Just because you feel upset Does not mean you have to yell..."
 * The first line of her earlier song might also qualify, depending on where she was going with it:


 * Suspiciously Similar Song: Pinkie's Parasprite Polka song is replaced by a polka version of Rebecca Black's "Friday".
 * Suspiciously Specific Denial: While teasing Apple Bloom, Silver Spoon abruptly insists "Diamond Tiara would never fall in love with someone as clumsy as you!"
 * In "Pinkie's Brew" (see Lyrical Dissonance, above), her parents tell her to "please [not] bake a portal, just accept it and move on". So... how exactly did they anticipate that possibility?
 * Gypsy Magic.
 * Talking To Herself: Most scenes in the show, since one girl is doing the majority of the Mane Cast.
 * Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon also share the same voice actor.
 * Throw the Dog a Bone:
 * Total Eclipse of the Plot: The intent was for Rarity and Fluttershy to awaken Smooze during the eclipse and end the world, but Rarity misses it to attend the Sentient Social instead.
 * Unfortunate Name: Molestia.
 * Unresolved Sexual Tension: One-sided, from Silver Spoon to Diamond Tiara.
 * And from Diamond Tiara to Apple Bloom.
 * Unsound Effect: Used repeatedly along with Saying Sound Effects Out Loud in the Cold Open of "Read It And Sleep".
 * Villain Song: Played with-Princess of the Night was written to sound like a Disney villain song, but the role of the manipulative "villain" in this situation is filled by Twilight.
 * What the Hell Is That Accent?: Molestia. She sounds not entirely unlike Tommy Wiseau.
 * She sounds remarkably like Dexter from Dexter's Lab.
 * Would Hurt A Foal: If Rarity's account of the war is honest, Applejack.
 * Wrong Genre Savvy: Diamond Tiara believes that since her talent is exposition, she and Silver Spoon must be the main characters.
 * Yangire: Sweetie Belle starts treading close to this in "Neigh, Soul Sister" when she attempts attaching herself to Applejack.

"Rarity: What was that, "Applesack"? You wouldn't want us to end up like Twilight's old friends in Canterlot, would you?"
 * Twilight is... words fail me.


 * You Can't Fight Fate: Everyone fully expects Apple Bloom's cutie mark to be apple-related, even after Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle rant how they could have any cutie mark they wanted.
 * Your Answer to Everything: "C'mon, DT, let's wrestle!"
 * Yuri Fangirl: Twilight Sparkle.