My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic/Fridge Brilliance

Fridge Brilliance for .

General
"'"What would you do if you wanted to show your affection for some creatures, to guide them and provide for them, to play with them and enjoy their company, and they shunned you? Fled from your domain and presence? Rejected your gifts and spurned your love? How well would you take it?"'"
 * Meta example: Many episodes have often one big moral and a small one, or two morals bundled together. This makes more sense when you consider that, originally, Hasbro wanted the series to run in two shorts per episode.
 * Why the Mane Six, despite having by now saved Equestria more than once, are still treated like normal ponies and not like heroes? While this with NM can be excused, as everything happened so fast that nopony seemed to know if Celestia was saved or if she freed herself, after Discord there was no excuse, as the Mane Six had even a celebration as heroes at the end of the episode. So how's that possible? Well, considering that Celestia seems to care giving the girls a possibility to live their life as normal ponies, she probably asked everypony present to still treat them as such (and since everypony seems to fear her.... well, you can imagine how eagerly they obeyed). It also helps the fact that only Ponyville's ponies seemed to be present (probably because Discord's chaos never touched Canterlot, or barely touched it), and that no journalist or reporter were seen at the celebration.
 * The conflict of Luna's rebellion and Celestia's 'solution' gains much more credibility and seriousness when you consider the dark tone of Equestria implied a millennium ago. They had overthrown a sadistic chaos god sometime before, and were just building their world around the Everfree Forest (The ancient palace being encroached within it) before taking control of their own 'world'. They had no concept of 'fun' as we know it. Discord even states he forgot how 'grim' Celestia could be. So given the climate, it seems would've been a tough, no nonsense era. Think the Equestrian equivalent of the Dark Ages or the Inquisition, only with worldwide genocide and tyranny at risk via magical/chaotic deities.
 * And that would put Equestria somewhere between modern times and the enlightenment/colonial era. They have trains and settlements, but also horses/carriages, and still in land conflicts with buffalo. Ignorance towards other cultures (Zecora) was widespread throughout a small town. They have a 'mayor' but still a divine ruler by default. (Similar to how the 13 Colonies had leaders but the monarchy came first) And they seem like a primarily agricultural based society slowly making their headway towards industrialization.
 * [[media:my-little-ponies_4520.jpg|This image]], notice how Pinkie Pie is at the same height as Rainbow Dash, higher than the former can stand. Also notice that her front hoof is bend as if holding her over something, either Twilight's bangs have great holding power or Pinkie Pie is hanging on the fourth wall.
 * Or she's bouncing, because that's what Pinkie Pie does.
 * It's stated right up front that Princess Celestia raises and lowers the sun. As is pointed out elsewhere on this wiki, the sun continues to rise and set without Celestia actively controlling it. How is she managing it? Well, if you'll go to her Characters listing, you'll notice that the Bishie Sparkle trope is listed, pointing out that she does have a subtle sparkle about her at all times. The only time we ever see these sparkles is when there is magic in effect. Celestia is using the latent magic in her body to control the sun passively while she goes about her normal business.
 * We might as well put this here: The reason for Twilight Sparkle's Adorkable personality quirks? It's all but explicitly stated in the show's canon that she has mild Asperger's Syndrome. The show won't address this directly because many adults don't fully understand the disorder. The 15-20 minutes of total airtime each episode just isn't enough to explain the disorder in any satisfactory terms. So they just leave us with Twilight having an occasional "dork" moment for a chuckle.
 * While the show manages to be plenty of things, being equipped to explain real issues wouldn't be one of them. Consider the setting: A Sugar Bowl populated by magic candy-colored ponies. This wouldn't be the sort of show to explain issues such as mental disorders to children. So if that's what the writers are implying then they're definitely downplaying that aspect of her personality to just an occasional "dork" moment. Which in turn manages to be brilliant in itself since most portrayals of people with Aspergers on T.V tend to be a bit... Flanderized. To the point where that's the whole person's personality. Twilight's symptoms wouldn't be too extreme since she's certainly intelligent enough and has received the best possible education of anyone in Equestria, she would have learned at least a few social skills with her time with the princess.
 * Applejack's name still fits the theme naming in the Apple family, despite not being any specific dish or breed of apple: Applejack, as in jack-of-all-trades. She specializes in apples in general, as evidenced in her variety of different dishes she offered to Twilight in The Ticket Master.
 * Actually no, it fits all too well considering her role as the main cider maker of the apple family in "The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 600". Applejack is actually the name for a strong apple cider made by freeze distillation (the slang term for this type being "to jack something") hence the cider she's been giving to the ponies is actually hard alcoholic cider.
 * Watch that episode again; they are clearly crushing the apples into apple juice, and possibly adding spices. They are also making the cider right there, leaving no time for fermentation, and they certainly don't have a freeze unit. Unless they're doing something magical, there's no way it is alcoholic.
 * At first it may seem that the only reason Equestria is so matriarchal (both rulers are female, as is the mayor of Ponyville, as were the three historical leaders including a commander who ruled over militaristic society) is because the show is targeted at girls, considering how in the real world most leaderships have always been so male-dominated (even today). But those who are familiar with horses' herd behavior know that it's always the lead mare who is in charge, having the most authority and deciding where the herd will go, so it makes perfect sense that ponies would instinctively choose females for their leaders.
 * The Elements of Harmony require a very powerful bond between the users to work at full power - for example, the bond of friendship between the Mane Cast, or the bond of siblings between Luna and Celestia. So, how could it work with Celestia on her own? Celestia used them to protect her little sister until she could be restored to normal. The bond was still there, despite NM's actions. Celestia was essentially saying to Luna, "I am so, so sorry about this, but I've got to stop you hurting yourself further. I'm doing this because I love you, and I will never forgive myself for what you're going to go through from now on." Awwww!
 * I used to wonder why Spike's crush had to be Rarity, out of all the Mane Six. Then I realized that Spike's Trademark Favorite Food is gemstones, which happen to be Rarity's cutie mark. Mr Media Guy
 * Fridge Brilliance regarding Spike's massive crush on Rarity; despite being a dragon, he was hatched and raised by a pony. He thinks like a pony.﻿ And with all the fairy tales in Twilight's collection...why, Rarity's like the princess from all those bedtime stories. Proof with "A Dog and Pony Show" where he pictures himself a brave knight knocking the ruffians into next week to rescue the pretty mare. Realizing that is what put me right in that shipper camp.
 * Add to that Rarity has the vice of Greed (albeit juxtoposed by being the Element of Genorosity). Spike, being a dragon, is easily corrupted by greed, and also matures at a faster rate when affected by it. As displayed in "Secret of My Excess", Rarity has the ability to both provoke and neutralize this side of Spike. Add to that, being paired with a greedy yet compassionate partner like Rarity would likely lead him to age at faster rate, albeit possibly without the worry of transforming into an outright selfish, feral beast. Under this theory, Rarity makes the ideal "life partner" for Spike he would likely have to worry less about a somewhat tragic Mayfly-December Romance with.
 * This troper was thinking about how the Mane Six represent the Elements of Harmony, but in-universe they often exhibit the opposite traits (Rarity coveting gems, Applejack lying to her friends, Rainbow Dash being selfish, etc.). At first this troper thought that this was contradictory, but then I remembered that the purpose of the Elements of Harmony was to maintain balance in Equestria. You can't have yin without yang. Take Rarity for example: she represents the element of Generosity, but at the same time she has a bit of a greedy streak when it comes to the finer things in life. But just as being super-greedy turned her into a crazy paranoid miser in "Return of Harmony", being super-generous would quickly leave Rarity completely out of business and with nothing left to give. With that said, it seems to this troper that Discord didn't completely change their personality- he just brought out their worst possible traits.
 * This troper noticed another interesting thing about the Mane Six - when you pair each pony of the same type (unicorn, pegasus and earth pony), their personalities seem to be quite opposite to each other - which fits perfectly with the idea of them being harmonic.
 * Twilight Sparkle - Rarity: Twilight doesn't care in the least about her looks (she happily wears an unfinished dress made by Rarity, saying that it's simple and practical, like her, and she even dresses as a male wizard for Nightmare Night), whereas Rarity hates it whenever something messes up her appearance. Twilight is an introvert, Rarity is an extrovert. Twilight doesn't sweat the small stuff but panicks over major expectations; Rarity throws Drama Queen fits at the most trivial setback, but is supremely confident about taking on impossible tasks.
 * Rainbow Dash - Fluttershy: Rainbow Dash is a tomboy, extrovert and excellent flier, whereas Fluttershy is more girly, shy and more comfortable on the ground.
 * Pinkie Pie - Applejack: Pinkie Pie is a Cloudcuckoolander, Applejack is sensible and down to earth.
 * Why can't Rainbow Dash seem to get into the Wonderbolts when she has proven time and again she is the fastest in Equestria? Because speed and skill are different matters all together. Dash gets distracted and crashes all the time. She also has never shown that she is good at working in a team of flyers. Think of it like figure skating; just because someone is the best single skater, that doesn't mean they will make a good member of a team.
 * The whole "wingboner" thing seems pretty idiotic... until you see a moment in Dragonshy when Twilight uses her teeth to grab Fluttershy's wing by biting it, resulting in an agonized/aroused look from Fluttershy. This, though not definitively, proves that a pegasus's wings could be an erogenous zone. (God, the things I never thought I'd type...)
 * It is canon that pesasus ponies' wings get stiff in response to various emotions, like anger, fear, excitement etc., so why not sexual arousal? Not to mention that when you look at mating horses, you will notice that wings would only get in the way of the forelegs, so it would actually make sense for female pegasus to have them standing up during the act.
 * A thought recently occurred to me with Pinkie Pie's random bursts into song. For the most part, most characters don't mind or at least tolerate Pinkie when she does this. However, there are at least three occasions where her songs backfire spectacularly: "Over a Barrel", "Best Night Ever", and "Baby Cakes." What do these situations have in common that few, if any, of Pinkie's other song moments don't? She's trying to be entertaining. Most of the time when she starts singing it's just her having fun without thinking much about what she's doing. But on those occasions she was making a special effort to be entertaining and it failed because she was trying too hard.
 * Fluttershy is appropriately named for two reasons. Obviously, she's a very shy pony. Less obviously, shying in equestrian terms (The sport, not the magical land) is the act of a horse jumping in fright, usually at a sudden movement or unfamiliar object, something that Fluttershy does quite often.
 * You noticed the jargon-based Bilingual Bonus, but not the one right in front of everyone, and almost lampshaded by Apple Jack being named Apple Teeny (Appletini). perhaps a subtle we got crap past the radar on both Hasbro and The show.
 * Ironically, Fluttershy's name is actually a play on "shutterfly", a slang term for someone who likes to take photos. Her G3 persona was a shutterfly, but Lauren Faust changed her personality while keeping her name for the show.
 * Also, "Fluttershy" sounds a suspicious lot like "Butterfly"...Wait, what is her Cutie Mark ? Butterflies.
 * Going all the way back to G1, there was a type of pony called "Flutter Ponies". What's the first thing The Other Wiki tells us about them? "Flutter Ponies are shy..." (emphasis mine) Really, the name is perfect in so many ways...
 * Being a fan of Fluttershy, I've felt through the series that she's gotten the short end of the stick, getting comparatively little focus compared to the other main characters. But then, she probably wouldn't want so much attention anyway.
 * Okay, so we have the five of the six Elements of Harmony: honesty, kindness, laughter, generosity, and loyalty, with the sixth being... magic? Each of the others seems to have a sort of sentimental value to them, but magic seems out of place. Then you remember what the title of the show is: Friendship is Magic. So the sixth element can be interchangeably called either magic or friendship, or even the magic of friendship.
 * Well, it could also be an alternate name for chemistry between friends that children would understand, because friendship does require that you get along together as well.
 * This especially makes sense with The Return of Harmony Part 2. Twilight doesn't fall to Discord's corruption . If her Element truly was just magic on its own, she would have fallen the moment Discord took away her horn.
 * The siblings Big Macintosh, Applejack, and Apple Bloom, from oldest to youngest, are respectively red, orange, and yellow, all three "warm" colors in order. They also have all three possible combinations of those colors--Big Macintosh has a red coat and orange mane, Applejack has an orange coat and yellow mane, and Apple Bloom has a yellow coat and red mane.
 * That's just good colour theory on the mane and body colours.
 * Also, the colors get darker with their position, Apple Bloom being lightest and Big Macintosh being the darkest.
 * Everyone in Applejack's family has an apple-related name, but I always wondered about Big Macintosh. Then I saw his Cutie Mark, an apple with a piece missing, and it all fell into place. For those of you who are even denser than me, it's a reference to Macintosh computers, which are manufactured by the company Apple, and have an apple with a bite missing as their logo.
 * That's true but there is an actual type of apple called McIntosh Red. Which is why Apple Computers came out with a line called Macintosh.
 * A closer look shows you his mark isn't a full apple, but the interior of one. Apple Corps (pronounced as "apple core") was the name of the company founded by The Beatles. Many of the records pressed by Apple Records featured a full apple on the A-side and an open apple on the B-side.
 * Also, if any of you were wondering what relation Granny Smith has with the Apple motif, green apples come from a seed type called "Granny Smith", named after its main promoter, Maria Ann Smith.
 * Ever notice the colors of Celestia's mane are pink, purple, and blue? Colors frequently associated with the sky at sunrise?
 * I've seen some people say that it's supposed to be an aurora borealis, which is associated with solar wind. This also explains why it's constantly flowing like it's being blown.
 * Also, the particular shade of blue in her mane? It's also called Celeste. Hello, Stealth Pun!
 * Her hair's almost certainly based on auroras, when you consider that Aurora was the Roman goddess of the dawn, and sister to the moon goddess, Luna.
 * Twilight mentions that Spike's breath always stinks, but how good would your breath be if you ate gemstones and breathed fire?
 * Hence the term "Dragon Breath".
 * I disagree. Gemstones are generally odorless, and, fire, or rather the accompanying smoke, often has a pleasant aroma.
 * The explosive chemical cocktail required to fuel flame, on the other hand, probably stinks.
 * What probably causes Spike's chronic breath problem is that dragon fire (just as hellfire) is usually associated with sulfur fumes, basically hydrogen sulfide, which smells just like rotten eggs. Poor Spike.
 * It's been noted that all of the mane cast have had Sanity Slippage moments. What isn't noticed is that they all have one thing in common: they occur when a pony's talent with their special skill comes into question. Applejack worked herself to the breaking point because she thought her ability to run Sweet Apple Acres was under fire, Twilight Sparkle started to crack when her magical power backfired, Rarity was depressed when clothes she made were seen as ugly, Rainbow Dash became terrified that she wasn't a good enough flier, Pinkie Pie nearly lost it when she thought her parties didn't make people happy anymore, and Fluttershy flipped out when she encountered animals she couldn't befriend.
 * Reddit refers to it as Cutie Mark Failure Insanity Syndrome, or CMFIS for short.
 * You left out Luna; she turned evil when the night, which she brought, went unappreciated.
 * Fluttershy's emotional explosion at the Gala could be seen as a miniature version of what happened to Luna aka Nightmare Moon. To quote the fanfic "Merely a Mare",


 * There's also a theme in how each pony snaps during those scenes. When a pony cracks, her personality becomes the opposite of her typical demeanor. Applejack changed from dependable to completely unreliable. Twilight Sparkle is usually logical, but came up with a nonsense plan that had no basis in reality. Rarity is normally gregarious, wanting admiration from others, but became reclusive to the point of considering self-imposed exile. Rainbow Dash is brash and determined, but began literally cowering and quivering in doubt. Pinkie Pie personifies pep, but turned gloomy and cantankerous. And Fluttershy, who is normally very reserved, became explosively expressive.
 * Rarity also had a more subtle one is Sonic RainBoom. She usually puts helping others above all else, but ended up completely self-centered, ignoring Rainbow Dash in favor of an absurd amount of narcissism. She also made an incredible tacky outfit.
 * So far Season 2 supports this, with Twilight going bonkers again when she felt she was being a bad student. Remember, she got her cutie mark at the same time Celestia took her on as a student.
 * This suggests Luna's normal personality will be soft-spoken and approachable.
 * Sort of. She's a bit of a royal loudmouth in Luna Eclipsed, and she's hardly "approachable" when she announces everything so loudly that her booming voice can create gusts of wind and she insists upon referring to herself in the plural. But it turns out this only because she has no idea how to deal with the Ponyville residents in modern times.
 * It was the ROYAL CANTERLOT VOICE!
 * It's hilarious enough that Pinkie Pie is the one singing Equestria Girls, which is a parody of Katy Perry's California Gurls. But when you remember that the original music video takes place in Candyland, you realize that Pinkie Pie was THE PERFECT CHOICE.
 * She also seems to be singing to the viewers (even using the word "bronies"), which makes sense as well since she is known to break the fourth wall.
 * There's a number of things that make Twilight Sparkle stand out from her friends in Ponyville. She was born and raised in the big city of Canterlot, while most of the other ponies are either native to Ponyville (Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie) or have lived there a while (Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy). More subtly, her coat and mane are darker colors than the brightly-colored Ponyvillers, and her name is the only one out of the main six with four syllables instead of three.
 * Rainbow Dash is probably also native to Ponyville. Applejack's and Pinkie's perspectives agree that she flew directly to Ponyville after getting her cutie mark, before she even decelerated below Mach 1... perhaps because she wanted to show her parents? She probably wasn't paying attention to where she was going after the Sonic Rainboom, caught up in the adrenaline rush of flying so fast. Also the show seems to imply that Cloudsdale is somewhere near Ponyville.
 * It's stated, by Scootaloo, in Cutie Mark Chronicles that Rainbow Dash is from Cloudsdale. Confirmed in 'Friendship Games', where Rainbow Dash is potentially eligible for the Cloudsdale team despite being a Ponyville resident because Cloudsdale is her birth city.
 * Even the Cutie Mark Crusaders follow the Rule of Three in multiple ways. Aside from being a trio of three different types of ponies (an earth pony, a pegasus, and a unicorn), they also all have three syllables in their names. (A-pple Bloom, Scoo-ta-loo, and Swee-tie Belle)
 * Additionally, her cutie mark is the only one that does not have a three part pattern (though Rainbow Dash may also seem like an exception at first, the rainbow lighting bolt is comprised of blue, yellow, and red, the three primary colors).
 * Her cutie mark is 3 parts: white star, purple star ontop, surrounded by white stars
 * In fact the only other main character with a four syllable name is Ce-les-ti-a, not even Nightmare Moon and Luna have it.
 * Where does that leave Pin-ka-me-na Di-ane Pie?
 * She grew up in an even more rural area (re. "Cutie Mark Chronicles"), we can assume that their custom is middle names.
 * Once you realize that male ponies have angular muzzles while female ponies have rounded ones, it is much easier to tell the genders apart.
 * Or, better yet, Male characters, not just ponies, don't have eyelashes whereas, female characters do.
 * What about Owlowiscious?
 * Whoo?
 * Owlowiscious, Twilight's pet owl.
 * One from the Web Original folder. PONIES: The Anthology opens with a shot-for-shot remake of Kanye West's "Power", with Princess Celestia in the center - consider that she had to control both sun and moon after exiling her sister. "No one man should have all that power" indeed.
 * No one mare should have all that friendship!
 * Some fanworks portray background pony Carrot Top as a rival farmer to Applejack. In Real Life, carrots turn bitter when they're stored with apples.
 * The astrophysics equations on the chalkboard in a non-college-level school, and, to a lesser extent, Twilight Sparkle writing a detailed essay on meteors, make perfect sense once you realize that the ruler(s) of Equestria are the anthropomorphic (hippomorphic?) personifications (ponifications?) of celestial bodies. Not only are such matters of greater intrinsic interest than they would be to humans, but you have someone around who can probably casually answer at least certain types of questions WAY before the technology to answer them actually exists. Gets a little weird when you think too hard about the sisters raising the sun and the moon each day, but...
 * It's highly likely that Equestria is a geocentric world. The sun and the moon might be placed in celestial spheres, like the ancient Greeks believed.
 * There's actually a much simpler explanation for this: the school in Ponyville is a traditional one-room schoolhouse of the kind that was common in the United States in the nineteenth century. It is likely, therefore, that many other grades meet in the same schoolroom. Those equations were probably left on the blackboard from the previous class, which was probably an AP Physics class, or the Equestrian equivalent. Notice that Cheerilee comes into the room as if this were the first class of the day for her and her students, and that her lesson is on cutie marks, not anything to do with astrophysics.
 * Fridge Brilliance - Before you renounce Scootaloo or the other two Cutie Mark Crusaders as Scrappies, consider this. Scoot idolizes Rainbow Dash (FYI, I love Rainbow and am not tying to put blame on her) and the older Pegasus doesn't seem to get the whole "discovering who you are" part of gaining a cutie mark either. So Scootaloo isn't gonna get it because Rainbow doesn't get it. and as the de facto leader of the Crusaders, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle are just going to be strung along with Scoot's (innocent) cluelessness until she realizes the right way to get a cutie mark. besides that, Scootaloo is just a KID. We can't really expect her to do the right thing just yet.
 * I don't think Scootaloo should be considered the leader of the CMC. As long as we're assuming one exists at all, Apple Bloom is probably a better fit. Scootaloo is too impulsive and Sweetie Belle too timid. Apple Bloom is the group's jack-all-trades in this respect. She's also had more screen time overall, which should count for something. However, as I implied, I don't think the group acknowledges any kind of hierarchy (even informal). Each filly respects the others' opinions, and no one character is shown consistently acting as a driving force for the others in any of their featured episodes.
 * Insomuch as the CMC have any leader at all it's Apple Bloom, and for a reason entirely believable for a club of small children - Apple Bloom (or, more accurately, her family) is the owner of the clubhouse they meet in. Likewise, whenever the CMC actually bother to have a formal meeting, Apple Bloom is the one at the podium banging the gavel.
 * Not sure whether this is Fridge Brilliance or Fridge Horror, but there are three buildings in Ponyville with straw floors. Two of them are barns: the pig pen in The Show Stoppers, and the barn Pinkie's birthday party is held in in Party of One. Straw is used for barn floors because it is absorbent, and makes cleaning up after animals easier. What's the third building with a straw floor?
 * Neither; that's probably fridge humor.
 * It's a much more logical reason, somepony's gonna bring their new puppy for show and tell. And even ignoring the... first reason we all thought of, think of what happens in little kid classes; arts and crafts. Water and glue is easier to get rid off if it falls on straw as opposed to carpet. And, they might have snack time and/or their lunches in the class, so spills would again be better. It's like giving everypony napkins- but a lot quicker, especially since most little fillies wouldn't have the ability to pick them up. Even the unicorns probably haven't grasped that ability yet.
 * Rainbow Dash is Fluttershy's foalhood friend, Pinkie Pie's prank partner and Applejack's athletic adversary. In turn, Fluttershy and Rarity are fashionistas. It means that, long after her sonic rainboom, Rainbow Dash continues to be a keystone in the mane 6's friendship! Poor Twilight must still feel isolated, though.
 * Not really, since Twilight's quest to stop Nightmare Moon is what really brought the Mane Six together as a whole.
 * It's interesting to look how gems are treated in the series; to ponies, precious stones are Worthless Yellow Rocks useful only as fashion decoration and generally not seen as all that interesting by anyone but Rarity, who incorporates them into clothing designs and Spike, who eats them. Part of this could be related to how common gems appear to be in Equestria, but it also makes sense that ponies would have learned not to get too attached to the primary food of dragons; only the Diamond Dogs appear to hoard gems, and they're in places where the gems are not only easier to get at but relatively safe from dragons. Gems being important to dragons and nothing but baubles to ponies also explains why the red and green dragon get aggressive in their respective episodes beyond simple territorial matters; the Red dragon actually seems fairly even-tempered if stubborn, but he gets rather irate when Rarity makes a move on his hoard in the way someone else might get pissed at a total stranger waltzing into their home and helping themselves to the pantry. The green dragon overreacts worse because not only is his food supply being invaded by a stranger, it's another young dragon doing it.
 * Fluttershy and Rarity receive, possibly, the most "clopping" references on Youtube videos featuring them, among the Mane 6. Why do /b/ronies like them so much? Fluttershy is obvious; she fits the "Moe" archetype almost perfectly. Rarity? If this were a harem anime, she'd probably be the Tsundere.
 * Go ahead and write a harem fic if you want. I know I'd read it.
 * Except there is nothing remotely tsundere about Rarity. In terms of harem anime stereotypes she's most definitely Ojou.
 * Rainbow Dash is the likely candidate for a Tsundere.
 * The order in which Twilight Sparkle befriended the other ponies cannot have been an accident. Applejack is first. She is forthright, down to earth, and hard working; in other words, she's the pony who is most like Twilight. Fluttershy is second. She's awfully timid, but her compassion and gentle nature make for someone who is almost universally beloved. Pinkie Pie is third. Pinkie is... shall we say... unique but her cheerful nature lets her laugh at the unknown when it is most terrifying. Rarity is fourth. She is very socially conscious and seems to focus on appearances, which mean nothing to Twilight, but in the right circumstances her generosity rises to the fore. Rainbow Dash is fifth, and last. Her relationship to Twilight had been the most negative, and even briefly antagonistic, but she sacrificed a shot at her heart's desire without a single regret, and that allowed Twilight to see a very different side to her personality.
 * Lampshaded horribly in Better Living Through Science and Ponies: GLaDOS suggests Celestia bribed them into being her friends.
 * The above order is incorrect -- Twilight meets Rainbow Dash before Rarity. However, the theory that Celestia set this up is entirely plausible; the reason Twilight seeks out the other members of the Mane Six is because they're each in charge of a different section of the preparations for the Summer Sun Festival. And Celestia is the pony who both picked Twilight to supervise the Summer Sun Festival, and presumably had a hoof in selecting who else would be involved in the arrangements.
 * Speaking of GLaDOS and Celestia, has anyone noticed that the two are slowly becoming more and more similar? Both are the dominant powers over their respective domains, both maintain a nuclear reaction, both have a thing for "testing" in some form or another, and both have made themselves infamous for trolling. Both are mostly white with yellow/gold accents, and now, both have a thing for cake that neither will live down. Both have, as of "A Canterlot Wedding," appeared suspended from the ceiling. There are other similarities, but it's clear just from those listed that we may have a Princess CelestiOS on the way in a future episode...
 * While most likely introduced to play with the show's usual format, having others besides Twilight Sparkle write Friendship Reports is a very significant moment in-universe. She was so busy freaking out about missing her report that the once socially awkward Twilight failed to realize that the reason she hadn't learning something new about Friendship that week was simply because she'd learned so much in her time in Ponyville that she didn't have as much to learn as she did at the start. Now that others are involved in the Friendship Reports, though, lessons that Twilight herself might not have encountered for some time, if at all, are now also brought to the forefront.
 * There's been some conflicted feelings in the fanbase lately, mostly because in the second half of season two Spike has gotten less screen time. The one upside is that fan-favorite Big Macintosh has been promoted to a larger role. Then it hit me, usually (but not always) Big Mac has a bigger part in episodes where Spike is missing or has diminished screen time (like in "The Sisterhooves Social" "Family Appreciation Day" "The Last Roundup" "The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000" and "Hearts and Hooves Day"), they're making The One Guy a rotating position. Right now it switches between the two of them but as time goes the possibility of other male characters (like Caramel, Blues, Bluegrass or Doctor Whooves) opens up. This allows them to use more of the male characters without having to take away from the Mane Six.
 * Originally, Pinkie Pie was intended to be a pegasus and Fluttershy was an earth pony. Though Fluttershy does fly, she tends to run and jump like her earthbound friends. Also, in Winter Wrap Up, Fluttershy is on the Animal team when many of the pegasi are on the Weather team. The reason they were swapped around is because the animators realized that Pegasus!Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash had almost identical flying styles (they were zooming around everywhere), and they wanted more visual contrast. So Fluttershy becomes a Pegasus who is a very slow, careful flyer, and as a bonus Pinkie Pie becomes a hyperactive earth pony to contrast against the slow and steady Applejack.
 * Roots of this still persist -- Pinkie Pie takes to the skies at any opportunity. She skips and jumps constantly, she owns a flying contraption (Griffon The Brush-Off), she uses the balloon to observe the race (Fall-Weather friends) and she's the first to field-test the cloudwalking spell (Sonic Rainboom). One fancomic suggests that she has pegasus heritage. (Many fans also suspect Fluttershy of having an earth pony in her family tree, which would explain her bad flying and amazing animal rapport.)
 * This fan interpretation of those two important-looking ponies alongside the Mayor.
 * Why does everyone always dictate their letters to Spike? He's the only one with fingers!
 * Some people were complaining about the CMC having so many episodes. But remember, they were originally intended to have a spinoff that never surfaced. Naturally they'd do something with all the episode ideas they probably came up with if they were planning to make an entire series around them.
 * Pinkie's "Pinkie Sense" makes a lot more sense when you consider she was named "Surprise" in the early concept.
 * A massive fanbase, needless to say, has a large amount of fanfiction. In a good amount of the fanfiction (especially if it's romance-centric), the completely female Mane 6 are more than often paired with each other (Twilight/Rarity, Rainbow Dash/Applejack) rather than with male background characters. There are even background females that are pair up a number of times (Lyra/Bon-bon, Octavia/Vinyl). The love and tolerance moral lessons from the show must be having it's effect because I've never seen a fanbase more accepting towards same-sex relationships, ponies or not.
 * That kind of falls apart when ship fanart like Big Mac/Braeburn together gets put on ponibooru and flamed for being "faggy".
 * They are essentially cousins. Homosexuality is one thing, incest is another. Plus, it's ponibooru...
 * I've always found it a little strange how Twilight is capable of regularly staying up all night studying without any repercussions. Then I remembered that horses in general only need about 3 hours worth of sleep to function properly.
 * Many people wondered why Luna was so ignorant of modern protocol in "Luna Eclipsed." After all, as a princess, she would have to deal with lots of ponies, especially in a city the size of Canterlot. But "A Canterlot Wedding" shows that she doesn't live in Canterlot, and only flies in to cover the night shift. "Luna Eclipsed" really was the first occasion where she dealt with modern ponies outside of business.
 * A small one but... Gummy is named Gummy because his name is a play on the candy called gummy worms. In this case, he's a gummy wyrm as in a dragon or a lizard. Just the sort of thinking Pinky would do.
 * Wait, how would she even know what a "wyrm" is? That's a word you'd expect to hear from Twilight Sparkle, Ponyville's little answer to any question one might ask. And the only other member of the Mane Cast to keep a baby reptile in her home. In other words, the one pony Pinkie Pie would ask for guidance on how to take care of her new pet baby crocodile.
 * There's also that Pinkie Pie has been revealed as having an eidetic memory and an extremely idiosyncratic and random knowledge base. It's just as likely that Pinkie would know some incredibly obscure bit of trivia as it is likely that she would completely fail to know something in common usage.
 * I just figured Pinkie named him gummy because he has no teeth. Though I wouldn't put it past the writers to be playing a pun-game with us.

Mare in the Moon & The Elements of Harmony

 * The design of Twilight's cutie mark is somewhat vague, and we wouldn't really know it is a representation of magic until we are told about it. However, the mark is five small stars, surrounding a big pink one; the most powerful and important star on the mark. An exact representation of the Elements of Harmony, specifically, Magic, as it has to be unlocked by the other five. This also could be the reason that Celestia knew to take Twilight in, after seeing the mark, she knew what it meant, and she knew Twilight was destined to save Princess Luna.
 * "On the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars will aid her escape." That prophecy wasn't about Nightmare Moon using the night sky to escape from the moon, it was about the Elements of Harmony, the "stars" of the show helping Luna escape from the Nightmare she'd trapped herself in.
 * Twilight Sparkle's cutie mark is a group of stars...
 * Twilight's name is the connection between (or even unification of) day and night. Of course she'd be the one to defeat Nightmare Moon and bring back Celestia and Luna together again!
 * Some Brilliance from the first episode. Twilight figures out Nightmare Moon is going to escape, and Celestia's advice is to leave the books alone and go make friends. At first, you think Celestia is just being a Jerkass, but what are the Elements of Harmony powered by, again? Celestia knew she wouldn't be able to use the Elements, so she sent the only pony she knew of that had any clue about the prophecy.
 * Luna's lack of screentime after her redemption may seem like a cop-out at first, but then one remembers that her descent into madness was caused by a lack of appreciation from other ponies- because she wasn't seen very often due to her portfolio. We could assume the same thing is happening after her recovery except that Word of God on her S2 appearance means that Celestia will thankfully rectify this issue.
 * Another possible explanation: She hasn't been around in a thousand years, so she probably has to adjust to all the changes.
 * Confirmed by Luna herself in "Luna Eclipsed".
 * She also may have been waiting until Nightmare Night to make her official re-debut.
 * Alternatively, Luna is not seen much because her domain is the night, while the Mane Cast is mostly active during the day.
 * No one recognizes Nightmare Moon when she appears in the first episode even though the citizens of Ponyville celebrate Nightmare Night. Then you realize that they didn't recognize Nightmare Moon until Twilight referred to her by name. Holidays and related characters changing over the course of a thousand years isn't new, and they probably had a different idea of what Nightmare Moon looked like.
 * It makes even more sense considering Princess Celestia has been ruling for the last thousand years and probably didn't like having her sister viewed as a monster and worked to change the holiday so it didn't involve images of Luna.
 * That only works if you assume that the statue of Nightmare Moon was not part of the celebration until after her defeat.
 * Or possibly they just didn't put two and two together until Twilight said it out loud. Nightmare Moon was an ancient legend, after all, not someone you'd expect to just suddenly pop up one day and claim rulership of the world.
 * The statue is in the Everfree Forest, a place of taboo to ponies, and Zecora leads them to it: you know, the zebra which all the ponies in Ponyville were xenophobic towards until recently. That's probably why they'd never seen the statue before.
 * So... maybe the reason Pinkie wasn't afraid of the scary trees in the pilot was because her "spidey sense" wasn't indicating danger?
 * Doesn't her "Pinkie Sense," only work on future events?
 * Well, I guess that COULD have been a future prediction in itself, but in spite of the weirdly specific nature of many of her Pinkie Senses, I'm not sure "the trees are gonna scare the crud out of my friends in a few moments" would have been amongst them.
 * "When my knee gets pinchy, it means something scary's about to happen!" No pinchy, no scary.
 * Or she was the only one who noticed that the trees were completely inanimate.
 * ...Because the only way they could work was to frighten their targets out of their wits, making them incapable of stopping to observe or analyse, and that just didn't work on her.
 * An alternate explanation is Too Dumb to Fool.
 * How is it that Luna, the younger and presumably weaker sister, was able to easily overpower Celestia not just once, but twice? I though that was strange... until I remembered that the moon can block the sun.
 * But it only blocks it on a tiny portion of the Earth. If the entire energy output of the sun was focused on the moon, it would be enough to disassemble it in a little over five minutes. That's shorter than the time it takes for the light to get to the moon. Granted, it won't be near perfect efficiency, but still.
 * Celestia let herself be captured. I'm serious. Celestia knew that Nightmare Moon was about to break free from her banishment, re-banishing her would just start the whole thing over again and would not heal her sister. Presumably she cannot wield the Elements of Harmony herself since it's shown that you need one representative of each Element to wield them effectively. Standing alone against a threat is a poor way to utilize The Power of Friendship after all. So then her prize pupil finds the prophesy of Nightmare Moon's return. Said pupil has the greatest magical potential, talent and skill of her generation but is very poorly socialized, and is shown to have pretty much alienated everyone in Canterlot but Celestia and Spike. So Celestia ships her off to Ponyville where she can make a fresh start, complete with an official job that will force her to be in contact with other ponies. Celestia knows that Twilight is smart enough to figure out what needs to happen, and she knows the strength of Fire Forged Friendships. All she needs to do is sit back and let Nightmare Moon have her way for a little while, since she can always banish Nightmare Moon back to the moon if the plan fails.
 * In the pilot, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom are seen cowering together from Nightmare Moon, even though they don't meet until much later in the series. Animation goof? Nope: "Every pony everywhere has a special magical connection with her friends, maybe even before she's met them."
 * During the pilot's opening and telling of the Creation Myth, you see Luna and Celestia being portrayed as being blue and pink, respectively. But when we actually see Celestia, she's rather rainbow. But of course, it's perfectly possible that, after Luna's banishment, Celestia changed her colors to reflect her new role as sole leader (possibly with a name change as well). So, perhaps the chickified and pink version of her toy is just a glance into the past!
 * The toy has a pink body and aurora mane, not a white body and pink mane.
 * It could be a middle point between the timeframe of the Creation Myth and the rest of the series, then.
 * Upon defeating Nightmare Moon in the second episode, Applejack says they had the elements of friendship the whole time. That makes sense; a friendship needs generosity, laughter, honesty, loyalty, and kindness, but how does magic-- oh...
 * Is it just me, or do the magic spells that we see Twilight Sparkle making an effort to learn after "The Elements of Harmony" seem designed to allow her to do all the things that her friends did on their quest through the Everfree Forest? After all, what's the first spell we see Twilight Sparkle practicing in a subsequent episode? The mustache-growing spell in "Boast Busters". Why a mustache-growing spell? That seems awfully random, except that it would have enabled Twilight to get past the sorrowful serpent without Rarity. Later, she develops a spell to grow wings for a non-pegasus pony. Used on herself, that would have enabled her to deal with the collapsing cliff without Applejack, Rainbow Dash, or Fluttershy. Likewise, it would have enabled her to retie the rope bridge leading to the castle herself, or simply fly over the chasm; either way, she wouldn't have needed Rainbow Dash there either. It almost seems as though some part of her subconscious is still afraid to really need anypony else. If the first spell we see her develop in season 2 is designed to dispel illusions or calm rampaging monsters, then that will definitely be too much for coincidence.
 * She does get a spell to calm rampaging monsters! Remember the reed lullaby she uses against the Ursa Minor!
 * I'd say her failsafe spell at the beginning of the season 2 premiere was close enough to dispelling illusions.
 * Or her inner scholar couldn't let it go like the Pinkie Sense and she became obsessed with trying to replicate the effects.
 * Technically, she didn't really learn the spells for that reason. In the mustache case, Spike calls it "growing magic", not "mustache-growing magic" or anything like that, so it's probably just a simple growth spell that Twilight tested on Spike's (too small to see) facial hair, likely at his insistence. For the wings, she didn't even learn the spell. Notice she read it from a book? She didn't know it, and just pulled it out because Rarity demanded it.
 * At the end of "The Elements of Harmony," when Princess Luna arrives in Ponyville with her sister, two pegasus fillies place a garland of flowers around her neck. The flowers in question are very recognizably red and white roses. Why those flowers in particular? Because the red and white rose were the symbols off the Houses of Lancaster and York, respectively, the two branches of the Plantagenet dynasty that fought each other in the War of the Roses. At the end of the war, the Tudor dynasty, which was related to both York and Lancaster (somewhat implausibly) by marriage, came to power, and adopted as its symbol the red and white rose as a symbol of reconciliation within the royal family. So red and white roses together are a symbol of reconciliation within a royal family, just as Luna and Celestia are reconciled at the end of "Elements."
 * Why were all of the traps set by Nightmare Moon so tame, especially when compared to a villain like Discord? Well, Luna was still a filly, albeit a super-powered filly with enough raw power to stop the sun! It might have also foreshadowed her Heel Face Turn since she refrained from really ever harming anyone.
 * At first the sixth Element doesn't make sense; it seems that the last element ought to be Friendship, not Magic. However, on reflection it seems that Friendship is not one of the elements. Friendship is the "spark" which unites the elements and brings forth the magic. That's why Twilight says, "The spark ignited inside me when I realized that you all are my friends."
 * The sixth Element is friendship. It's right there in the title: Friendship is Magic.
 * Princess Luna armored herself with her jealousy and bitterness. When the Elements of Harmony broke through that armor, it showed what she really was inside... a lonely little girl who just wanted friends and to be loved as much as her big sister.
 * Some Fridge Horror with that; her punishment was to be alone and forgotten for a thousand years, no wonder so many fans think Celestia is evil.
 * On that note, seeing how Celestia rules (albeit at times irresponsibly and/or mischieviously), this troper sees the banishment as a result of circumstance in that Nightmare Moon was banished because it was the only option. Remember, that it took Celestia AND Luna to wield the Elements to imprison Discord, but with Luna being corrupted, you've essentially lost half your power. So, the only choice left would be to use what power you have to minimize the damage to your subjects thus banishment (and imprisonment) in this case.
 * Considering Nightmare Moon wanted to bring Eternal Night it might be a case of the lesser of 2 evils, but by the same token after the pilot and the entire moral she lets Twilight stay in Ponyville because she made friends but her own sister is never seen again...because she want to make friends...FlatWhat
 * Princess Luna is going to be appearing in Season 2. Hopefully her absence from Season 1 will be explained, though some reasonable guesses could be made. It's possible Luna is spending Season 1 getting into the swing of things. 1000 years is a long time for customs, traditions, fashions, and other pieces of culture to change, and Luna is probably out of practice with her royal and mystic duties. That and she could be doing work to build positive PR so she doesn't scare the masses whenever she goes walking outside.
 * Although they tend to be outside of the show's scope, there are a ton of non-Ponyville places in Equestria. She's almost certainly living in the high culture city of Canterlot with her big sister. Celestia probably hangs out in Ponyville so much to oversee Twilight Sparkle's learning, but Luna doesn't have the same motivations.
 * ...should we be expecting to see an abacus?
 * Considering that the Mane Six and to a lesser extent the citizens of Ponyville were about the only ones we know to have had to confront Nightmare Moon in person (possibly excepting Celestia, who we simply don't see at all between her mysterious dis- and later dramatic reappearance), it actually makes a degree of sense that Luna might have been less than eager to visit the place again anytime soon -- after the initial party was over and the realization what she had almost done had time to sink in, anyway. Staging her comeback on Nightmare Night of all the times she could have chosen, and with the stated purpose of changing the celebration's meaning to something less dark and scary at that, could then be easily read as her trying to make amends to the same ponies her 'evil' self was toying with the last time they met face to face...
 * The ruined castle in the forest used to be the Princesses' home. Therefore the forest used to be as tame as Canterlot. All the roads must date to that period, and presumably led somewhere a thousand years ago, like ancient Roman roads today.

The Ticket Master

 * Spike's attitude towards the Grand Galloping Gala in "The Ticket Master" is basically a stand-in for all of the peripheral demographic viewers. "I don't want any of that girly, frilly, frou-frou nonsense," he says, and giggles at being invited to the gala too. In other words, Lauren Faust gave all of us a cameo.
 * This troper agrees, having encountered so many boys (and girls) who are reluctant to display any inclination towards things like "frilly frou frou" or "rough and tumble boys stuff" because they're afraid of being laughed at or teased, it's nice to see that Spike is both sympathising with this fear, and basically showing us it's okay anyway.
 * Though one could say that moral was undercut slightly when, in "The Best Night Ever", Spike spent the entire gala hanging out in a donut shop rather than going to any of the events to which his ticket entitled him (which had both male and female ponies in attendance).
 * Wasn't he only hanging out there because his friends had abandoned him?
 * Yes. It wasn't that he didn't care for "girly gala" stuff, it was because he had no one to hang out with. Even the best events in the world can be no fun without your friends.
 * Indeed. Remember, while everyone else was thinking of things they could do for themselves, all Spike wanted to do was share his hometown with them like his favorite donut shop.
 * The only problem with this theory is that the episode was written LONG before even the premiere aired, so they had no idea yet that the show would be embraced so firmly by a Periphery Demographic.
 * Even so, one of the chief reasons the show was written in the style it is was so those forced to watch it by young girls who compose the primary demographic would be able to actually enjoy themselves. Spike's perspective on the Gala may not have been for the (yet-to-exist) bronies' sake, but certainly for that of the parents.
 * As noticed on the YMMV page, Spike doesn't seem to react when Rarity talks about meeting her dream man at the ball, but it actually makes perfect sense: Spike planned on being that guy, but not wanting Rarity to know he liked her, he didn't say anything so she(or any of the other ponies) would catch on, especially if he acted upset about Rarity possibly finding someone else.
 * An alternative theory: Spike being a member of the highest circles in Canterlot (or at least permanently attached to the flank of one who was), he could easily have known Prince Blueblood. Five minutes in his company would probably be enough to dismiss him as a future rival.
 * Another possibility is that Spike heard about him at the donut bar. Though Spike and Twilight were both there when Rarity fantasized about meeting him, but didn't say anything.
 * Or this could be a case of I Want My Beloved to Be Happy, and Spike leaving Rarity to her own affairs.
 * Celestia knows that Twilight has five new close friends; she met them after they saved Equestria, and told Twilight to stay in Ponyville specifically to study friendship with them. So why does she send Twilight only two tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala? Well, given her tendency towards Batman gambits elsewhere, perhaps it's to test how loyal Twilight is to her new friends.
 * Either that or Celestia is a Troll and just wanted to mess with Twilight. The loyalty test is just a cover in case she's ever caught.
 * Perhaps she figured Twilight would bring a date.
 * After reading down below in Fridge Horror (about Celestia being on the same party for 10 centuries), it explained a lot more to me. 1. She didn't invite Twilight Sparkle before because she wasn't old enough to properly enjoy it. Kids get really bored at those kind of parties and Celestia didn't want her star pupil to have a bad time. 2a. She sent only two tickets because, in her mindset, GGG isn't all that big of a deal and it never occurred to her that mortal, young ponies would ever want to go there. 2b. She expected Twilight to take either a date or Spike, since she doubted Twilight could find a suitable date anyway. Common courtesy dictates that you always give two tickets when inviting someone to an event. 3. Notice how glad Celestia was when she saw Twilight? For all we saw, Twilight was the closest person to her (other then Luna, but she's a different story) and her company was the best part of the entire evening. After all, even the most boring party (the one you experienced 10 thousand times already) can be best night ever if shared with a friend.
 * Because Celestia just put Twi's name on the list of invitees. The invitation was a form letter. It started "Hear ye, hear ye", not "My most faithful student", and referred to Celestia in the third person.
 * Exactly. From what I'm aware of most fancy-shmancy get-togethers, you generally are allowed to bring yourself and one guest. This also explains why Twilight didn't ask for more tickets, because "me and a guest" is the norm.
 * Put yourself in Celestia's Shoes. Would you expect the introverted Fluttershy to want to socialize with several strangers? Would you expect Applejack to do anything that involved wearing a fancy dress? Would you expect Pinkie Pie or Rainbow Dash to want to go to an event that involves just standing around and talking all night? No. Would you expect Rarity to want to go to a high society event and insinuate herself with some of the most important ponies in Equestria? Oh so very much. So really, you only need to send one extra ticket for Rarity, since the other's don't want to go. - Stinkoman 87 (reposted from guess on the WMG page)
 * In "Ticket Master", we see Twilight Sparkle tearing apart and then eating a flower at the little restaurant before Rainbow Dash shows up in the clouds. From a human perspective, the flower would be a centerpiece. But, from a pony perspective, the flowers are like the free bread some restaurants offer while customers read the menu.
 * One Freeze-Frame Bonus during Ticket Master subtly implies that of Twilight Sparkle's friends, [[media:freezeframe1_9810.jpg|the ones she was most inclined to give the ticket to were Applejack and Fluttershy.]] Of course, Fluttershy was the most polite about it, and fans tend to agree that Applejack had the best reason.
 * Why didn't Twilight teleport away at any of the many opportunities during the episode? Because she was starving, and teleporting takes a lot of energy! (Which also explains why Spike ended up singed when she did finally teleport - it was an emergency teleport that she couldn't control.)

Applebuck Season

 * Applejack's dog is named Winona. "Winona" means "first-born daughter". Who's the first-born daughter in her family? Applejack!
 * The rabbit stampede in Applebuck Season looks like pure Rule of Funny at first. But then think about what the rabbits actually do. They start eating the all the flowers in the village. By themselves. With nopony telling them what to do. That's Everfree levels of mindscrewery right there.
 * Also, whoa. Twilight ate a flower just last episode. That could mean that the rabbits were eliminating potential pony food.
 * This puts a new perspective on the flowers in Winter Wrap Up, they may indeed be as much a food as apples or carrots to them. Also, ponies' medicines may have components from flowers, which could mean the rabbits were poisoning themselves or destroying the ponies' medical supplies!
 * Additionally... no flowers means that if bees come around, they won't find nectar to gather, or in turn, anything to pollinate. And that could be very bad...

Griffon the Brush Off

 * In a bit of Fridge Brilliance Pinkie Pie claims that she won't play a prank on Fluttershy because she's too sensitive and might take it the wrong way. However, it's often implied that Pinkie is well aware of the Fourth Wall, and she and Fluttershy share a voice actress.
 * Applejack's moment of extreme shock at the painted apples in may seem out of context for the sensible pony considering its just colour on apples... until you realize that they look much like zap apples. For a split second, she thinks the farm has missed its opportunity for one of its cornerstone harvests, seeing as they disappear so quickly.
 * A bit of Fridge Brilliance, I didn't think much about the choice of making Gilda a griffon, until I remembered that in mythology griffons are the mortal enemies of horses.
 * There's some Fridge Horror here too, since according to medieval lore, griffins mated for life and would never seek a new mate if the old one died, and may even refuse to eat and simply starve to death. This makes the Love Triangle interpretation of that episode a lot more tragic.

Boast Busters

 * Why is Trixie's magic so useless off the stage? Is she just weak? Maybe, but there's another explanation, one which probably makes more sense. Every unicorn has their own special talent. Trixie's is most likely showmanship
 * It's probably more than that when you consider that Trixie is Twilight's Shadow Archetype and while Twilight is nice and has a lot of friends, Trixie is arrogant and has no friends. Now think about what Twilight learned in her battle against Nightmare Moon, and it all makes perfect sense: Friendship Is Magic.
 * Also, if you observe carefully, you'll notice that all Trixie ever did was turn her hecklers' talents against them. It's not entirely unfeasible that Trixie isn't very good at magic unless she has something to imitate. This is further reinforced when she tries to use the rope-charming trick and the storm-cloud thing against the Ursa Minor.
 * In "Boast Busters", Spike tries to attract Rarity by wearing a mustache, and is depressed that it doesn't work at the end of the episode. This makes perfect sense when you remember what happened to Rarity the last time she encountered a purple reptile with a mustache.
 * In Boast Busters, Spike wanted to grow a mustache to impress Rarity. Perhaps because he knows Rarity is impressed by dragons with mustaches (Steven Magnet)?

Dragonshy

 * In Dragonshy, Rarity and Pinkie Pie play tic-tac-toe while waiting for Fluttershy to coax the dragon. Rarity says that's 35 games in a row, and to play best of 71. That means they had just played best of 69.
 * It also means that one of them has won all the games.
 * In Dragonshy, during the preparation montage Big Macintosh is seen loading apple juice into Applejack's saddlebags. He's seen looking winded right afterwards, but this is THE Big Macintosh, who can kick ponies over the horizon. This is also the Big Macintosh who was recovering from a serious rib injury not too long ago.

Look Before You Sleep

 * Why does Applejack come down so hard on Rarity's nitpicking and high-class behavior in "Look Before you Sleep"? Because Rarity reminds Applejack of her snobby relatives in Manehatten and the social exclusion she felt there as revealed in "The Cutie Mark Chronicles".
 * From the same episode, Applejack came to Mane-hattan to try the city life with her orange themed relatives, only to find that it's just not her and returns to the apple ranch. In a sense, you could say that she was trying to compare apples and oranges!
 * In a similar vein, why does Applejack get so nervous about eating dishes in the proper order at Celestia's party in "A Bird in the Hoof"? Because she remembers enough of her Manehattan etiquette to know that there's a correct order, and she remembers the exclusion she felt when she didn't fit into their society properly... but it was so long ago that she can't actually remember what she's meant to do.
 * I never noticed the significance of Applejack and Rarity having pets until I thought about their constant arguing in the episode "Look Before You Sleep", and then it made perfect sense. It is said that an owner is similar to their pets, so Applejack who has her dog Winona and Rarity who has her cat Opalescence would definitely have a hard time get along initially since it's more likely they would fight just like cats and dogs. This is even lampshaded with the way they get into bed, as Applejack just jumps into it like a dog would, and Rarity prefers that her bed remain neat and tidy before entering it like a cat would.
 * I was just thinking, Applejack actually can't put together s'mores with the same finesse Rarity and Twilight have. She doesn't have a horn (or opposable fingers, for that matter.)
 * Explains why she says "Ya just eat'em" about the marshmallows.

Bridle Gossip
"Applejack: "No good reason"?! You call defending your kin "no good reason"?"
 * Twilight Sparkle getting a floppy horn in "Bridle Gossip" makes even more sense once you notice that
 * At first the effects of the "curse" in "Bridle Gossip" seemed rather random to me, but then I realized it was targeting each of the ponies' personal strengths: Twilight prides herself on her magical abilities, and her horn goes limp; Rarity takes pride in her appearance, and ends up with long, goofy-looking hair; Rainbow Dash, who enjoys her graceful flying abilities, becomes incredibly clumsy; Applejack prides herself on her physical strength and ability to take charge, and gets shrunk; the highly social Pinkie Pie is rendered unable to talk; and the gentle and soft-spoken Fluttershy is given a deep and somewhat intimidating voice.
 * That's quite clever actually. This troper completely missed that.
 * Actually-- and you have to look closely to notice it--- Rainbow Dash's wings were on upside down.
 * It seemed to me like the effects of the "curse" were more oriented towards karmic revenge for what they had been doing in that episode. Twilight was dismissing the idea of supernaturals besides unicorn magic (even though she was right), Rarity criticized Zeroca's mane, Applejack was constantly dismissing her little sister (using the word "little" a LOT) and Pinkie Pie was implied to be the main source behind the gossip. The curse even prevents her from singing her xenophobic 'evil enchantress' song.
 * Twilight's horn went limp because that's where Rainbow first touched her after touching the flowers herself.
 * That doesn't quite hold up when it comes to Fluttershy however. And the Twilight part also doesn't work, especially since it seems to undermine its own argument.
 * The Fluttershy thing may seem off until you realize that this episode was shortly after "Dragonshy" where Fluttershy stands up to a powerful dragon and tells him to leave his cave. Now keep in mind that "Flutterguy" and the dragon she recently told to leave have the same voice, and you realize that this might be a form of the dragon's revenge considering the fact that Fluttershy used her voice to make him concede defeat and leave Ponyville.
 * It could be based off of how Fluttershy said "I'll bet she's digging for innocent creatures" while they were hiding from Zecora. As punishment for spreading rumors, she got a loud, scary man-voice.
 * Alternately, it could be punishment for her standing up for her friends, but not for a stranger subjected to injustice.
 * All this touching and her horn goes limp?
 * This might fall under Unfortunate Implications as well, but whatever. In "Bridle Gossip", Applejack is very noticeably scared of and hostile towards Zecora, even more so than most of her friends. But wait a second - Applejack has a Southern accent, and the Southern part of America is stereotyped as being prejudiced against African-Americans.
 * Subverted in that her little sister Apple Bloom was the only one who was willing to give Zecora a chance in the end.
 * Want Unfortunate Implications? Zecora is an African animal who speaks with a Haitian accent, wears lots of gold jewelry, has a hairstyle the Mane Cast find outlandish, lives in a Heart of Darkness wilderness, and has Zulu-style masks in her house. And, despite being discriminated against, she's more than willing to provide the super-natural cure to the white-folks ponies' problems. This makes her more than a bit of a Magic Negro character.
 * Perhaps... except that her "magic" all comes down to herb-lore (involving magical plants, but, well, this is Equestria...). It's her profession, no more, no less.
 * I don't think the writers were trying to play on the stereotype. It would certainly work against the Aesop of not being prejudiced. Applejack was more frightened and hostile because she felt she had to protect her sister. She even says this to Twilight.
 * I thought it was an excellent thing they did. Instead of showing just a (metaphor for a) black person who’s completely assimilated, they showed a more authentic (to some extent, this is still a fantasy setting written by Westerners) representation of African culture. And why is it that a black person helping white people a ‘magic negro’ instead of just helpful? Especially when it was shown she was going to Ponyville to get some of her ingridients, so they help each other.


 * There's a bit of Shown Their Work in one of the misunderstandings between Zecora and the population of Ponyville. Zecora's pawing at the ground gesture she does several times in town? In the real-world, zebras make that gesture to try and dig for water... but horses make that same gesture as a threat display. Zecora's foreign body language is sending all the wrong signals and she doesn't even know it.

Swarm of the Century

 * The parasprites are apparently native to the Everfree Forest, and they should be able to strip the forest of its entire food supply within a day. So why haven't they destroyed the forest yet? Because the Everfree Forest is home to some of the largest, nastiest predators know to ponykind- the Ursa Major can probably gulp down an entire swarm just by inhaling. This explains why Zecora has never seen one despite living in the same forest. This means, however, that all the parasprites that Applejack and Pinkie Pie sent into the forest are going to die very, very, soon.
 * However, based on the Princess' comments, it appears that the parasprites are now attacking Fillydelphia, subtly implying that the 'sprites that they shoved into the forest are now... elsewhere.
 * Unlikely. That would mean that there would haven been only a few seconds for the parasprites to reach Fillydelphia, which is implied to be far away, and for Princess Celestia to find out about it.
 * Though she could be referring to the Parasprite Katamari the mane cast sent into the forest. I often took th eline to mean that group of Parasprites had reached Fillydelphia. Still a short amount of time, but more than if you were assuming Celestia meant the ones Pinkie Pie was Pipering.
 * This is an example of Truth in Television. Many creatures that are, if not common, present in their native environment, will have population explosions when transplanted to new locales due to lack of predation or some other obstacle. Kudzu is a fantastic example of this. In Hawaii, wild pigs are also highly invasive and destructive.
 * The parasprites in general are quite affectionate, but in Rainbow Dash's case, she literally couldn't get them off of her. It was because she was the only pony who actually kissed her original parasprite! Of course its offspring would be more than loving than usual.
 * Why was Pinkie Pie the only one who knew about the parasprites? Because she's a Big Eater who works in a bakery, and probably would have a lot of experience dealing with pests that have huge appetites that might eat the food there, especially since she's got a huge appetite herself.
 * Just the parasprites' biology in general. They don't need that much energy to fly, considering their size, so where does all the food they digest go into? MORE PARASPRITES. The fact that they upchuck to reproduce lends enough credence to this substitute reproductive system.
 * Of course Pinkie Pie knows what a Parasprite is! She grew up on a rock farm, and farmers have to deal with parasites and pests all the time! It makes sense that she not only knows what Parasprites are, but how to get rid of them, too.
 * But then shouldn't Applejack have also known about them seeing as how her family owns the only apple orchard in ponyville and she's lived there all of her life? Maybe not, since orchards are usually treated against pests. Crop-dusting pegasi. If Twilight hadn't changed the parasprite's diet, maybe they would have avoided Sweet Apple Acres altogether.
 * This also raises the question: Was it always a rock farm, or were the rocks all they had left?
 * Probably not. Pinkie's parents both have cutie marks related to rock farming. One parent has a pickaxe and the other has a pile of rocks.
 * The song Pinkie used to lure the parasprites out of Ponyville is identical to the music she played at her first party. Given that it attracts parasprites, did Pinkie unintentionally devestate her own farm? (This throry obviously assumes that rock-clearing is a prelude to crop planting, otherwise there would be nothing for the parasprites to devour.)
 * Even if the Pie Family farm was just a farm that grew rocks (or as many fan theories say, grew things inside the rocks), a parasprite infestation would wreak havoc on the family, as the parasprites would eat up all the family's food, making it impossible to live at the farm until the infestation was taken care of.
 * It's entirely possible that she had a brush with them shortly after discovering her party-planning talent, and that she happened to be a one-pony band when they showed up, discovering that music is the key to solving the problem entirely by sheer luck.

Winter Wrap Up

 * I thought it was weird that nopony had assigned Twilight a job in "Winter Wrap Up". I later realized that this was a symptom of Ponyville's poor organization of the event.
 * This troper's interpretation of it was that Ponyville's population has very few unicorns (only Rarity?) prior to Twilight coming in town. They probably don't know what she can do to help. And thus don't give her a job. Even then, they probably hold a distaste for using magic to complete a task that can be done with physical labor, seeing as most of them are earth ponies. The Winter Wrap-Up seems like a community task, not meant to be efficient, moreso to bring everypony together so they can bond through working hard and co-operation. Few ponies have magic, so you'd be working alone by using it, and thus not participating in the community bonding. Though back on the main subject, they probably just neglected to give Twilight a task because she's still new to town. Perhaps they don't actually see her as a member of Ponyville yet.
 * I'd have to shoot down the 'rare unicorn' theory. Enough hang around in the background shots (although Lyra Heartstrings moved in from Canterlot later).
 * At the beginning of the episode Spike seems more lethargic than usual, this could be attributed to various reasons, until you take into account that spike is a reptile and reptiles get sleepy at a lowered temperatures.
 * Another little bit. Remember when Twilight's snowplow goes out of control and she ends up cutting off about five or six other plowers? Imagine what would have happened had she not done that. All of those other ponies were heading at each other. Who planned their routes?
 * ...Nopony?
 * Aside from the Aesop of the Week, there is another life lesson for kids in "Winter Wrap-Up:" the pony who ends up in charge is the one who isn't qualified to do any of the actual jobs.
 * She's the only pony ever to try all of the jobs. That's what qualifies her to understand how all the jobs relate to each other.
 * It is an exact demonstration of Scott Adams' Dilbert Principle. Because she failed disastrously at every job, Twilight eventually landed in the one spot where she could do the least damage: management.
 * Why was Twilight so upset when Applejack scolded her for using magic in the episode "Winter Wrap Up", other than the obvious feeling of humiliation? Because Twilight excels in magic, and doesn't really have too many other talents, other than organizing, so when her one of her only talents is considered a burden, she feels like she can't contribute and won't fit in with the others. Considering the fact that Twilight has just made new friends, and doesn't have a lot social experience, it would make perfect sense that she would be heartbroken over the possibility of being thought of a hindrance and that she wouldn't be any use to her friends and wouldn't fit in with them anymore, which would mean that she would be the same lonely girl she was at the beginning of the series, and that probably hurts more than anything.
 * Maybe I'm just slow, but I only recently noticed the foreshadowing when Twilight tries to help Rarity with the birds' nests: after Rarity dumps a basketful of materials in front of her, the first thing she does is organize them OCD-style.
 * Twilight eventually ends up organizing the event (and having them complete everything on-time for the first time ever). What did she do all throughout the 'Winter Wrap-up' musical number and the first part of the episode? Find out about every task that takes place during the Winter Wrap-up. Everypony else was knowledgeable about their own task but nopony else's, as evidenced by Applejack and Fluttershy both giving Rainbow Dash competing assignments. Twilight is the only pony who's bothered to get the complete picture. Organization is one of her skills, sure, but what they really needed was anypony with a big-picture view. - User:Alphacat

Call of the Cutie
"Pinkie Pie: Not baked goods....baked BAAAAADS...."
 * In "Call of the Cutie", the pony the fandom knows as "Doctor Whoof" is an earth pony with the hour glass cutie mark, spiky hair and a mature man's voice. In "Sonic Rainboom", the same pony is featured, but he is now a pegasus and speaks in a much younger boy's voice. Isn't the real Doctor reincarnated over and over? Fridge Brilliance!
 * And if we see Dr. Whoof as an Earth Pony again, that's hardly a barrier. He's just been time-traveling and pegasus!Whoof is from the future.
 * Or from the past. It's all a bit Wibbly.
 * Perhaps when he's wingless, it's because he's recently regenerated and his wings haven't grown back yet.
 * In her song to Apple Bloom, Pinkie Pie mentions to add things that are sweet, not sour. Why? Applejack's muffins had lemon juice in them, which is one of the things that made everypony who ate them sick. Given how traumatized Pinkie was about that, it only makes sense that it would be prominently on her mind when Applejack's sister is in her kitchen!


 * We're introduced to Cheerilee's g4 counterpart in episode 12 Call of the Cutie. And what is the first thing she does-- tell a story.
 * You might want to explain this one a bit... did G-whatever Cheerilee tell stories a lot?
 * "I hope we hear a story from Cherilee!"
 * When Twilight attempts to force Apple Bloom's cutie mark to appear by magic, it keeps on flashing as different things before fading. Why? Because what she wants to do with the rest of her life is still up in the air, and it could be any of those things.
 * Isn't it frustrating that no matter how often they fail, the Cutie Mark Crusaders never understand that you're supposed to just wait for your cutie mark instead of trying and trying to make it happen? Even Apple Bloom, probably the most even-headed of the three fillies, just doesn't get it. Even after Cheerilee explained it to her class in Call of the Cutie! "Discovering what makes you unique isn't something that happens overnight, and no amount of hoping, wishing, or begging will make a cutie mark appear before its time." Too bad Apple Bloom, who had been diligently taking notes, was momentarily distracted by Diamond Tiara's note-passing. She mighta learned something.

Fall Weather Friends

 * It's implied repeatedly that earth ponies are stronger and/or have more endurance than pegasi, in general. After the Running of the Leaves, when Twilight mentioned most of the contestants being worn out by the end of the race, the camera cuts to a trio of exhausted ponies... all three are pegasi. For all their mistakes and shameless copypasting, the background pony animators sometimes do something especially clever.
 * Also in the Running of the Leaves, Pinkie Pie's announcements of "It's Applejack...it's Rainbow Dash!" seem to be out of sync with who's actually ahead. But, since Applejack and Rainbow Dash have unknowingly fallen behind the others, she's actually announcing who's behind.
 * So why was Pinkie Pie announcing the Running Of The Leaves instead of participating in it directly? Because she can run faster than Rainbow Dash can fly, and if she was racing, Twilight, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash wouldn't have stood a chance which would have made the rivalry between Applejack and Rainbow Dash completely obsolete.
 * Alternatively, it's because Pinkie Pie is powered by Rule of Funny and her winning would be too predictable to be funny so she can't even try.
 * A lot of people know of the Shout-Out in "Fall Weather Friends", but take a closer look at Twilight's cutie mark. There are 42 points. Either it wasn't really a shout out, or it's been there since episode 1...

Suited for Success

 * In "Suited for Success" one might look at the "second try" dresses and wonder, how can they look at that in a mirror and think it looks good? Then one remembers that they go around naked most of the time! It makes sense that they don't have any taste, since they don't have to exercise it on a daily basis.
 * Rarity is able to make dozens of perfectly tailored dresses in a single night, with nothing more than a sewing machine, a few dress forms, and gentle telekinesis for the tricky bits. But she has a big advantage over human dressmakers: almost every pony in Equestria has the same body model!
 * Rainbow Dash's gala gown has some distinctly Greek overtones: the grape-bunch broach, the sandals that weave around her ankles, and especially the laurel wreath headpiece. And where does the original pegasus myth come from?
 * Not to mention the Spartan-style helmet her overwrought gown had.
 * Also: The Classical Greek/Roman architectural influences throughout Dash's hometown of Cloudsdale.
 * The Pegasus armor in Hearth's Warming Eve is clearly modeled after the Roman Centurion.
 * At the start of Suited For Success, Applejack is seen walking into Rarity's shop with Twilight. At first, this seems like some sort of way to make Rarity think of making dresses for all her friends, but that role could easily be filled by Fluttershy or Pinkie Pie. For that matter, doesn't Rainbow Dash fill that role? So why is Applejack with Twilight? Because we're given hints in other episodes (Ticket Master, Applebuck Season) that Twilight hangs out with Applejack more than any other of the mane cast. Applejack is even the one that counsels her on Pinkie Sense during Feeling Pinkie Keen.
 * In a similar vein, Rainbow Dash calls out to Pinkie Pie in Over a Barrel and Pinkie Pie is the only one of the mane cast to follow her. Why? Because they decided they liked each other beyond just playing pranks.
 * The final pair (Rarity and Fluttershy) have their relationship expressed throughout a lot of Green Isn't Your Color, especially at the beginning when Rarity mentions that she and Fluttershy spend a day together at the spa every week.
 * This adds in even more Fridge Brilliance in the second episode, where, after the cliff collapse, Fluttershy saves Rarity, Rainbow Dash saves Pinkie Pie, and Applejack saves Twilight. In the second episode, they hinted at who would be the closest of friends within the larger friendship group.

Feeling Pinkie Keen

 * When the mane cast was confronted by a monster in Feeling Pinkie Keen, it was a Hydra. Since it has four heads, Fluttershy couldn't stare it down. When Discord hypnotized Fluttershy, he did so by touching the top of her head, rather than staring into her eyes. If I remember correctly, when the cranky Ursa Minor attacked, Fluttershy wasn't there. If any of this were different, she would have stared it down.
 * The reason Twilight's machine failed to analyze Pinkie sense in Feeling Pinkie Keen? They were standing in a basement without moving. That meant nothing whatsoever was going to happen, so there was nothing for Pinkie sense to predict!
 * In "Feeling Pinkie Keen", When running from the hydra the group has to jump across stone pillars to escape. Fluttershy is the first to go and says to herself "It's just a hop, skip and a jump." Which is something Pinkie told her back in "Dragonshy" Why couldn't she just fly across? The same reason in "Dragonshy": her wings lock up when she's scared. And why couldn't Twilight teleport across when the pillars collapsed when she does it all the time in "Applebuck Season"? As we've seen throughout the series, when Twilight is stressed (end of Lesson Zero, Cutie Mark Chronicles, The "failsafe spell" in Return of Harmony) she has a harder time controlling magic, and it usually just doesn't work.
 * I think this is why the doozy in "Feeling Pinkie Keen" was Twilight believing in Pinkie's pinkie sense instead of the hydra. The hydra was foreshadowed to make the viewers expect the hydra to appear. Twilight giving in wasn't.

Sonic Rainboom

 * When Rainbow Dash does her first Sonic Rainboom, it makes the main cast find out who they truly are and define themselves, in ways they possibly might have not found out otherwise. The show's main point is to teach to be who you truly are, with the characters having those specific personalities. So Pinkie Pie's conclusion on that being how Equestria (as we know it) was made is right in an strange half-meta way.
 * That and they saved Equestria from Nightmare Moon.
 * Related to this...you know how happy and excited filly Pinkie was when she saw the rainbow? Well, that seemed more excited than she was to see Twilight for the first time in the first episode. So why did she claim she had never been that excited before? Because it was the first episode--making that statement also right in an odd way.
 * It is probably more of an expression than the strict truth. You might get into a fight with you boss of girlfriend and state "I have never been so angry" or after a long day "I have never been so tired" It isn't the literal truth, but an exaggeration to highlight the intensity, basically meaning "very Angry" or "very tired", or in Pinkie's case "very excited"
 * Another interpretation to Pinkie Pie's bizarre non-sequitur is that she really did give the Cutie Mark Crusaders her own bizarre version of how Equestria was made but the naration just cut to Pinkie Pie's actual cutie mark origin story so that audience gets something that makes more sense in context. Then once it's done, cuts back to Pinkie concluding her own very confusing tale.
 * As I watched 'Sonic Rainboom', I started wondering why Rainbow Dash was picked on despite being the only pony to ever do a Sonic Rainboom. Then it hit me: she did it once, by accident. She's never been able to pull it off since. It was a one-off fluke, and an accident isn't going to earn her huge amounts of social standing, especially since: 1, most ponies probably didn't see it; 2, she can't replicate it; and 3, most athletic ponies or fans of such would probably prize a pony who could do tricks repeatedly and flawlessly, rather than someone with a long history of screwing up. To be fair, the Sonic Rainboom is quite hard, but Dash's speed and stamina meant she probably should have been able to do it before.
 * Why does Pinkie Pie try to eat Rainbows? Because it might taste like Zap Apple Jam.
 * Or it might just be because she is Pinkie.
 * In "Call of the Cutie", it's Rainbow Dash who encourages Apple Bloom to actively try to make her cutie mark appear, as opposed to everyone else who assures her it will just happen. This episode reveals why Rainbow thinks that; she DID make her cutie mark appear. That may not have been her goal, but she was actively engaging in a new activity when it manifested, so of course she thinks that a pony who wants one should go out and try lots of new things. The other ponies, by contrast, all had their marks appear as a side effect of Rainbow Dash's actions, so they take a more passive, "wait and see" approach.
 * After Rarity loses her wings, you never see her standing on a cloud - she's either held up by flying ponies, or sitting in the balloon. This makes perfect sense - Twilight never cast the cloudwalking spell on her because she already had wings. (While Rarity can be seen cloudwalking earlier, this is obviously an ability of the wings, as she also airwalks during the contest.)

Stare Master

 * When Fluttershy tries to sleep on her living room couch in "Stare Master", we see that its back is higher at one end than the other. It's a fainting couch, which makes sense because we know Fluttershy is prone to fainting.
 * Okay, so how did she GET that couch? As pointed out in examples relating to "Suited For Success," she's best friends with Rarity, who also faints as part of her "Drama Queen" persona. Rarity would understand the value of having a fainting couch, and she is the Element of Generosity...

The Show Stoppers

 * In "The Show Stoppers", the Cutie Mark Crusaders are shown Comically Missing the Point about finding their Cutie Marks by sticking to what they know and like already. Instead they keep focusing on trying different things in their search for their talents and ignoring their natural gifts. Why? Because the kids don't consider those things to be their talents. None of them regard their gifts as anything special or noteworthy because, while they know it's not the case intellectually, they regard their real talents in a "I Thought Everyone Could Do That" sense. They don't realize their building / singing / athleticism are their special talents.
 * In "The Show Stoppers", Apple Bloom fixes up Applejack's broken-down tree house all by herself, no problem. So where was that talent when she and her friends were fixing Fluttershy's table in "Stare Master"? It makes a little more sense when you consider that Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo don't share Apple Bloom's talent (especially not Sweetie Belle), and Scootaloo was apparently working at cross-purposes with the other two ("We were making a table?"), which lead to a classic "too many cooks spoil the broth" situation.
 * Moreover, "too many cooks" seems to be tripping them up even worse as the Cutie Mark Crusaders. They do EVERYTHING together, and the result is always a disaster.
 * They didn't realize that was their special talent. They do it all the time, and are used to it, so they don't realize they're good at it. Just as Peppermint Twist was making candy for the longest time, she didn't realize it was her special talent until a bit later and she got her mark.
 * If the other Applejack family members have Apple-based cutie marks, and Apple Bloom's talent is hinted to be craftsmanship, what does that have to do with apples-- oh. Wood.
 * Also, look at Apple Bloom's face when her friends say who wants a picture of a hammer on their flank. She looks like a mix between terrified and upset.
 * Yeah, children around that age are very changable in their desires. They can want to be a fireman one week and an artist the next, and enjoy and try a lot of stuff which probably wouldn't have turned out to be my cutie mark had such things applied in real life. Nobody necessarily has just one talent in life, either.
 * This makes sense - Twist mentions that she made those peppermint candies a lot, but it was only when she realized it was her special talent that she got her cutie mark.

A Dog and Pony Show

 * Of course Rarity's "whining" was painful to the Diamond Dogs, with their canine sense of hearing.
 * It would seem odd that a bunch of ponies could easily pull big carts filled with gems while the diamond dogs struggle to pull them, despite being bigger and muscular. However, horses in Real Life are generally stronger than dogs, and can therefore pull heavier objects easier than dogs.

Green Isn't Your Color
"Photo Finish: ZE MAGICKS!!"
 * Pinkie Pie's insistence on keeping secrets. It actually makes a lot of sense when you realize that not keeping them defeats the purpose of throwing surprise parties.
 * I thought it had more to do with "pinky swears".
 * One interpretation of Pinkie Pie's character is that she was around for Discord's reign (which is why she grew up on a rock farm), and the reason she's so strange is because Discord made her weird to cause distress to her family (making her immortal as well, which is also a terrible fate for a pony like Pinkie Pie). What does all this have to do with her focus on keeping secrets? Well, imagine the reactions of a town if they learn through her friends that she was touched by the imbodiment of chaos.
 * In "Green Isn't Your Colour", Rarity seems to keep her cucumbers on her eyes much longer than it would seem required and literally emoted through them. Then you realize that this was foreshadowing her "green eyed monster" feelings that she was going to get later in the episode.
 * For those who saw Photo Finish's cutie mark, you might be wondering why it's exactly the same as Twilight Sparkle, who earned hers through a powerful display of magic (while Finish herself has no powers at all.) Remember her occupation? Her job is basically to bring out the magic in her fashion shows. Or, as she puts it....


 * Photo Finish is a fashion photographer. Her cutie mark, while similar to Twilight's, also resembles the flash of a camera bulb.
 * I was confused for a fair bit over the title of the My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic episode "Green Isn't Your Color". I kept thinking, "But Fluttershy wears a green dress to the Grand Galloping Gala..." Then it hit me. The episode is about Rarity being jealous... or green with envy. -fierystage
 * Also remember, in her little bout against Trixie in episode 6, she was temporarily given green hair, which clashed greatly with her overall design.
 * The door to Fluttershy's dressing room in Green is Not Your Colour has a small hole in it, for small creatures like mice to enter in. It's a minor, but very nice detail.
 * Fluttershy becoming a model in Green Isn't Your Color might lead to the conclusion that she's the most attractive pony In-Universe. Fridge Brilliance sets in once you find out that In Real Life, as children supermodels were often tall and skinny compared to their peers, just like filly Fluttershy in The Cutie Mark Chronicles flashback.
 * When you think about it, Rarity being passed over for Fluttershy could be seen as karma. As in "Sonic Rainboom," Rarity basically stole the attention away from Rainbow Dash with her new wings. (The reason why she was there in the first place was to support her in the Young Fliers competition), and now Fluttershy (inadvertently) stole the attention away from her.
 * By the same token, Fluttershy's nervousness become worse because of Photo Finish's describing all the ponies out there about to watch her is just as karmic since that's what she did to Rainbow Dash in Sonic Rainboom.

Over a Barrel

 * Read this, especially the third paragraph about conflict being resolved by sharing. Then watch "Over a Barrel", specifically Pinkie Pie's song. It's basically a giant Take That against that idea.
 * Except the conflict is, in the end, resolved by sharing. So Pinkie was right all along! She was just a bit annoying about the idea... kinda like the previous MLP cartoons, I suppose.
 * Well that's basically it, isn't it? I mean when you get down to it the childish morals that pop up in most kids cartoons (don't be greedy, don't judge somebody by their looks, don't be ill mannered about generous gifts, etc) are all pretty solid. Even adults know this. The problem most kids shows have is that they're so Tastes Like Diabetes about it, and don't respect the fact that the real world is more complicated than the ideals. Lauren Faust knows that, can poke fun at it, and respects that characters with flaws are more relatable, and believable than the sugar-sweet expies of characters, whose 'adventures' in no way solve the problems of little girls today. Sharing with the nasty Diamond Tiara-esque people they encounter at school isn't going to necessarily make them nice straight away, and being open minded isn't going to automatically solve the prejudices they encounter around them. Basically, we trusted the ending of Over a Barrell more after Pinkie's song was terrible and everyone missed the point, because it demonstrated that we know it's not as simple as singing a pretty song to fix everyone's problems, but the solution itself is still there IN the song. Essentially, the show doesn't treat small girls like naive idiots.
 * There seems to be a writing slip where Twilight says "anybody" rather than "anypony." Except she's referring to both ponies and buffalo.
 * In "Over A Barrel" Rainbow Dash yells for Pinkie Pie to get away while she holds off the entire herd of buffalo currently surrounding them. At first it sounds like empty bravado, but then we see just how much damage she can do in "Lesson Zero." Those buffalo really were going to get held off. Hard.

A Bird in the Hoof

 * Celestia having a phoenix is rather appropriate - considering that they're associated with the sun.
 * Not to mention the fact that a phoenix is reborn over and over again, so that would be the perfect companion for someone who's lived for over 1000 years.
 * Banishment, and then being imprisoned in the place you were banished to? What a crazy idea! Except that's exactly what happened to Nightmare Moon...
 * Rarity wears her Gala dress to the lunch with Celestia in A Bird In The Hoof, and is quite protective of it. Her behavior comes across as being a prissy fashionista, but then you realize her friends made the dress for her as an apology for ruining her reputation and career with their disastrous "dresses" in Suited For Success. Not only is she very protective of their dress, she's showing off their work to the Princess herself. Now that's a friend!

The Cutie Mark Chronicles

 * In The Cutie Mark Chronicles, Fluttershy is a bit taller than all of the other main ponies at the time of the Sonic Rainboom. Why? As she said to Pinkie Pie in Griffon the Brush-Off, "I'm a year older than you..."
 * Also from that episode, for those who've seen Feeling Pinkie Keen, you might've wondered why Pinkie's "Pinkie Sense" didn't kick in prior to the . Well, consider the fact that Twilight was able to pass her entrance exam the same day  . In that sense, that ended up working for Twilight in the same vein as the radioactive spider for Peter Parker. So, maybe that also caused Pinkie's young brain to be all scrambled and give her that "Pinkie Sense" of hers. It would also explain how she ended up with her current personality...
 * As of Cutie Mark Chronicles, we know what it's supposed to look like when Celestia raises the sun. Now go back to episode 2. Celestia descends from the sun in a ball of light, which is NOT a normal part of the sun-raising. Clearly, Nightmare Moon trapped her in the sun, just as she had been imprisoned in the moon!
 * It was Rainbow Dash's friendship with Fluttershy that caused her to race to defend her honor, leading to her first Sonic Rainboom, leading to Twilight Sparkle being taken in as Celestia's student, leading to Twilight learning about Nightmare Moon and being sent to Ponyville by Celestia, leading to the mane cast saving Equestria.
 * This is taken Up to Eleven when you realize that Rainbow Dash's friendship causing the Sonic Rainboom also caused Twilight to get her Cutie Mark, and discover her potential and talent for magic, which is proof of what Princess Celestia is trying to teach Twilight in the first place, which is that friendship is magic.
 * Why is it that the remainder of the mane 6 witnessed the Sonic Rainboom in the same-named episode, but didn't make the connection to themselves until the present-day segment of "The Cutie Mark Chronicles"? Because each pony only noticed the sonic boom (Rarity, Twilight, Fluttershy) or the rainbow (Pinkie Pie and Applejack) but never both at once. Because light travels faster than sound.
 * This troper always felt that Twilight Sparkle simply levitating the magic school teachers was a bit of a copout after turning her parents into plants and Spike into a full-grown dragon, but then it occured to me - this way, they're still in a condition to bear witness to the events and grade her accordingly. Otherwise Princess Celestia might have been treading on some thin ice and red tape in trying to get Twilight Sparkle enrolled regardless.
 * Also Twilight had no control over her powers in that instant, so her magic school teachers probably just got lucky.
 * Keep in mind that these are teachers at a school of magic, most likely pretty powerful magic-users themselves. That they were unable to counter Twilight's magic shows how powerful she is.
 * To build onto the above point: they were employed by Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. This is a school full of young unicorns with a lot of raw power and/or talent, but not a lot of experience and/or control over it. Attacks of Power Incontinence happen all the time, so thus the school would have countermeasures in place to protect the school's staff and students. Twilight being able to levitate her proctors at all meant she was bypassing some of the most powerful defensive magic available to unicorns, as a young filly with next to no experience at all.
 * Confirmed. Later on Celestia will Twilight in-dialogue that she has never seen another unicorn with her level of magical ability in her entire life. Remember that Celestia is over one thousand bucking years old.
 * The Mane Cast all earned their cutie marks after various moments of epiphany. However, all these moments had more to do with inner character than one specific talent -- Applejack's love for home and family, Fluttershy's need to nurture and be needed, Rarity's drive to bring out "spectacular" beauty, Twilight's love for magic and knowledge in general, Pinkie Pie's need to bring happiness to others, and Rainbow Dash's competitiveness. The Cutie Mark Crusaders aren't without marks because they don't recognize their talents; to a certain extent, they probably do. It's just that there's much, much more to it.
 * Also, you have to consider the fact that Sweetie Belle already knows she has musical talent, but decides to avoid that path for multiple possible reasons other than her desire to follow in her big sister Rarity's footsteps. The first reason is the fact that she obviously suffers from stage fright, especially around strangers which is completely understandable considering she's so young. The other reason is that since she already is the closest to knowing about their talent, she might think that if she gets her Cutie Mark too much sooner than the other Cutie Mark Crusaders, her friends might ostracize her because she already has her talent, while they're still looking for their own, much like how one person might get into a good college while the rest of their friends aren't so lucky, and might be treated differently as a result.
 * "Cutie Pox" makes it very unlikely that whichever Cutie Mark Crusader gets her cutie mark first will be ostracized from the others. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were both very supportive of Apple Bloom, even when she got two cutie marks.
 * Scootaloo's relentless respect of Rainbow Dash might seem like the excess zeal of a young fangirl, but she might be right in wanting to ask for Rainbow Dash's help specifically when you consider the fact that Rainbow Dash
 * In "The Cutie-Mark Chronicles", neither Applejack's Aunt and Uncle Orange, nor any of their party guests, have actual New York accents. Instead, they all have affected Mid-Atlantic accents. This might seem like a simple case of Did Not Do the Research or of the creators assuming Viewers are Morons, but it actually makes perfect sense: the Oranges and their guests are nouuveaux riches arrivistes. Of course they'd affect a snobbish accent, just as they've affected a snobbish attitude. In reality, they are probably nowhere near as cultured or sophisticated as they pretend, and are desperately afraid that somepony will see through them.
 * This is supported by their reactions when AJ brings up roosters. Look at their reactions: almost like they were horrified someone would bring up something that would even hint that they aren't what they pretend they are. Makes one of the guests asking what a rooster is into a new light as well. Even if they'd never seen a chicken feather in their lives, how can you claim to not even know what a rooster is? Cuz they're in denial like crazy!
 * Another example from "Cutie Mark Chronicles": Applejack's cousins the Oranges live in Manehattan, the Equestrian equivalent of Manhattan, obviously. Manhattan was originally settled by the Dutch, who at that time were ruled by the House of Orange. Note that the flag of New York City today has an orange bar for precisely that reason. The pun is complicated by the fact that New York is also known as the "Big Apple."
 * This actually hits Genius Bonus when you consider the term "Mixing Apples And Oranges".
 * Why does Spike claim he came out of a green and purple egg in the first ep when it was just a purple egg in "The Cutie Mark Chronicles"? Because he remembers that egg from the inside.
 * Remember Applejack's nervousness about her table manners in the previous episode? Or her reluctance to wear a dress in "Suited for Success" and "Look Before you Sleep"? Now you know where it comes from.
 * The Mane Six's cutie marks seem to correspond nicely with the Elements of Harmony:
 * Applejack: Her cutie mark came when she decided to stop pretending to be something she's not, i.e. she stopped lying to herself (Honesty)
 * Fluttershy: She got hers when she comforted the animals who were frightened by the Sonic Rainboom (Kindness)
 * Rarity: She could've easily kept all of those gems to herself, but chose to give them to somone who really needed them (Generosity)
 * Twilight: She discovered her talent for magic (Magic)
 * And while her magic was going out of control and everyone was freaking out, only Princess Celestia extended the hoof of friendship.
 * Pinkie Pie: She got her cutie mark when she smiled for the very first time and decided to spread happiness and smiles all around her (Laughter)
 * Rainbow Dash: She got her cutie mark after competing determinedly to defend the honor of one of her friends (Loyalty)

Owl's Well That Ends Well

 * I was wondering why Spike became so insanely jealous of Owlowiscious so quickly, but then I realised that every dragon so far is VERY territorial and Spike probably considers Twilight and the gang 'his' without realizing it! When he thought Owlowiscious was taking their attention from him his natural instincts kicked in and he became furious!
 * More Owl-based Brilliance: According to Twilight, Owlowiscious was hired so Twilight would have someone to help her out during night (in itself Brilliance due to an owl's nocturnal status). So why was Owlowiscious so keen to help Twi during the day? Because the other reason he was hired was because Spike was exhausted from overworking... the owl was putting in some extra hours to give Spike a chance to catch up on lost sleep! Shame Spike didn't see it that way, but the road to strife is paved with good intentions...
 * Concerning Owlowiscious, and Spike's behavior and attitude toward him. Twilight Sparkle hatched and raised Spike, making her his surrogate mother of sorts. For many years, Spike was her only 'child'. Then Owlowiscious comes along. Spike gets incredibly jealous, and even states that Twilight doesn't love him anymore. His behaviors and beliefs about Owlowiscious are symptoms of something every child gets; he's just jealous of the 'new baby'. Sure, Spike can be smart, level-headed, and even insightful, but he's still just a child, and is vulnerable to all the afflictions of one.
 * In the "Owl's Well That Ends Well" scene with the ponies all looking at Spike at the same time and smiling, Pinkie petting him, etc... it's clear that Spike was enjoying the attention. It's interrupted when Twilight says that's enough; but perhaps the reason she said that was because she wouldn't want him to get too used to that much attention from them. When Spike does get used to it, seeing that attention go to an owl instead makes him jealous enough to temporarily become a villain. (Albeit an ineffectual one.) Perhaps that kind of addiction to their attention is what Twilight was trying to prevent...
 * In "Owl's Well That Ends Well" Spike meets an adult dragon who tries to kill him. While Spike had just eaten part of his hoard, it still seemed excessive that he would start trying to kill Spike after giving him only a token effort to explain himself. And then comes "Secret of My Excess," and we see that if Spike had tried to claim that hoard, he would have reached adulthood almost instantly. That makes the adult dragon's attempt to kill Spike a reasonable, if grim, attempt to fend off a competitor before he becomes a problem.

Party of One

 * In Party of One, when Pinkie Pie starts to believe her friends have abandoned and she sinks into depression, her mane flattens and her color goes drab, reverting back to her look prior to gaining her Cutie Mark. Without a Party, there is no Pinkie Pie; just Pinkamena Diane Pie.
 * Note that when this happens she (particularly her mane and tail) deflates and inflates like a balloon (complete with sound effects).
 * Also in Party of One Spike admits to using all the hot water in Ponyville to take a long bath. At first this would seem like an over-exaggeration for the sake of a joke (all the hot water for an entire town?) until you remember that Spike is a fire-breathing dragon, and dragons both like and need a lot of heat.
 * If you take your time out of the entire Pinkie pie meltdown, the entire episode is very caricature-like and it's not just Pinkie. Twilight tiptoeing around in broad daylight with accompanying sound effects; Rainbow dash drawing a watch in her leg right in front of Pinkie and making excuses to leave with a straight face; Applejack closing the barn door in Pinkie face and the poorly done construction noises; Pinkie sitting on Rainbow Dash's head, squishing it flat into the floor ... it seems pretty out of context. Then you realize that in every episode revolving around Pinkie or ones in which she played a large part (Feeling Pinkie Keen, Green Isn't Your Color), the entire universe starts incorporating the laws of the Looney Tunes universe in a very meta way.
 * Or, in equally fridge brilliance, we're seeing the world through Pinkie's eyes (in third person... somehow...) and seeing how she interpreted actual events in an Unreliable Narrator sort of way, just painted across the fourth wall. As she began to suspect her friends, she "imagined," for lack of a better word, them acting more and more decietful, and when she held her own party the inanimate objects started off just that until in Pinkie's mind, at least, they became real until Dash turn up and fractured the self-illusion.
 * As well in Party of One, this troper spent a good while wondering why Pinkie Pie takes longer to trust Applejack's excuses compared to the other ponies. But then, Applejack is the wielder of the Element of Honesty. She is not just the most likely to get caught first, but it's also hard for her to make excuses.
 * Why is Gummy's birthday the day before Pinkie's? Clearly he was a birthday present!
 * In retrospect, this episode says even more about Pinkie than it does on the surface. When you consider that she's so busy throwing birthday parties for everyone else that she can't even remember her own birthday when it rolls around, you realize that her sense of generosity must rival even Rarity's.
 * You might notice that when Pinkie was giving her singing telegram, as well as during Gummy's birthday, Spike was nowhere to be seen. Why not? He was taking that seven hour bath!

The Best Night Ever

 * Prince Blueblood is by himself such that a newcomer like Rarity was able to easily approach him and accompany him without constantly getting mobbed like with the Wonderbolts. That's because those who already know him can't stand being around him.
 * So, Applejack thought she would be earning enough at the Gala to pay for Granny Smith's hip replacement. That's probably a lot of money, considering she hadn't been able to save enough to pay for it throughout the months that have passed during the first season. Applejack must have brought a lot of merchandise with her if she thinks she could make that much money. But then it all gets destroyed! She lost merchandise worth that much money at the gala! Why does she still describe it as the best night ever? Then I realized she probably didn't bring that much stuff and just jacked the prices up ridiculously high.
 * Which makes sense, given the markups at concession stands. A 20-oz bottle of Coke will run you maybe $1.50 at a grocery store, but $4.00 or more at an amusement park. Applejack figured she'd have a captive audience that would need to eat sooner or later; she didn't count on there being a free buffet.
 * Why did the animals run from Fluttershy at the gala? It wasn't because they were scared of her, it was because it was night time, and they were trying to get to sleep. Fluttershy forgot that a lot of the animals there weren't nocturnal in her excitement, and the animals ran away upon realising Fluttershy probaly wouldn't let them get to sleep. Likewise, one could make the argument that Fluttershy had never stayed up so late before, and the lack of sleep took it's toll after she exhausted herself chasing after the animals for a couple of hours.
 * This would fit with everypony seemingly thinking the GGG was going to be during the day in "The Ticket Master".
 * Consider, also, that Fluttershy deals with animals 'in Ponyville' in a regular basis. Consider that animals rely a good deal on scent to identify friend from foe, the animals would not recognize Fluttershy as a friend because they would not recognize her scent. Try getting near a dog or cat, and it will sniff you first before deciding whether or not it likes you.
 * She may have been in heat. Anyone who deals with horses/ponies irl knows (or at least probably has heard) that even very sweet mares can get uncharacteristically cranky when they're in heat.
 * Which puts the "You're going to LOVE ME!" in a WHOLE new light...
 * It may come off as a bit of Mood Whiplash in "Best Night Ever" when the ponies are forced to go through hours of trouble after singing a cheery collective "I Want" Song suited for a finale. Unless of course, you recognize the tune of "At the Gala" as being similar to "Ever After" from Into the Woods, where the heroes sing of their hopes for a Happily Ever After, only to be met with a Darker and Edgier second arc. Someone in the writing staff was a musical buff.
 * Similarly with "Art of the Dress", the second half/version of the song where Rarity sings about her customers fussiness matches the cynical tone of the song it's based on, "Putting it Together".
 * Ignoring Pinkie Pie (who was singing the song), the Pony Pokey montage covers the ponies in the same order they were introduced in episode 1. (Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and finally Fluttershy.) It could just be a coincidence, but the chances of that are 1 in 120.
 * Actually, Pinkie might fit too. Remember, she was introduced "first," but really made her appearance last. In the Pony Pokey, she sets up the song, but her actual part of the song isn't until the end.
 * In The Best Night Ever, the Mane 6 are suffering from Elements of Harmony Failure Insanity Syndrome (as opposed to CMFIS).
 * Fluttershy is attempting to imprison harmless animals to entertain herself, hardly a kind action.
 * Rarity is self-centred (if not to the same level as Blueblood), looking only to charm Blueblood and win her Prince Charming, rather than generous (again, Blueblood was being a douche to her, but still).
 * Rainbow Dash abandons her friends to go hang out with the Wonderbolts, a pretty disloyal things to do. Especially ironic given how she turned down the Shadowbolts in the pilot.
 * Pinkie Pie's antics aren't amusing to the ponies at the Gala, which defeats the purpose of being the Element of Laughter.
 * Applejack is being dishonest to herself about what the Gala-goers want to eat (Whole apple pies? really?).
 * Actually, that part is understandable. They are HORSES, after all.
 * And Twilight Sparkle is ignoring her friends to try and hang out with Princess Celestia instead.
 * In 'The Best Night Ever', Rarity repeatedly fantasizes about meeting her true love at the Gala- Prince Blueblood. As was pointed out earlier, Twilight, being part of some of the highest social circles in Equestria, probably knew him, but didn't mention his personality to Rarity. Why? Well, I can think of two reasons to start- one, she didn't want to crush her friend's dream, or two, she didn't think Rarity would believe her. Or, hell, maybe she thought he'd be a better pony by then- or that Rarity would manage to redeem him.
 * Or it could be that Twilight didn't actually know anyone other than Celestia all that well.

The Return of Harmony, Parts 1 & 2

 * If one takes Discord's hint how to find Elements of Harmony from other perspective (ie. you as viewers), you will find 0:00 of first episode, which happens to be cover of guide to Elements of Harmony. Where Twilight finds Elements of Harmony? In the guide to them.
 * Fluttershy says she's weak and helpless. This makes sense when you realize that alone she is weak and helpless; see how she reacted to Gilda's bullying when on her own. Fluttershy's strength comes from her friends.
 * Why was Rarity the only one of the ponies to consciously resist mind control? Because she's has had the most experience fighting to stay true to her element.
 * Twilight's Failsafe Spell failed, which makes a lot more sense when you remember stuff like "Feeling Pinkie Keen." Magic makes sense, it has to. You tell it what to do and it does it. It has rules. This is all fine and dandy until you come up against magic that doesn't make sense or doesn't follow rules, like what the chaotic Discord used.
 * When Twilight is turned grey she becomes very depressed and emo. What is she named after as a pop culture reference?
 * Um.. The period of time between day and night where the sun isn't completely gone, but the moon and darkness have fully risen already? Stars in the sky at that point?
 * In other words, it also means the Darkest Hour. And at this point, there is NO uncertainty that it isn't.
 * Twilight is also the point where there is complete balance and harmony between day and night.
 * I just noticed there is merit to the spelling of Discord's species name Draconequus, the third to last and second to last letters are both U's, like in "continuum" like The Q Continuum. Also, it contains a Q.
 * From the first part of "Return of Harmony" I thought it was a bit much that Fluttershy was such a paragon of Incorruptible Pure Pureness that Discord had to cheat to negate her element. But then I realized that Fluttershy's low self esteem meant that if there was tension among the group she'd blame herself rather than everypony else. Discord's tactic of negating the elements relied on exploiting the selfishness or short-sightedness of the group which meant that he had nothing to manipulate in Fluttershy who's both selfless and too scared to act in haste.
 * Discord's corruption of Fluttershy becomes even more brilliant when you realize it was basically a role-reversal of her getting angry and staring down monsters that threatened her friends.
 * That and making someone angry usually isn't a kind thing to do, even if they deserve it.
 * At first, Discord forcing Rainbow Dash into choosing between helping her friends and saving her home doesn't make much sense going along with Discord's repeated attempts to undermine their Element Of Harmony, after all, it's just forcing her to choose which she'll be loyal to. Then you realize that regardless of which she chooses, she's betraying the other and going against her Element Of Loyality.
 * Expanding on this: Discord's plan to corrupt Rainbow Dash is a Xanatos Gambit, while the attempts at corrupting the others are not. Why didn't he do that earlier? Because Fluttershy had just proved to him that his usual methods weren't foolproof, so he decided to step up his game.
 * Not so much of a Xanatos Gambit, but just as much Fridge Brilliance, when you realize that Discord never said which choice was the right choice. For all we know, Rainbow Dash just doomed Cloudsdale, and, if she had just stayed in the maze, it could have been alright.
 * Going even further, Discord never explicitly stated what he meant by "home." Thus, Discord's statement meant that if Rainbow Dash left the maze (making the wrong choice in the process) then she would inadvertently destroy her home (which, for the entirety of the series, has been Ponyville). This means that Discord's prophecy wasn't a lie at all, and that he was merely tricking her with images of Cloudsdale's destruction.
 * Pay close attention and you'll see that he corrupted her even before she had a chance to choose. And, as it turned out in Part 2, he tricked her into believing that a small patch of cloud was her hometown, just to get her to betray her friends.
 * Pay even closer attention and you'll see that her choice was already made before the corruption started. She just hadn't acted on that choice yet.
 * If you think about the whole situation, you realize it's probably just one massive Plan anyway. Even if they found the Elements Of Harmony, it's very likely Discord would've broken one of them before they did, rendering the Elements useless anyway. The only real way he could've lost is if he failed to break or Mind Rape all of them and they found the Elements Of Harmony.
 * Discord did take Twilights element! When they where about to enter the labyrinth, he took her horn and said himself he took her magic.
 * What's more, he separated her from her friends at the very moment her determination convinced them to put their best...hooves forward (cheesy, but awesome). One could say Twilight's not the last to lose her 'element', but it was already taken from her first without brainwashing (because Discord's messing with them all).
 * The order of Break the Cutie in which Discord goes by is actually very smart thinking on the writing staff's part:
 * He first goes after Applejack, the Team Mom who'd have noticed if anything fishy was happening to the group and would have united the team (even if they were brainwashed) with her willpower.
 * Pinkie Pie second since, despite being an earth pony, she has energy that rivals Rainbow Dash's and is the most optimistic and unpredictable of the group.
 * Rarity third because next to Applejack and Twilight, she has the most pluck and common sense to think of a rational way to stop him.
 * Fluttershy fourth since while she has a fierce protective side, she is the least assertive of the group.
 * Rainbow Dash next since to Discord, she presents the least amount of danger in that she acts before she thinks, and was therefore the easiest target of the Mane Six for him to manipulate.
 * And he ultimately succeeds in breaking Twilight by taking away the most important thing in the world to her besides her magic: her first and best friends.
 * In the season two premiere, Discord tells Rainbow Dash that Cloudsdale is in trouble, and she'd have to leave her friends to save the town. A lot of people say that either way she's betraying someone, and that's true. However, earlier in the episode, RD says that she'll ALWAYS be loyal to the Princess, to which Discord responds "We'll see". Taking that into account, it really is Fridge Brilliance.
 * During "The Return of Harmony", I questioned why Celestia didn't help the Mane Cast search for the elements. Then it hit me: Discord was probably causing troubles all over Equestria before and during the Mane Cast were in the maze. Celestia probably had to fix all those problems before they got out of hand. Just as well, there was probably very little she could do to help the Mane Cast anyway. It's implied that Discord may be as powerful, or perhaps even moreso, that her. Since she no longer wields the elements, she likely couldn't do anything to him anyway, and whatever he did do with the elements, it's not likely that Celestia can do a spell or anything else to help find them.
 * And if Discord can remove wings and horns with just a thought, Celestia going in would be risking one of the most powerful ponies in Equestria.
 * When Discord takes over, the sun and moon start rising completely at random, implying that he's able to effectively NEGATE Celestia's powers.
 * Just thought it was clever and worth pointing out, whenever Discord tries to lead the ponies into other areas where he can trick them, the first thing they see are their CUTIE MARKS. Notice, Applejack gets to the Orchard by following three apples. What is her cutie mark? A picture of three apples! Rarity is lured by three diamonds, and Pinkie first sees three balloons in the same color and pattern as her cutie mark. Fluttershy sees three butterflies with pink wings, and Rainbow Dash follows a cloud with a rainbow lightning bolt. During Pinkie Pie's scene, the camera actually has a close up of her cutie mark right before she sees the first three balloons. Their cutie marks represent their calling in life, and it's what attracts them the most, so it makes sense that Discord would use them to lure them into his trap.
 * It's also interesting considering that Discord uses the cutie marks of the mane six talk to most of them character, literally a corrupted form of each of their elements.
 * Alternatively/In Addition, the Elemental Harmony Necklaces and Tiara have gemstones that were in the shape of their cutie marks. We only get it spelled out in Rainbow Dash's case, but most or all of them probably thought that Discord had turned their Elements into the things they saw.
 * ...He took the symbol of the one thing in the world that's most sacred to them and used it to betray them? That's just evil.
 * The same thing happens to Twilight! Her CM is one large star and five small ones, like the Elements of Harmony - five small, and then magic/friendship itself. It was when the Elements of Harmony failed that she got Discorded.
 * Discord's personality varies sharpely from one moment to the next. He's Laughably Evil and some of his chaotic creations are simply silly things but at the same time, he's a sadistic, cruel, and cunning Manipulative Bastard who gets a kick out of breaking spirits for fun. One minute he's mind raping the mane cast For the Evulz, the next he's relaxing on a sofa with popcorn to watch the chaos unfold. He's funny and downright monstrous at the same time. Why? He's literally chaos incarnate. His personality is just as chaotic as the rest of him, going from silly to sadistic without warning.
 * While the Celestia part of this image is a joke, it helped me realize that Discord's design has cues from several other antagonists/threats in the series.
 * The reason why Applejack is such a Bad Liar is because she is partially telling the truth at times. For one, "I was talking to nopony", is true because she was talking to a pile of apples.
 * That can be a very effective way of lying. She's terrible because she has an incredible obvious tell, and because she doesn't know how to make them sound plausible.
 * Twilight decides to save Applejack from The Corruption first. Why? As noted above, Applejack is the Team Mom, plus Applejack's roping skills would come in handy, as seen when they went to save Fluttershy.
 * It could also be that, as noted in the Season One folder of this page, that Applejack is probably Twilight's best friend of the mane six so she would want to save her first.
 * Which leads to further Fridge Brilliance as to why they chose Fluttershy to free next. Outside of Applejack, Fluttershy is the other Team Mom.
 * More practically, Applejack was also the most approachable of the Discorded ponies. The others all tried to fight back or run away.
 * At first I thought it was disappointing that Rainbow Dash wasn't seen more after she got "Discorded", until I realised that her element, being Loyalty, means "to always be there for her friends". With her Loyalty corrupted, she was literally not there for her friends!
 * At first it seemed like Discord was caught holding the Idiot Ball in the end of "Return of Harmony Part 2", but then again, when you are surrounded by chaos, it's hard to keep track of what has been changed. When Applejack claimed the friends were back together, he could have easily thought she was still brainwashed (and said as much) and just trying to call his bluff. When the Elements start to work, you'd think he'd start running, but remember that when they failed the first time, it looked like they were going to work until the last second, meaning by the time he could have been able to tell it was actually working, it was already too late. Even then he only encountered the Elements once before, so he may have also assumed when they failed that he broke the Elements themselves and not just their users. All of this is much harder to keep track of when chocolate milk behaves like nitroglycerin and buffalos dance in tu-tus. His defeat was less Idiot Ball and more Hoist by His Own Petard.
 * Given this scenario, it's also likely that Discord didn't consider the possibility that the friendship Twilight and the others have for each other would be strong enough to break his spell, making this a case where Evil Cannot Comprehend Good.
 * People have wondered why Celestia kept Discord's statue in Canterlot's Statue Guarden, but think about it. How often in works have fiction has a Sealed Evil in a Can been accidentally unleashed no matter where it's kept? Even if he hadn't moved in over 1000 years, the thought he could awaken was probably constantly in the back of her mind. So doesn't it make sense she'd like to keep him where she can see him at any time? Like right outside her throne room window? All it takes to realize he's escaped or if he's still there is walk to the place she likely spends most of her day when at the palace and take a peek out the window. And on top of that, the statue guarden is on royal property, likely protected by guards and can be safeguarded, unlike if she'd left it in a forest or something where some poor pony might stumble upon him and accidentally release him. It's just as well guarded as a secret chamber in the castle, but with the added bonus of being able to just peek out and make sure he's still there anytime she needs to. It actually makes perfect sense!
 * Or she just keeps the statue as a monument to one of her greatest triumphs.
 * Why not both? She could be keeping him as both a monument and to keep an eye on him. On top of that, she and Luna are probably the only ones who reconize the statue is Discord the Spirit of Disharmony anymore (as they're the only living beings that would have lived since Discord was sealed), everyone else assumes it just represents the WORD Discord.
 * Plus, remember how Discord stole the Elements or Harmony because they were heavily protected? Celestia probably predicted that, if she guarded Discord's statue, it would make no sense for Discord to be able to escape (and that's why he would). It even makes more sense when you remember that she did the same with the Elements of Harmony at first but, after some hundred years, she probably forgot.
 * You would think she would want to keep the Elements out and easy to take for that very reason, what with Discord being such a dangerous enemy. But that was 1000 years ago. Celestia had probably made/come across more straight forward and powerful enemies since.
 * Spike is Twilight Sparkle's personal assistant and the one who's stuck with her the longest, it makes perfect sense that he'd inherit the Element of Loyalty. This troper felt there was some missed awesome there.
 * He does not hold similar loyalty to the other 5 ponies, except maybe Rarity, but only because of his crush. He's similar but not identical, which is why the substitution failed.
 * I for one feel like it was not as much Spike's fault as the cast not being themselves. Even if Discorded Rainbow Dash happened to be there, it's very likely the result would have been the same.
 * In "Return of Harmony, Pt. 2", you feel bad for Spike because he has to "receive" all the letters from Princess Celestia and it leaves him in a pretty bad state. However, as mentioned in the Fridge Horror section, Celestia probably only knew that Twilight was corrupted and she could only help by sending the letters. But why did she have to send all of them? Because in her apathetic and depressed state of mind, Twilight probably would have ignored one or two letters. However, a whole pile of them was able to pique Twilight's curiosity even in her apathetic state. Also the large number of letters make a deeper impression on her.
 * Why does Discord pretty much completely freeze up when he realizes the Elements Of Harmony have been activated? Because before then he'd always been in control, everything had gone according to plan. The one time before that that something went slightly different from his plan, he got furious very quickly. When he realized the Mane Cast had restored their friendship and the Elements Of Harmony, his entire plan just completely imploded all at once before his eyes in less than a few seconds! It suddenly becomes clear to him that everything he'd done over the past two episodes was in vain. No wonder he froze up!
 * Also, think about this. Discord seemed truly terrified when he realized what was happening. How often in the life of an immortal Reality Warper does FEAR show up? When we see him as a statue the first time, he's laughing. Which makes sense, he probably didn't realize the newly discovered magic Celestia and Luna used on him was more powerful than he was, so he wasn't afraid of it. Now he knows what it'll do to him. By all logic, that was probably the first time in his entire life he'd ever felt fear, let alone reacted to it.
 * In short, he had a textbook Oh Crap moment.
 * Why does Discord get so frustrated with Fluttershy? Yes, she's not falling for his mind tricks, but there's a bonus: Fluttershy is in total agreement, total harmony with Discord's insults, while her other friends (even Pinkie Pie) showed doubt, fear, and other kinds of conflicting emotions. Discord is all about conflict, so of course he wouldn't like it if somepony had absolutely no problem with what he was saying.
 * Not to mention that Discord specializes in beating his opponents in their own game, but Fluttershy wouldn't fight him not only because she hates conflict, but because she's the element of kindness and naturally wouldn't fight on principle which means that Discord literally couldn't win a fight that had no conflict for him to take advantage of, and resorts to cheating to defeat Fluttershy since she refused to directly challenge him.
 * In Return of Harmony, part 1, Discord corrupts everyone but Twilight by stripping them of their elements. Twilight's element is Magic, rather then a virtue, so one wonders how he would corrupt her. In part 2,
 * Return to Harmony, part 1: Flutterbitch asks Twilight "why don't you wave your magic little horn, and make everything alright?" After some (justified) moping, soul searching and letter reading in part 2,
 * She also inadvertently gave the correct answer to Discord's riddle
 * When Discord causes a character to turn against their "element", they are noticeably... darker. Many fans have noticed the lack of mention this gets in the show, with only Spike mentioning that they look grey. This makes a great deal more sense when you realize that the color shift is a visual cue for the audience to keep up with who has been effected, and to what extent. Spike is often used as an audience analog, so it makes PERFECT SENSE for him to be the only one to notice it.
 * Pinkie Pie also notices, but she's known for Breaking the Fourth Wall, so it makes perfect sense for her to know as well!
 * There's an old saying "It's always darkest just before the dawn," meaning that even in the worst of times, there is hope. When the battle with Discord reaches it's Darkest Hour, guess who restores hope? Celestia, the one who causes the dawn!
 * Discord says the ponies have to "go back to where they began" to get the elements back. So, where do they have to go? Back to the book about The Elements Of Harmony, which is where episode one of season one began!
 * Fluttershy gets probably the most angry we've ever seen her when Twilight points out that Discord might win and refers to him by the unusally judgemental phrase "That BIG. DUMB. MEANIE!". This is pretty much the meanest thing normal Fluttershy has ever said about anyone. Why? Discord has broken and Mind Raped all her friends, mutated her animal friends (including Angel), and worst of all, Mind Raped Fluttershy herself into being absolutely cruel to them, something Fluttershy viewed as a nightmare. Remember that Fluttershy is a serious Mama Bear when it comes to her friends and the Friend to All Living Things. Discord pretty much just did everything he possibly could to make personal when it comes to Fluttershy.
 * Think about Discord's personality and methods for a moment. He uses lies, half truths, and Exact Words to decieve his enemies, he cares only for his own amusement regardless of who he harms, he takes sick enjoyment out of causing others to suffer and laughs at their misfortune, he's cruel and outright sadistic, he makes deals which he twists and manipulates to his own ends without any semblence of fair play, and gets kicks out of breaking apart friendships. All of the above are twisted inversions or outright opposites of the Elements Of Harmony (remember, Magic means Friendship when it comes to the Elements)! Even at his core, Discord is an Evil Counterpart to them!
 * Well, it could be hardly said he was selfish, or likely to betrayal (after all, he had loyalty to himself). However, take his methods and then his motivations. He usues subtle trickery to get his way when he could very well brute force it, but he prefers to use intelligence to get what he wants. However, he cares for nobody but himself, takes delight in hurting others, and rules for his own amusement. He's the Evil Counterpart to Celestia.
 * The definition of 'selfish' is only caring about one's self. And saying that he had loyalty to himself is pointless, because who the hell doesn't?
 * At the climax of the dediscordification quest, Rainbow Dash was weighed down by Rarity and Pinkie Pie, plus one rope. Fluttershy was pulling an entire hot air balloon that also included Twilight, Applejack, and two ropes, and still caught Rainbow Dash. Using simple distributive mathematics, it can actually be concluded that, when they caught her, Fluttershy was flying faster than Rainbow Dash!
 * Of course. Fluttershy had the Power of Friendship, while Rainbow Dash had lost it.
 * Also, the balloon was supporting the weight of the two other ponies, which means that the only added force Fluttershy would have to exert would be F = (mass of balloon + Twilight + Applejack) * acceleration forward, while Rainbow Dash would have to fight gravity's effect on Rarity and Pinkie Pie by applying force F = (mass of Pinkie Pie + Rarity) * gravitational acceleration upward, as well as applying extra force F = (mass of Pinkie Pie + Rarity) * acceleration forward. Then again, that balloon has a huge profile and Fluttershy was probably experiencing huge amounts of air resistance. I can't be bothered to work this out. Is anyone taking physics?
 * Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash are made of Dark Matter
 * Why did Celestia send back all of Twilight's letters? Partly to remind her of how much her friends had meant to her, but also because, if Twilight was willing to give up on her friends, then those letters hadn't really meant anything in the first place.
 * At the end of it all, Discord was exactly like Q in the regards of no matter how bad his trolling got, there always was a way out if they could find it, and there was a lesson to be learned (albeit cruelly). "If you can't take a little bloody nose, then I suggest you go back home and hide under your bed" indeed. For all we know, Discord was just preparing them for something much worse.
 * In the new season two intro we see a train. Since when did Ponyville have a train? Remember that ditch from Feeling Pinkie Keen? Ponyville is expanding!
 * This could be disproved in future episodes, but for now it could be worth noting. During Cheerilee's class field trip to the gardens, the class roster is slightly different than it was in Call of the Cutie (4 background students being replaced by other ponies, but still adds up to a total of 9). Was this done just for the sake of having named characters? Doesn't matter. It's a new year for the show, which means a new school year, which means a slightly different class roster.
 * It could have been a special trip, as, as far as we know, Scootaloo and Sweetie Bell are/were in another class, but more tellingly, Snips and Snails are older... aren't they?
 * Easy to explain. 'Boast Busters' shows that they aren't that bright. (They thought that luring an URSA MINOR to town to get their show-offy crush to show how strong she was was a brilliant idea. If they are older, then they were simply held back a year.
 * Discord, as an embodiment of chaos, was doomed the second he formed a plan. Had he acted on pure whims, he might have had a better chance.
 * In "Return of Harmony, Part 1", Discord says he "forgot how grim [Celestia] can be". Seems a little odd, considering Celestia is normally a more relaxed, lighthearted ruler. Now, granted, he could just be talking about how serious she gets when he's around causing trouble, but the statement also makes much more sense once you watch "Luna Eclipsed"; If Celestia's sister, Luna, after being gone for 1000 years, was overdramatic and serious to the point of having to have fun explained to her, imagine what Celestia must have been like all those years ago. (Might also explain why the Grand Galloping Gala is such a boring affair...)
 * This also goes a long way towards explaining why Celestia is the rather mischievous Trickster Mentor that she is. In Discord's time, she was as serious and stern as Luna by necessity, but by the present day, she's mellowed from having seen and done so much, and is very much older and wiser mentally, if not physically. By contrast, Luna hasn't changed, and still has a lot of "growing up" to do on account of being essentially flung 1000 years in to the future with hardly any development.
 * People often wonder what's going on with Discord posing so dramatically when he was first a statue. However, if you look at how Discord poses when he says "I'm missing some excellent chaos here!" It's nearly the exact same pose as when he was first turned into stone. Conclusion? He was possibly giving that same line to Celestia and Luna before being stoned.
 * Also take into account the Elements were newly discovered and Discord has an ego as big as Equestria. How would he react to two (likely young) ponies walking up and saying "we've got something we bet will beat you!" or the like? Probably exactly how he reacted in the present when he though the Elements wouldn't work.
 * When I first saw the second episode, I thought that it was pretty stupid of Discord not to get rid of Celestia, seeing as how her sending the letters to Twilight Sparkle was what led to the mane six being able to defeat Discord. But then I realised, he naturally wouldn't have thought of a plan to get rid of her- he's the embodiment of chaos; the less planning he can do, the better.

Lesson Zero

 * At first it might seem like Twilight has the first breakdown on the show that isn't related to her cutie mark in "Lesson Zero", but then you have to remember that Twilight's area of expertise is magic, and in this show, friendship is magic. She didn't have a lesson on friendship to report to Celestia, and when her attempts to fix any problems her friends had were going nowhere fast (as in, they didn't need her to be a "good friend" at the time), she really started to lose it.
 * In addition, she mentions repeatedly that she might have to leave Ponyville and all her friends. When you think about it that way, her breakdown really makes sense. It's not just her fearing being tardy, it's fearing being taken from her True Companions!
 * Twilight is clearly suffering from Cutie Mark Failure Insanity Syndrome.
 * Twilight's Super OCD and rapid breakdown in "Lesson Zero" might seem like a case of Flanderization. However, it makes far more sense if one assumes she's having post-traumatic stress disorder: The previous episode had her and her friends suffer Mind Rape at the hands of the Anthropomorphic Personification of chaos, and only re-reading her old friendship reports was able to save her; of course she's going to value order and her lessons afterward!
 * Rainbow Dash is seen crashing, head-butting and karate-kicking Applejack's old farm in Lesson Zero, breaking support beams and generally bringing the whole thing to the brink before finishing it off with a nuclear sonic rainboom. Why did she smash it up so bad before the final divebomb? Any demolitionist will tell you that you need to weaken a structure before setting the charges or else the building might take the blast and not implode properly, or worse still, remain standing.
 * That and she was having fun trashing the barn first.
 * So far five out of six mane ponies have suffered complete mental collapses: Twilight from lack of lesson-to-be-learned, Applejack from sleep deprivation, Rainbow Dash's performance anxiety has her curl into a foetal position, Pinkie Pie's party of Companion Cube guests and Fluttershy's "you will love me" outburst at the Grand Galloping Gala. Although Rarity has experienced pressure and extreme stress in Suited For Success, she has yet to undergo a complete mental breakdown like her friends. Why is that? Because in Lesson Zero she shows that she has a powerful coping mechanism: her drama queen outbursts act as a safety valve, releasing her excess stress as occurs and preventing it from building up to dangerous levels.
 * What about when she locked herself in her room in "Suited for success?"
 * Freaking out and locking herself in her room is part of her drama queen behavior.
 * Any psychiatrist worth their salt will tell you that such things are not healthy and make a person more prone to similar stressors in the future.
 * Additionally: by letting her friends know she's upset, she makes sure they'll do whatever it takes to make her feel better. Compare that to Rainbow Dash, who always hides it when she's upset, making it hard for her to get the reassurance she needs.
 * In "Lesson Zero", you see Twilight's friends laughing off Twilight's worries about turning her letter on time. Despite being a bit insensitive, you can sort of understand their reaction if you consider they had just seen Rarity flip out over not bringing plates for the picnic.
 * Why would Celestia appear to fix the problem at the end of Lesson Zero, when she had not done so with more serious threats in the past? Surely a rampaging Ursa Minor would warrant a visit if an, albeit potentially catastrophic, spell does. Consider; however, the position she has been in for 1,000 years. Raising the sun and moon, while probably sleeping any chance she could when not otherwise obligated. If Luna is only now in condition to raise the moon again, as is the implication in Luna Eclipsed (especially considering Word of Faust), Celestia would have a very large slate of time now open after the sun sets.
 * Well, that, and Spike asked for her help. Twilight handled the Ursa Minor on her own, and asking Celestia for help would have taken too much time. Twilight also wants to impress Celestia, which means that she considers asking for her help to be strictly a last resort. Especially since Celestia has tasked her with handling crises before.
 * Celestia is also the only one (other than Luna) who can solve the problem. In magical crises it's usually Twilight who solves the problems, but in this instance she can't cancel out the spell she cast because it was much more powerful than she planned. Background unicorns were all caught up in the want-it-need-it spell and Rarity is better at details than huge magical overhauls. So of course it has to be Celestia.
 * It might be confusing to some as to why Rainbow Dash has so much trouble pulling a Sonic Rainboom off in Sonic Rainboom but can do it without a problem in Lesson Zero . Taking a look at the three times it's been successfully used, Dash was using it to help a friend - saving Rarity in Sonic Rainboom, standing up for Fluttershy in The Cutie Mark Chronicles, and to destroy Applejack's old barn for her in Lesson Zero. She couldn't pull it off unless she was doing it for a friend. The whole idea of the show is promoting friendship, so this was likely another subtle way to get the message across.
 * Or maybe she's just gotten better at pulling it off?
 * Hush, you.
 * Back in "Lesson Zero", the Cutie Mark Crusaders, usually the epitome of Epic Fail, remain remarkably composed and tactful when approached by Twilight with Ms Smartypants... because they've already seen Twilight wigging out in "The Cutie Mark Chronicles".
 * Princess Celestia arrives at the end of the episode to resolve the crisis Twilight created. Sure, as the embodiment of the Sun (and being over 1000 years old) she's probably well-versed in magic, but what do other sun dieties get in their portfolios? Healing. - User:Alphacat

Luna Eclipsed
"Princess Celestia: TWILIGHT SPARKLE!"
 * Fluttershy isn't seen dressed up for Nightmare Night, she just stays in her home. On a night of scares and frights, it would be much worse for a pony that already gets frightened pretty easily as it is.
 * Read the page quote on the Nightmare Fuel page. Now remember what Pinkie Pie says to Twilight that helps her realize how to help Luna.
 * Rarity isn't seen at all during "Luna Eclipsed", but then you realize that, as a fashion designer, she's probably passed out on the couch after making so many costumes.
 * The entire characterization of Luna in "Luna Eclipsed" gives a lot more context for what went down before the series started. If you notice she obviously wants to be loved and adored, but is rejected due to coming off as too forceful. She shouts and demands citizens' attention as the first thing she does when arriving into Ponyville. What's more, she has no concept of 'fun', and doesn't seem like the understanding type. It literally takes less than a full-night for her to lose her calm and start buckling into her vengeful 'Nightmare Moon'-esque persona (And cancel an adored holiday tradition, with atmospheric theatrics to boot). If this mere trivial holiday was an accurate representation to what she was like 1000 years ago, imagine how this would have transferred over to her having to rise the moon and stars (her job, talent, and life purpose essentially) every night with no acknowledgment.
 * It also shows how each sister is different from one another. Luna wants respect, but clearly respect out of admiration of her powers rather than her kindness. She also seems the type to fight if needed, serving possibly as the 'muscle' of the Alicorn sisters.
 * This might be part of their yin-and-yang relationship. Celestia's a very capable diplomat, but has trouble with issues involving direct conflict. Hence, her emphasis on harmony and friendship. Luna excels in resolving direct conflict, but very much sucks in the art of negotiation. Hence, the plot of Luna Eclipsed.
 * Also, think about it. Celestia (and Luna after Twilight helps her out) wanted a truly caring relationship with her subjects and to be more like friends. If Luna's behavior was royal custom 1000 years ago, Celestia probably realized it was part of the reason for Luna's alienation from her subjects.
 * How about the fact that while she came to make Nightmare Night a joyous occasion but doesn't know what the word 'fun' means. Sounds odd right? Until you learn that the word 'fun' is only 300 years old and Luna has been gone for over a 1000.
 * The fact that Twilight is the first pony to befriend Luna makes perfect sense when you think about it. Luna is a powerful magician who Celestia cares for and has trouble fitting in and making new friends, just like Twilight was initially. Watching Luna's plight really shows you why Celestia wanted Twilight to make some friends, and not have to possibly endure the same pain as Luna.
 * Luna instantly recognizing the Star Swirl costume. While, in being royalty, it is expected for her to know more history than the average pony, it is far more likely that, being thousands of years old, she actually knew the guy.
 * In retrospect, it's fairly obvious that Pinkie Pie is not really scared of Luna. When fleeing in "terror", she remains on her hind legs, running like a chicken, when she could certainly go faster (she's been shown to be quicker than Rainbow Dash on some occasions). She's not frightened, she's just in character.
 * About Luna's new hairdo representing how she's just regaining her powers. There's a couple of things she does in "Luna Eclipse" - moving things with her magic, which is standard ability for unicorns, and manipulating clouds physically, which is standard ability for pegasus ponies. She's literally practicing the basic techniques.
 * Why didn't Celestia simply tell Luna her royal behavior was outdated? If she just told her, then odds are she'd just be going through the motions. She'd just see it as a different style of behavior and not learned anything at all. By having her go to Ponyville, Luna has to learn first hand proper behavior and actually make friends with her subjects.
 * Alternatively, Celestia did tell her, but Luna, in true "little sister" fashion, didn't listen.
 * Or that, unlike Celestia, who slowly changed her manner over time, Luna was more or less flung 1000 years into the future. Old habits are hard to break after all.
 * Another alternative is that Celestia simply didn't because she didn't have the available time/resources to devote to prepping up her sister's mannerisms, being a divine monarch and all. That although they're sisters and Celestia loves Luna, they don't have that much time to devote to each other in general. In this regard their relationship would be closer to an ancient prince/princess, where although they're related by blood cannot (meaning aren't allowed to) bond beyond their royal duties (childhood excluded). Meaning if Luna needed or wanted attention, Celestia couldn't simply put the entire kingdom on hold just on Luna's whims. She would be expected as a princess to handle it independently and prove her own sovereignty.
 * Does nobody else think that it's possible that Celestia just didn't know that Luna had headed to Ponyville?
 * The way Pinkie constantly screams and runs away from Luna in "Luna Eclipsed" seems to directly contradict her "giggle at the ghostly" attitude from the pilot. Until the end of the episode that is, when she tells Twilight that
 * Also, her costume now makes perfect sense. It is a tradition to be afraid on Nightmare Night -
 * Rainbow Dash comes across as a bit of a Jerkass during "Luna Eclipsed", pranking ponies prolifically throughout the night, and nearly ruining Luna and Pinkie's reconciliation. But think about it- she was never around when Luna was terrifying the general populace that night. She had no idea what was going on!
 * She was also dressed as one of the Shadowbolts that Luna, as Nightmare Moon, tried to trick her as in the pilot episodes.
 * Some people have been asking "If they didn't know Nightmare/Luna existed until the last Summer Sun Celebration, how could they have had a holiday about her for the last however many centuries?" But that's just it: they didn't know she actually existed. Most of them thought she was, as the pilot episode called it, "an old pony's tale," hence the rumor that she eats people and the candy sacrifices.
 * Plus, the statue they make the candy sacrifices to is in the Everfree Forest, a place where nopony in Ponyville went until after they'd befriended Zecora.
 * Why did nopony manage to recognise Twilight's Star Swirl the Bearded costume, but Luna could instantly? It's not necessarily because Luna is learned. Luna had been banished for a thousand years - she probably knew Star Swirl firsthand near the time she was banished. Twilight's costume is likely one of the few things she can recognise. Meanwhile, in a thousand years he became less well known.
 * Consider this: Luna keeps using old-fashioned, "formal" versions of the second-person personal pronoun: thou, thee, thy, thine, etc., even though she supposedly wants (much like her sister, in a way) a closer, warmer relationship with her subjects. But remember, thou, thee, thy, and so forth are actually the informal, personal versions of the second-person personal pronoun, much like "tu" in French or Spanish, or "du" in German. You, your, and so forth are the formal, impersonal forms. When Luna addresses the other ponies as "thou," she's basically saying that she considers them to be close friends.
 * And here's some Fridge Brilliance on why she didn't speak that way in the second episode: she was speaking with her older sister, the only pony, and possibly the other being period, she didn't have to be overly formal with because Celestia is her only family. She spoke formally with her subjects because she outranks them.
 * And even then, there was some formality, such as calling her "Big Sister." In a Japanese dub that could easily be converted to Onee-Sama.
 * In "Luna Eclipsed" why don't the citizens of Ponyville treat Luna as the same pony they threw a party for at the end of "Elements of Harmony"? Simply because Luna looks and acts more like Nightmare Moon (in mannerisms, not evilness) now than she did in episode 2. Rather than being the relatively small, soft-spoken pony with a solid-colored mane that the town met, her appearance changed into a larger, starry-maned pony with a darker coat. In this state, she looks much closer to Nightmare Moon (which all of Ponyville saw for a short time) than the Luna they knew (also seen for a short time). Luna speaking in a booming voice does not help. Keeping this in mind, it is easy to see how they can mistake Luna's return as the return of Nightmare Moon. Also, since Nightmare Night is a holiday dedicated to Nightmare Moon, everypony has the image of NMM fresh in their minds.
 * Alternative explanation: Celestia was right there beside her the whole time. It wouldn't look very good to show disprovable of the god-ruler of Equestria's own kin right in front of her, would it? Especially when the living proof of her power and authority is the thing you'd normally be fearing. (Luna, who'd been banished and is now returning)
 * In "Luna Eclipsed", Zecora, the African pony, is wearing spiders as she tells a story. In African lore, stories are the dominion of Anansi the Spider.
 * A lot of people seemed to have a problem with Pinkies behavior in Luna Eclipsed, saying it goes against her taking peoples feelings into consideration when she 'pranks' them. But look at it this way (or that way, I have two explanations): she's never there to see Luna saying she wants to be loved not feared, except for when she made her big entrance when she was talking in her big booming voice, which to be honest was kinda hard to understand. So, what reason could she have to think that the princess wasn't in on the whole scaring everypony thing? It's her holiday, named after her, in honor of her, and is about frightening people! Of course she would think Luna was trying to scare everyone and Pinkie was just playing along!
 * Alternatively, Pinkie was always in the group of kids. She was the only consistent older pony with them, so it's easy to assume she took over chaperoning them for Granny, who as we are keen to remember, was supposed to be asleep five hours ago. And as any older sibling who has supervised a group of young trick or treaters will tell you, half the job is making things fun, and on Halloween fun equals scarey. Pinkie was over playing the whole being scared of Luna thing for the kids sake, so her being 'insensative' to Luna was just a combination of ignorance and trying to be a good chaperone! (and of course, just being Pinkie)
 * The introduction of the ROYAL CANTERLOT VOICE. While the "BE STILL!" was genuinely frightening, it's mainly played for laughs, and seems like an old-fashioned, slightly random addition...until you realize, we've already seen it. When? Just in the previous episode!


 * Whoa, Nelly...
 * Anyone else notice how Ponyville's reaction to Princess Luna in "Luna Eclipsed" mirrors many peoples' (especially children) reaction to nighttime itself? At first night can be terrifying and possibly filled with unknown dangers. However, many of these dangers are imaginary, and once one gets used to nighttime, it can become enjoyable and comforting rather than frightening.
 * You'd think Rainbow Dash would dress as the Wonderbolts for Nightmare Night, considering they're her heroes. But Nightmare Night is about scares, why would she dress as her heroes? So she dressed as villains instead.
 * One new little tidbit for "Luna Eclipsed" (yes, I know that's going back quite a ways here, but bear with me): Pipsqueak's accent. It's not that his VA was slipping up; Pipsqueak himself was slipping up, because the Britinsh accent was to go along with his pirate costume!
 * It's also possible that his accent is changing because he's still really young and is slowly adopting a Ponyville accent.
 * Bit of a Late to the Punchline moment. Didn't notice til I saw someone else mention it but I realized a potential Stealth Pun behind Pinkie's choice of costume: Chicken Pot Pie. Couldn't say if that was intentional, but you never know.
 * Twilight was the only one who knew Luna wasn't Nightmare Moon anymore. She was also the only one who recognized her when she was Nightmare Moon in episode 1.

Sisterhooves Social

 * Sisterhooves Social shows us another example of Schizo-Tech in Equestria: smoke detectors and feedback-inducing megaphones, but Rarity has an old-fashioned scrub-tub in her laundry room and a clothesline out back. Schizo-Tech? Maybe, but then remember she's also a seamstress, and a mechanical washer and dryer are no good for all the delicate fabrics she has to wash after piecing a new outfit together.
 * After rewatching "Sisterhooves Social," I realized that there was an ulterior motive for the scene where Apple Bloom accidentally covers Applejack with grape mush: it is not jusy a very sweet sister scene between Apple Bloom and Applejack, it allows the audience to see Applejack covered with something messy before the race later on. If you pause that scene and then look at a mud-covered Rarity at the race, they look exactly the same (except for the eyes, of course). The animators wanted to be absolutely sure that both Sweetie Belle and the audience would be completely fooled as to who was actually running the race by showing us what a messy Applejack looks like beforehand!
 * I think it had more to do with the fact that nobody would suspect Rarity of going along with the race, especially covered head-to-hoof with mud. Also, many forget that Rarity is actually in really good shape.
 * Well, a lady does have to always look her best, even when covered in mud.
 * You know how that black goop in Sisterhooves Social that was supposed to be toast? It's burnt bread batter! Yeah, now it's not as big an Epic Fail as before, but still.
 * Except bread is made from dough, not batter. Dough tends to have a more stable structure. That said, maybe Sweetie forgot to add the flour before cooking.
 * or maybe she added too little of it, which would make it something close to batter.

The Cutie Pox

 * Notice how pony bowling balls have no finger holes? That's paying attention right there!
 * Except, oddly enough, in one filly's Imagine Spot. Well, 2 of the 3, anyways. Course, that could just be representative of the Crusaders themselves, but it's still a bit odd since the ponies have no reason for finger holes...
 * There's more than just ponies in Equestria, remember. How would Spike, the Diamond Dogs, Gilda, or other clawed/taloned species be able to bowl without any way of holding/throwing the ball properly? The manufacturers probably make at least some with a means of digit-assisted grip. (This would also explain why teacups have handles.)
 * Twilight says there's no known cure for the Cutie Pox because nopony knows where it came from in the first place. How is it Zecora knows the cure? Simple, she knew Apple Bloom stole some Heart's Desire from her and had implored her to make a potion to give her a Cutie Mark. She may have actually had no idea what Cutie Pox were, but she knew it was likely the Heart's Desire which caused Apple Bloom's case of it. She clearly knows all her herbs very well and would know full well how to neutralize the Heart's Desire and thus cure Apple Bloom.
 * This gets into Fridge Horror when you realize that Zecora was only able to cure Apple Bloom because she got the Cutie Pox due to eating the Heart's Desire flower. The seeds only worked for the flower's effects. If the true Cutie Pox showed up, with no Heart's Desire flower involved,nopony could do anything about it!
 * Apple Bloom mentions when she first sees the Heart's Desire that she's seen the flower around Ponyville. It's entirely possible that the flowers were still related to the original outbreak.
 * Though, the book did say "a group of ponies", not Ponyville specifically - it could have been from anywhere in Equestria, perhaps some place where the Heart's Desire wasn't around.
 * They also mention there's no known cure because you basically have to let it run its course to go away naturally. Putting aside creepy mind rape implications of being forced to do all that crazy stuff because of the next random cutie mark, it really doesn't seem any worse then having to deal with the chicken pox.
 * Who had to learn a lesson about/have a cure based on honesty? Applejack's sister.
 * In fairness to Apple Bloom, she did tell the truth in the end and it cured her, in a way...

May the Best Pet Win

 * Rainbow Dash picking the tortoise as her pet in May the Best Pet Win may confuse people. But then you remember Rainbow Dash's element of Harmony is Loyalty, so of course she would pick the pet that was the most loyal to her.
 * " . . . Rainbow won't look like a Tank." But her pet sure will.
 * Why does Fluttershy insist on including a tortoise in Dash's pet contest? It's another classic Aesop's Fables, much like the Androcles' Lion -- or, in her case, the manticore.
 * It only makes sense for Rainbow Dash to pick the tortoise because she's the element of loyalty, and the tortoise was the one who stood by her and lifted the rock when all the other pets abandoned her.
 * In May the Best Pet Win! Applejack's dog Winona pops up at random and licks Twilight in the face. Hmmm. Where have we seen that before... Would this prove that Big Mac and Winona switched minds when Discord took over?

The Mysterious Mare Do Well

 * In "The Mysterious Mare Do Well", after the Mare Do Well constantly shows up Rainbow Dash and she utterly fails at looking like a hero again, she is shown lying on a black cloud rather than a white one while seeming rather depressed. She's on top of her Personal Raincloud.
 * In one scene, we have Rainbow Dash saying her middle name was "Danger." In the G1 opening, guess what Firefly says when she tries a stunt! Then again...
 * In "The Mysterious Mare Do Well" Twilight mentions that an autobiography should be written by the person it's about. But that means Spike is perfectly qualified to write Rainbow Dash's autobiography!
 * Memetic Mutation Shout-Out?
 * A lot of people are calling out  for what they did to Rainbow Dash in "The Mysterious Mare Do Well", effectively embarrassing her in front of the whole town. But remember at the beginning of the episode? RD had her own fan club even before all those accidents started happening. Chances are she will have somehow saved the town again by the next episode and be a hero again.
 * Better yet, nopony aside from Rainbow Dash is really acting like she's been embarrassed. A few ponies grumble at her over the incidents, but nopony's making fun of her or anything. Rainbow Dash is just imagining the situation being worse than it is, just like all the other ponies during their respective freakouts.
 * If anything, Rainbow was embarrassing herself with her constant bragging (the townsponies were going to get tired of it, just like her friends were), so essentially saved her from ruining her own reputation.
 * actions against Rainbow Dash in "The Mysterious Mare Do Well" can seem particularly harsh before you realize: Rainbow Dash freaking out and then feeling all depressed probably wasn't part of their plan at all!
 * Given how much "The Mysterious Mare Do Well" was about teaching Rainbow Dash humility, let's hope she never realizes it took
 * Technically,
 * Whether or not  could outclass her, Rainbow was perfectly capable of saving the balloon pony, the runaway bus passengers and the construction workers. The fact that her reaction to her failure to do so is "Mare Do Well is better than me" instead of "I messed up" is a big part of her problem for this episode.
 * Also,
 * One thing that occurs to me regarding "Mysterious Mare Do Well", as noted above  acting preemptively to keep Dash from ruining her own reputation.   saw Rainbow was getting full of herself, recognized potential danger signs, and acted as quickly as possible to prevent the worst possible outcome. In essence,.
 * And when Rainbow finally finds out  you'd expect her to be furious given the way she was acting just a minute ago. Instead she's just confused and asks for an explanation. Why?.
 * How did know where to send Mare Do Well and
 * It seems deliberately planned to lead Dash into a secluded alley before making the reveal. That way,
 * More evidence for this during the dam scene: rather than pull Rainbow Dash out by dangling her helplessly in mid-air with magic (which would have been really embarrassing) Mare Do Well just puts a tree in her way so that Dash can pull herself out. Humiliating Rainbow Dash doesn't seem to be part of the plan.
 * It also may be the case that
 * If you look closely, you'll notice that nopony is actually laughing at Rainbow Dash or shunning her! Like her friends in previous episodes, she's just convinced herself that the situation is worse than it is.
 * It makes perfect sense that Rainbow Dash would turn into such a show-off: after all, all the skills she uses to save ponies are the ones she learned in order to put on a show! And in an air show you know you're doing well if ponies are cheering for you. If they aren't, you must not be showy enough, so you have to do something to make them cheer quickly, or your career might soon be over. Rainbow's just taking what she knows and applying it to being a hero.
 * A lot of people are upset with Scootaloo for her role in the episode, but remember Applebuck Season? Rainbow Dash was perfectly content to attend a party declaring somepony else to be the most reliable friend in Ponyville without feeling like the town was calling her a worse friend in comparison. Scootaloo had no reason to assume Rainbow Dash would feel differently about this parade, especially since the 'who's the better hero' competition was all in Dash's head.
 * A lot of people are upset with Scootaloo for her role in the episode, but remember Applebuck Season? Rainbow Dash was perfectly content to attend a party declaring somepony else to be the most reliable friend in Ponyville without feeling like the town was calling her a worse friend in comparison. Scootaloo had no reason to assume Rainbow Dash would feel differently about this parade, especially since the 'who's the better hero' competition was all in Dash's head.

Sweet and Elite

 * "Sweet and Elite": One would think that the others would know better than to crash a big, fancy party in Canterlot and make a huge mess of it. Then again, they had "livened up" a boring, stuffy Canterlot party in a similar fashion before, and with Celestia's seal of approval, at that.
 * In "Sweet and Elite", part of the reason Rarity gets caught up with the Canterlot elite is the ponies inviting her actually say things like "it'll be a disaster without you" or how much they need her there. It wasn't just her wanting to be part of the elite crowd, but trying to help them. So not only is it appealing to her personal interest in high society, but also to the Element of Generosity.
 * One may think that Rarity's friends were carrying Idiot Ball when they decided to crash the garden party in "Sweet and Elite", considering how they thought it's a good idea to act stupid on a formal meeting in front of upper class ponies that their friend was trying to make good impression with. But then you realize that they were having Twilight's birthday party, which means they probably had a lot of certain substances, and suddenly their behavior makes much more sense... (especially Twilight doing her crazy dance--didn't look too sober)
 * Remember in "Winter Wrap-Up" when we learned that unicorns aren't native from Ponyville? Sure, the pegasi are from Cloudsdale, which seems to be pretty close of Ponyville, but when did Ponyville got unicorns to live there? Well, in "Sweet and Elite", if you pay attention to Canterlot's background ponies, you'll notice that the huge majority of them are unicorns. Hinted on the same episode is the fact that Canterlot is quite far from Ponyville. It all makes perfect sense!
 * In season one, we saw Twilight's parents enrolled her in Princess Celestia's School For Gifted Unicorns, followed by the point that Spike was hatched as part of her entrance exam. In "Sweet and Elite", part of the plot revolves around Twilight's upcoming birthday. Then, in S02E10, we have Spike's birthday! Why so close? Because Twilight's parents enrolled her in the school as her birthday present. Which, when you think about it, is the perfect gift for Twilight.
 * It's highly likely that Hayseed Turnip Truck could tell what Jet Set and Upper Crust were really like, and was in fact scrabbling for something nice to say about them before settling on "they seemed real nice", because we already know he's correct about Rarity by befriending her.
 * Back to Sweet and Elite. Rarity ends up doing two dresses for Twilight's birthday. Twilight adores the second, simple, I-didn't-really-finish-it dress as the best reflection on her, while Rarity had intended to go for something hyper-elaborate; Twilight's horn would disappear in the hat, and the dress would probably attract all peacocks within fifty kilometres. Why would it go that way? When she's making the gaudy dress, she isn't thinking of Twilight. She's designing it not to match her, but to show up Canterlot ponies; she's basically designing it in anger. Subconsciously, though, she did have as a basis something plain and practical ... which is what Twilight ends up with when Rarity's not able to actually complete the design.
 * "Sisterhooves Social":
 * It actually makes a lot of sense that Applejack and Apple Bloom would get along much better, and much more easily, than would Rarity and Sweetie Belle. It seems that Applejack, Apple Bloom, and Big McIntosh's parents have been out of the picture, presumably deceased, for most of Apple Bloom's life. Apple Bloom, therefore, has presumably largely been raised by her siblings. Rarity and Sweetie Belle, on the other hand, were both raised by their parents, who are both very much alive. So with AJ and AB, their relationship is really more that of mother-daughter than sisters, whereas Rarity and Sweetie Belle have a more typical sibling relationship, with all the ordinary sibling rivalry that that entails.
 * Another thing you have to consider when discussing these sibling relationships is the location. Yes, Rarity and Sweetie Belle were raised by both parents whereas Applejack and Big Macintosh basically raised Apple Bloom, but Apple Bloom also lives at Sweet Apple Acres with them and Sweetie Belle does not live with Rarity at the Carousel Boutique. Give or take a few years, it's very possible that Rarity has lived at the Boutique (NOT at her parent's house) since Sweetie Belle was still very small. Rarity didn't really have the same kind of constant interaction with Sweetie Belle that AJ had with AB because for most of Sweetie Belle's life Rarity did not live at the same house as her, and therefore not only did Rarity not really have the same chance AJ did to fully integrate Sweetie Belle as a "normal" part of her life before she left home, but AJ never left AB's home in the first place.
 * As a counterpoint, however, anyone that's ever actually been a mother knows from experience that mother-daughter relationships have no greater guarantee of harmony than do sibling relationships.
 * It's also a measure of the individual personalities involved. Applejack and Apple Bloom are both calm, down-to-earth sorts of ponies, with differences largely caused only by differing maturity level. So they get along very well. Rarity, OTOH... as much as we love her, she's a highly-strung diva and she knows it. Sweetie Belle's also lovable, but more than a bit of a ditz. And so, friction.

Secret of My Excess
"(Fluttershy screams from off-camera) Applejack: What was that? Rainbow Dash: That sounded like Fluttershy to me! and then later (Pinkie Pie screams from off-camera, nearly indistinguishable from Fluttershy's) Rainbow Dash: That sounded like Pinkie Pie!"
 * So, I’m thinking to myself, the first words in the description for the episode Secret of My Excess are as follows: “Spike gets greedy on his birthday…” Now, at first glance, this seems like severe Out of Character, even for Spike, when all of a sudden, it hit me. Dragons, by nature, are natural hoarders (as has been demonstrated before). Being greedy is, in turn, a sign of Spike growing up, a (presumably) central theme in this episode. You never know what you’ll come up with if you just think about it.
 * The entire episode of Secret of My Excess had multiple scenes of Spike receiving affection from Rarity after he gives her his treasured Fire Ruby that he was saving for months to be eaten as his birthday dinner. Rarity was obviously moved by his gesture, because she's the element of generosity, but there's more to it than that when you remember that Spike occasionally breaks the fourth wall, and that the one thing Spike has wanted more than anything is for Rarity to notice him, which happened a lot on an episode about his birthday. The whole episode was a tribute to Spike and Rarity, as well as an actual gift from the writers to him on his birthday as sort of a fourth wall inversion.
 * When Spike burst through the roof of Sugarcube Corner, out of all the ponies watching, only Pinkie Pie was truly shocked. She wasn't the only one seeing Spike growing for the first time, and it wasn't because she had just been fighting with him. It was because she rents a room in the attic of Sugarcube Corner, and Spike's head had just gone right through it.
 * In "Secret of my Excess" Spike gives Rarity his prized fire gem, which is shaped like a heart. . Essentially the aesop can be The Power of Love can curb someone's greed.
 * Fluttershy had no problem subduing a rampaging adult dragon before when it was threatening her friends. So why can't she handle Spike while he's threatening her friends? Because Spike is her friend and she doesn't want to hurt him!
 * Why is Rarity so quick to comfort Spike after he reverts to normal? Because thanks to Discord, she knows exactly how it feels to become a greedy monster (though figuratively, not literally) because of something outside of your control and hurt those you care about because of it! Even without Discord's influence, Rarity is constantly struggling to control her more self-centered impulses. And she doesn't always succeed. Remember how little effort it took Discord to corrupt her, not even bothering to say anything to her. Out of the Mane Six, she's the only one that knows what it's like to let her greed take control. And unlike Spike, her greed is present all the time.
 * Before Secret of my Excess, we've almost never seen Pinkie in a state of abject, pure shock before. But then, with her Pinkie Sense, how many things have really been able to surprise her? She might have a sense for "a dragon is about to destroy my home/place of employment", but would she have ever felt it before then?
 * Spike's fast growing and aggressive behaviour might seem like an odd way for a dragon to grow up. But then it hits, it IS odd.
 * Spike is not living the way his species would, he has no siblings to compete with and no older dragon to watch him over and put him down if he misbehaves. It's possible Twilight knew enough about dragons to limit his gifts to manageable amount. It was when Spike got more gifts outside, that his natural hoarding instincts grew.
 * Also: most dragons live in caves; Spike lives in a town. Most dragons only perceive value in gems, but Spike, because he lives in a merchantilist society, perceives pretty much everything as having value. Hence the hoarding of dog biscuits.
 * In Dragon Quest, we see that his behavior was pretty normal for a teenage dragon. He was more greedy than aggressive, but his actions were well in line within the baseline that they established. The main difference was that the other dragons in his age group were constantly playing/fighting with each other, with leads to the conclusion that Spike's problems come from a lack of exercise, and that Twilight should have been more physical when she tried to stop him.
 * We can also surmise that "Steven Magnet" turned out the way he did because his obsession was vanity instead. Life as a dragon is a freaking knife's edge.
 * The lack of Spike in this season is understandable given the events of "The Secret of my Excess". Poor little guy probably isn't too eager to leave the library any time soon.
 * Considering that Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie share the same voice actress...


 * Why did Rarity so quickly come to comfort Spike after he reverted to normal? Because she's been in the same position he is now, having been turned into a greedy hoarder by something she didn't really have control over and hurt her friends because of it.
 * One might notice that Spike's adult form is noticeably chubbier than the typical dragon. Why would that be the case? Spike grew up too fast, so he still has his baby fat.
 * Spike simply getting a book for his birthday is likely the reason this hasn't happened before.

Family Appreciation Day

 * The Timber wolves in Family Appreciation Day are easily scared off by Granny Smith's banging of pots and pans. But these wolves live in the Everfree forest - home to dragons, Cockatrice, the Ursa Major, killer pony cults.....who knows what. They've learned long ago that if something is making that much noise, it is something that poses a very, very serious danger to them.
 * Family Appreciation Day is one of the few episodes to end without a letter to Celestia.
 * Which is odd, considering there is an ample lesson to be learned here. There are two bits of brilliance here - one, it was a lesson about family, not friendship - Sisterhooves Social was about sisters being friends, whereas this was about respecting ones elders and realising they've probably done some amazing things in their life. The second bit, is that said letter would be written to Celestia - an immortal being who has lived for eons. How would you go about writing a letter about learning to respect your elders to the oldest living being on the planet?
 * Also, the episode was about Apple Bloom, not Applejack and Apple Bloom, as she is not one of the Mane Six, doesn't write letters regularly to Princess Celestia any more than a human would write "Dear Mr. President, today I learned..." The CMCs don't write friendship reports--they're just friends.
 * The flashbacks in Family Appreciation Day have served to elevated the earth ponies' place in the status quo. No, they don't have magic, but they have something better - the ability to exact control over apparently magical forces, or at least hammering it into a shape that fits them, with little more than trial and error. It's not Appleoosa, but the obvious Western settlers theme has never been more appropriate.
 * In the first classroom scene in Family Appreciation Day Apple Bloom tries to come up with an excuse to prevent Granny Smith from giving a talk, and for a split second she pulls a face remarkably similar to Applejack's Discorded Liar face from The Return of Harmony. It seems having a terrible poker face is an Apple family trait.
 * Another example from "Family Appreciation Day," and also a call-back to "Cutie-Mark Chronicles": Of course Applejack would have felt called home by a rainbow: it reminded her of the rainbow-colored zap-apple jam that is the trademark of Sweet Apple Acres.
 * Remember how in Family Appreciation, it was revealed that the Apple family were the original settlers of Ponyville? Well, ok, Granny Smith, since the rest of her family didn't have the Apple name. Well, I just realized that it's a reference to legendary pioneer and hero Johnny Appleseed! Seriously, read his story, then re-watch Granny Smith's story to the class!
 * Applejack's outburst at Twilight for using magic in Winter Wrap Up seems more justified in light of the revelation that her family of Earth ponies were the founders of Ponyville.
 * Also wasn't there a prank where back in "Griffon the Brush Off" where Pinkie and Rainbow painted regular apples rainbow-colored? Not much of a prank...unless they were supposed to look like Zap Apples!
 * The events of "Griffon the Brush Off" must have took place near that year's Zap Apple's harvest .... as Applejack laughed at Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie's painted apple joke.
 * Silver Spoon is the first pony to start clapping for Granny Smith. Looks like there's a reason for the heart in the handle of her Cutie Mark.

Baby Cakes

 * In Baby Cakes, Rarity doesn't even provide an excuse as to why she won't babysit the twins.
 * Though it's easy to figure out what reason exactly: she knows her shop isn't child-safe.
 * More like she knows that she isn't child-safe. Rarity knows that she is highly temperamental, especially when she's at work. She also knows that she only barely has enough restraint to resist strangling her own baby sister when she visits. So the prospect of babysitting two one-month-old infants in her shop during business hours? It's not even a question. NO.
 * Another reason for this: Rarity mentioned early on about the "magic surges" that come and go with baby unicorns. Since she was probably still living with her parents when Sweetie Belle was born, she had firsthand experience about having to deal with said surges and thus is not yet able to handle that again.
 * Pinkie's absolute failure at Stand-up. She was using Steven Wright material, which generally requires a more flat, dry delivery - which is a polar opposite to Pinkie at any time.
 * Pinkie, the element of laughter is seriously crying and feeling helpless while babysitting the twins mainly due to the stress of taking care of multiple children., which is bad enough, but this is made even worse when you realize that nopony else, including the Cakes, or even Pinkie herself thought she could handle the job of babysitting the twins, and she was at the breaking point and was probably subconsciously admitting to herself that they might all be right about her being incapable of doing the job and making her feel like a completely incompetent failure as a result which is probably the real reason for her tears.
 * Weirdly enough, it sort of breaks the aesop of Applebuck Season of "Don't be proud and ask for help if you need it"
 * But Applejack been doing the job her whole life, so it's only natural that she would be reluctant to accept help for something that she's been doing forever. Pinkie thought she could handle babysitting, but before now, she's never done anything like that and people made it pretty clear they didn't think she was up to the task, so maybe Pinkie just felt as though this was something she had to do, both for herself and her family, essentially. Not to mention, a lot of times people have mistaken Pinkie's Cloudcuckoolander personality for being simple, like in Swarm of the Century, only for her to turn out to be correct.
 * There has been a lot of speculation about how Pumpkin Cake was able to levitate herself when Twilight, the Element of Magic, couldn't do that in "Sonic Rainboom".
 * Well...she probably could. It seems to be a simple variation of the levitation spell that ALL unicorns use to move things; Pumpkin simply applied it to herself. Twilight could have levitated herself to Cloudsdale, she just didn't think of it!
 * Adding to the above: Twilight was looking for flight spells; she didn't think of just levitating.
 * And why didn't she think of something so simple? Because the levitation spell isn't supposed to be used on yourself. She's too logical to use a spell for anything but its intended purpose. And, of course, it wouldn't have solved the problem of how to get everypony else to Cloudsdale.
 * There's also the simple fact that Pumpkin probably only weighs a fraction of what a full grown pony does. Levitating a full-grown pony for any amount of time would require much more effort, possibly pushing it into Awesome but Impractical territory for Twilight and downright impossible for a lesser unicorn. In mechanical terms, Pumpkin's 'Power to Weight Ratio' is better than Twilight's, and that's why she can self levitate.
 * This cold start of this episode explains how unicorns, pegasi and earth ponies are all able to bear children that are from one of the other races by having them somewhere in their family history This helps explain what Scootaloo is doing in the classroom in "Family Appreciation Day," and why she's in Ponyville at all instead of Cloudsdale. One or both of her parents can't fly so she has to live on the ground.
 * A somewhat senseful explanation of Pony Genetics that would not give Psycho Mantis a concussion
 * Why do the twins come to comfort Pinkie so quickly when she breaks down crying? She's been their constant playmate since they were born. Not to mention that the Cakes have been confirmed by Word of God to pretty much consider Pinkie their daughter. Even if they're babies, they just realized they'd made their best friend and Cool Big Sis cry; of course they'd try to comfort her!
 * It also explains why they were so rambunctious to begin with; they think of Pinkie as a playmate and not a caretaker and believe it's all a game until she cries and they realize it isn't. Real kids do this as well, assuming that certain people are just there to have fun with all the time.
 * In addition, Pinkie went to some pains to comfort them when they cried— whenever they cried, as a matter of fact. So they learned that's what you do. You don't leave someone you care about sad and crying. They immediately sought to comfort her with something she technically taught them at first on accident, and then kept using because it was the only thing she could use to get them to cheer up: the bag of flour.
 * In addition to being their constant playmate as the above posters just mentioned, Pinkie lives in an apartment above the shop, as the Cakes themselves apparently do. The twins haven't just played with Pinkie their whole lives up to this point, she lives with them, unless she had to move out in order to give the babies room. As such, the twins may not be aware Pinkie isn't biologically related to them, so not only do Cup Cake and Carrot Cake think of Pinkie as their daughter, the twins may not realize she isn't related to them. They may believe she is their actual older sister due to their young age. Think about it. They know their parents because they most likely saw them at birth. Who was one of the next ponies they saw, and kept seeing on a near-constant basis? Pinkie. Not that it exactly matters if they think she's really their sister or not. They live with her. This is part of why they would never have expected a time would come where she wouldn't just be playing with them until she snapped and started bawling. She had never been in a caretaker role with them before. They thought she was just playing with them to make them feel better until their parents returned. To be fair, she kind of was doing that because it's what she largely assumed it would work best in keeping them happy in between dealing with the responsibilities laid out for her by their parents.
 * Pumpkin Cake spends much of the episode chewing on things. This may be because she's teething. Yes; it appears that one month old foals can and do teethe.
 * Besides which, magic Unicorn pony, so comparisons to Real Life horses may not necessarily apply.
 * Why did the twins immediately start crying when their parents left? Because their parents just left; that's why! Additionally they're unaware of when their parents are coming back so of course they're upset.
 * On top of that, babies learn very quickly at that age but lack the skills to make logical chain deduction. So they were probably aware enough already to realize that anyone who leaves through the front doors is not necessarily coming back soon...if at all. That's part of why the peek-a-boo game Pinkie was playing is so important to baby development. It helps them learn that "if someone we care about goes away, they will come back sooner or later."
 * Pinkie's instant desire to play with the Cake babies shortly after their birth seems a bit over the top at first. However if her backstory in the Cutie Mark Chronicles is true, and her childhood was likely not a particularly happy one prior to gaining her Cutie Mark, then Pinkie's efforts are her way of ensuring that her foster siblings have all the laughter and playtime she didn't get growing up.
 * Rarity refusing to babysit the Cake twins was actually generous of her; as a seamstress, her house is FILLED with needles, scissors, pins, beads, spools, and countless other things hazardous to babies. Combine that with the power of Pumpkin Cake's magic spurts, which Rarity knew was going to start happening soon, and you have a recipe for disaster.

Hearth's Warming Eve

 * In Hearth's Warming Eve:
 * There's an in-universe Casting Gag in the fact that the mane six end up all with roles that are almost completely identical to their regular personalities, which seems amazingly coincidental. Then we remember that Princess Celestia, who has already had her fair share of interactions with the mane cast, gave them the roles in the first place. Of course she'd have them play characters with similar personalities to their own!
 * It's also possible that Twilight researched the story proper, then reduced it to a basic plotline while writing the roles as similar to the mane 6 anyways, because none of them are professional actors.
 * It's also possible that the actual characters were nothing like they were portrayed, as--again--none of the Mane Six are professional actors!
 * Even Spike is perfectly cast as the Narrator, while he is important to the show's dynamic he's often outside the action of the story proper and occasionally provides commentary to the goings on.
 * Hearth's Warming Eve provides some in regards to Discord, depending on how you place the founding of Equestria in the timeline. If Discord's reign of chaos came before it, then it makes perfect sense for the ponies to distrust one another, considering all they probably knew for a long time beforehand was disharmony and chaos. Under Discord, it was likely "everypony for themselves", which would carry on for a bit after his downfall. If Discord's arrival and reign over the land happened after that, he had a long history of Fantastic Racism to exploit and manipulate. Heck, perhaps the reason he came was because they suddenly began becoming harmonic and he couldn't stand it.
 * In Hearth's Warming Eve, we see each pony race found their own nation, which would later become Equestria. However, these groups still inhabit their original claims. Unicorns took the mountains, and the majority of the mountainous Canterlot is unicorns. The pegasai founded a nation in the clouds, which presumably became Cloudsdale. The earth ponies took the lowlands, which became places like Ponyville, consisting mostly of Earth ponies. The legacy of their ancestors still exists in the lands they claimed.
 * In Luna Eclipsed, Princess Luna states she knew Star Swirl the Bearded. Clover the Clever's mentor was Star Swirl the Bearded. The historical unicorns raised the sun and moon--perhaps they learned the technique from the alicorns who would become their princesses? Or where they the ones who taught the Royal Sisters the trick?
 * While the parts of the play in "Hearth's Warming Eve'' that appear to be "real" as opposed to a stage production could just be for viewer benefit, a good In-Universe explanation was provided by "Suited For Success". If Rarity can do amazing special effects for a fashion show through magic, whose to say the same wasn't done by Rarity, or another pony knowing the same spell, for the play in this episode?
 * Though none of the episodes really follow a continuity with one another, at the end of "Hearth's Warming Eve" during the Heart Carol you can see the stained glass windows from "The Return of Harmony" meaning that they are in that same hall, and it includes the one window of Discord being defeated.
 * Hearth's Warming Eve also gives a pretty good reason why alicorns are the royal, ruling class: they are the physical embodiment of the complete and harmonious union of the 3 pony races that Equestria was founded on.
 * "Hearth's Warming Eve" also confirms part of Pinkie Pie's claim that "that's how Equestria was made" back in "The Cutie Mark Chronicles". In the beginning of the play there's just narration and no dialogue, hence "no talking", and certainly no laughing either - and towards the end, there is indeed a rock.
 * Rainbow Dash could've resorted to making trouble so she could keep playing the hero in "The Mysterious Mare-Do-Well." But she didn't. Why? Because that would be disloyal to everypony else! Also, she already tried that. It didn't work.
 * In "Hearth's Warming Eve":
 * It is always thought it was a little odd that Commander Hurricane demands "Well? Aren't you going to ask how it went?" She doesn't seem to care what Private Pansy thinks, really, and as she only ever speaks when asked a question, there was no reason to expect her to ask anything upon arrival--and anyway, there were other pegasi around. Then I realized--Fluttershy forgot her lines!
 * That also explains why ANY pegasus raised in such a martial society ("Do they not realize we are a mighty tribe of warriors?") would be as incredibly skittish as Private Pansy--Fluttershy has terrible stage fright, and it's shooting her nerves to hell.
 * Politically speaking: The play shows what components Equestria was made from. Twilight's intellectualism, Applejack's pragmatism, Fluttershy's pacifism, Rarity's pride, Rainbow's "agressertiveness" and Pinkie's...well...eccentricity (face it; it's Equestria after all!). Although the play depicts some of the traits are more morally objectionable than others, it never downplays the importance of any of them; if they did so, the advisors could have just as well easily discarded of their leaders. But ignoring the fact that all six of them are the mane cast, they still don't. Why? Because they are nevertheless dependent on their leaders in one way or another. Just imagine Twilight, Applejack and Fluttershy founding Equestria on their own. It would be a country that is neither strong or realistically complete. Because one can't build a country based on mere pragmatism, intellectualism and pacifism. A certain level of assertiveness is needed for any country (why do you think diplomats exist in the first place?) and pride and eccentricity are unavoidable side effects to any and all nations, resulting in nationalism and the general incompetence (i.e. of civil servants) respectively. So much for that. The play only says that all those traits are to be kept at a certain balance or else...Wendigos.
 * When the Pegasi discover their new home...Pegasopolis...Private Pansy, Fluttershy's character, points at the ground and says "I can see my future house from here!" But surely as a Pegasus, Private Pansy made her home in the clouds like the rest? Perhaps but here Fluttershy is speaking as Fluttershy and pointing roughly at where her cottage in Ponyville would be. Yup; she's breaking the (in-universe) fourth wall!
 * When the Mane Six are on their way to Canterlot, everypony but Twilight acts like it is their first time there. This doesn't make sense until you realize that it is their first time there during Hearth's Warming Eve. They're just excited about going to see the lights and decorations. This is backed up by noticing that Twilight though clearly enjoying herself isn't as excited as the others due to having lived there most of her life and having seen it all before.
 * Using a chimney to enter a house is shrugged off as typical oddball behavior of Chancellor Puddinghead (and the actress playing her). Then at the end of the scene, she attempts to exit the house (through the door this time) and is immediately buried by the wall of snow that had built up behind it. Guess the chimney actually was easier...
 * The style of armor worn by modern Equestrian guards is apparently an in-universe Call Back to the ancient Pegasi who were the best warriors of all the tribes.
 * While it could be explained as simply for the viewer's benefit, the realistic looking scenes displayed throughout have another possible explanation. In "Suited For Success", Rarity uses her magic to produce a large number of illusions and effects for her fashion show. It's quite possible that she or another Unicorn knowing the same spell could've produced the effects for the play. While certain things were presented via backdrops and the like, it'd probably be more effective and practical to do things like the ice and snow as well as more detailed settings with magic.
 * Requires substantial knowledge on the subject but if one looks at it, the Wendigos aren't Sadly Mythtaken at all; just re-purposed for ponies. Besides being humanoid, the mythic Wendigos represented the evils of an Algonquian taboo: cannibalism...especially when it isn't absolutely necessary. These Wendigos on the other hand represent the evils of a purely Equestrian taboo: hatred...especially between the races.
 * And there's a second level of Fridge Logic and Fridge Brilliance involved if you think about it. The Wendigos are still encouraging cannibalism of a sort; they're encouraging the 3 pony tribes to devour themselves and each other through violence and hatred.
 * The casting for the play works way better than I'd originally thought. The three leaders need to clash in order to create the central conflict...and which three ponies are picked to play the leaders? The ones with the strongest personalities! Rainbow Dash is aggressive, Rarity is melodramatic and Pinkie Pie is...Pinkie Pie. On the other hand, the relatively mild personalities are chosen to play their respective advisers in order to temper them and to serve as foils. Fluttershy, the quiet conflict-shy personality is attached to the aggressive Rainbow Dash; the reasonable Twilight Sparkle is attached to the histrionic Rarity and the down-to-earth Applejack is attached to the crazy Pinkie Pie. Spike who is important to the show's dynamic but is often outside the action and occasionally provides commentary and pokes holes in certain character's logic is the narrator.
 * It may appear weird that only the Pegasi got a distinct look from the other two tribes, being based on ancient Greece when others are both based on medieval Europe. But it actually makes sense: The Pegasi, living in the clouds, developed in isolation from Unicorns and Earth Ponies who in turn lived side by side which would naturally cause their cultures to meld to some degree. Furthermore unicorns appearing similar to nobility makes sense in that their part of the deal involved relatively cleaner and less exhausting spell-casting instead of working physically in the fields.
 * Even better is that the three tribes still have remnants of their former cultures. Pegasi culture seems to favour bold, strong and fast. And they still have the advantage of flight over other tribes, making them great warriors. Unicorns favour bloodlines and standing, and they cultivate fashion, arcane studies and culture in general. And Earth Ponies still do work others can't do and seem content having simple jobs.
 * Another thing, Pegasus is derived from Greek Mythology. Another example of Shown Their Work.
 * The Pegasi still retain some of their warrior roots: the Royal Guard is predominantly composed of pegasi.
 * During the initial summit meeting, Princess Platinum appears to take offense to an insult that Commander Hurricane directs toward... Chancellor Puddinghead? There's more evidence that the unicorns (or at least just the Princess) prefers earth ponies to pegasi: "...looking like a bedraggled earth pony, or worse yet, a rough-and-tumble pegasus." This might seem strange given that the three tribes, including the unicorns and earth ponies, are supposed to be at odds with one another, but it makes sense when one remembers that, as stated above, the pegasi lived in isolation from the earth-bound tribes. Yes, it's plain old xenophobia.
 * Rainbow Dash gloating about how the play should be all about her makes it seem like she forgot her lesson from "Mare Do Well". Then we see her character Commander Hurricane. She was probably just getting into character!
 * Hey; part of the Aesop was that it's okay to celebrate your accomplishments. And if getting to play Commander Hurricane isn't an accomplishment worth celebrating, what is?
 * Also remember that Rainbow Dash sometimes suffers from stage fright too...especially when she's afraid of public failure. So what better way to stop herself from ending up like Fluttershy than to convince herself everypony will be cheering for her?
 * Why would a Complete Monster species like the Wendigos engage in Harmless Freezing? And just what is the connection between eating negative emotions and cold weather anyway? If you think about it, it kinda makes sense. You encourage the ponies to hate each other in order to feed upon their hatred. But sooner or later they will either a) put aside their differences, b) avoid each other or c) kill each other. No more food. Not a good survival trait. So instead you get them to the point where their hate is the strongest and then see to it that it will last forever. Freeze them while keeping them alive and they'll be stuck in an And I Must Scream scenario permanently without ever having the opportunity to get past their negative emotions. Those three pony leaders came this close to spending the rest of eternity trapped in the presence of those they hated, unable to either leave, destroy or make amends with them. Quite a feast for the Wendigos. Could very well be a Batman Gambit as well.
 * When Princess Platinum returned, Clover the Clever asked, "Did the other pony tribes see reason as I predicted?" Now, the meeting Platinum had just been to ended without solving anything; however, her prediction does come true by the end of the story...

The Last Roundup

 * The Last Round Up finally has Derpy Hooves as a canon character with her own voice lines and if it weren't for her constant appearances, such as in Luna Eclipsed when she bobs for apples and drains the tub, or has a costume of paper bags or any of her other similar appearances, there would be nothing to base her on. It would be like they introduced a character for very little reason, but in reality they brought a background pony to the front that everyone had known all along.
 * Why is Derpy so clumsy? She has no depth perception due to her eyes facing different directions!
 * There exists an eye condition called "strabismus" which makes it difficult for the eyes to align properly, with the result that stereoscopic vision and depth perception is hindered. In other words, Derpy is an accurate depiction of a real-life disability.
 * Why didn't the town just raise the revenue through ordinary means, i.e., a new tax levy or a bond issue, to renovate the town hall? Because who would want to pay for such a needless extravagance when the town is really governed from the library anyway?
 * This is most likely to be unintentional but it's still brilliant: Derpy's formal introduction in an Applejack-centered episode is actually perfect because you know who else was a complete klutz and a silly pony? The original Applejack.
 * A possible indication of an Out of Order ep. How would Rainbow Dash know about Wild Bull Hickock and Calamity Mane? They're clearly not with the Wonderbolts - did she read about them?. Alternatively, they could just be celebrities on par with the Wonderbolts, since Applejack claimed she'd seen them during the rodeo.
 * Assuming they're based on their real life counterparts Wild Bill Hickock (Rogue outlaw and gunfighter) and Calamity Jane (gunfighter and partner of Wild Bill), it would make sense that a badass like Rainbow Dash would know about other badasses like the two mentioned without having to read about them. It's also likely Applejack could've told her about them due to her Western-style upbringing.
 * It is absolutely amazing that Tabitha St.Germain thought that Derpy was male and gave her that particular voice. The whole character of Derpy was born from an "accident" of sorts, and that kind of detail makes it a perfect fit.
 * Derpy and Princess Luna share a voice actress. Derpy is Princess Luna! No wonder everyone loves her!
 * The rest of the group don't really try to reason with AJ that much until after The Reveal. Why? Remember last time they tried to reason with her when she was dead set on something? It took realizing that working herself nearly to death only got half the orchard harvested for her to finally admit she needed help. They, especially Twilight, knew Applejack is extremely stubborn when she's set on something and just trying to talk her out of staying in Dodge Junction would've been a waste of time.
 * Applejack actually brought her "defeat" on the Rodeo upon herself if you think about it. Consider she won A LOT of ribbons at that one rodeo, which means she had to take part in many different events. That means that Applejack has at least some experience and skill at many different events but if she spent only some of her time training for each of those different events, then of course she'd end up losing over and over again to different ponies who had spent all their time training for one particular event!
 * In other words, you might be able to call her an Applejack of all trades, master of none! Eh? Eh???
 * In addition, Ponyville put a ton of pressure on her, especially Mayor Mare, which clearly made her at least somewhat nervous during the part of the episode prior to her leaving . It's completely possible all the pressure made her choke at the competition.
 * And lastly, a main reason why she could have lost one or more of the competitions is seen at the very beginning already. When she jumps the extra-high hurdle, her hind hooves strafe it. What if she did the same thing at the actual competition? Even though it was only a minor slip, it could have still either been a plainly illegal move (coming into contact with the hurdle), or may even have resulted in a much bigger mess-up (losing her balance, flying off-course, tripping, etc). After all, Applejack apparently didn't bother to eradicate this one misstep in her otherwise completely flawless training.
 * The board with five blue ribbons just after Applejack is announced as a ten-time champion is pretty much explained in-universe - AJ's habit is obviously in taking on all the events each time, and the five ribbons were all from the same outing. And if it's true about other ponies only competing in one or two events, five blue ribbons is a lot. Which sheds some light on the way things turned out - most of the other competitors would probably marvel at her ability to get one medal for every event at all, but only the hoity-toity winners would make sure to point out that none of them are blue, explaining all the added pressure on her.

The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000

 * The moral of the story in "Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000" seems to be more directed towards the citizens of Ponyville, as they are at first ungrateful towards the Apple family for not having enough cider for everyone but finally realize the value of quality over quantity in the end.
 * The fan-dubbed Dr.Whooves (Named for his David Tennant-esque hairstyle and hourglass cutie-mark) Is the official time-keeper of the competition in "Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000." At a small stretch you could say that it's being acknowledged that the rules of time are his to control.
 * And they WILL OBEY HIM!
 * Some fans have questioned why the Apple Family says they need their apple cider sales to get through the winter, when their Zap Apple jam is an amazingly big seller.
 * Simple - the money from the zap apple jam went towards rebuilding the barn, after Applejack asked Rainbow Dash to destroy it in Lesson Zero. Since the family didn't get the money they expected from Applejack's cart at the Grand Galloping Gala, they had to put the money from the jam up for the rebuilding, meaning they'd need the Cider money to get by on.
 * Another reason why Applejack was afraid she'd lose her farm was due to all the losses and damages accrued over the last season and recently. Between the parasprites eating the farm infrastructure, the failed attempt at making profits from the Gala, the building of another new side-barn, Spike stealing her crops, and the money they're clearly saving to get Granny Smith a new hip, they were desparate to get the profits from Cider Season to tide them over until the next major season.
 * The Flim Flam Brothers make the bet based on number instead of quality.
 * Debatable. Watch Granny Smith's face when she tries some of the first batch...
 * Actually, they were betting they could beat the Apples' speed of making cider. Their first few barrels, before Twilight pulled the "honorary family" card, were made with the quality control on, and those barrels would've been as good as the one they made in their demonstration, which only Granny got to sample.
 * Why does Twilight organize the group to help the Apple family, instead of pulling off an "Ursa stunt", even though it costs her the game in the end? The whole point is not "Flams vs. Apples" but "Flam way vs. Apple way"; reducing it to a contest of unicorn magic would make it meaningless.
 * Where did Twilight get the whole idea of "honorary family member"?
 * The moral of the story seems to be more directed towards the citizens of Ponyville, because at first they were ungrateful towards the Apple family for not having enough cider for everyone, but in the end, they finally realize the value of quality over quantity.
 * Nopony besides Granny Smith really got a chance to have a drink of Flim Flam's carefully made cider, so having a drink of their poorly made cider in the end only made it worse for them.
 * On top of that, the Flim Flam Brothers pretty much did a major Kick the Dog in front of the entire town that visibly upset the majority of them. Not only did the town taste some rotten cider, they realized how rotten the Flim Flam Brothers really were.
 * It's not the first time that a line of campers forms overnight to be the first to get an Apple product.
 * The reason why Applejack said she didn't learn a lesson from all this? She already did.
 * We start seeing more mangled/smashed apples in the Flim Flam brothers' machine at the same time it started sucking up the trees as well as the apples!
 * So you think the Flim Flam Brothers are going to get away with this scot-free and try it again in another part of Equestria, right? When you realize just how BIG the Apple family is, they're going to be hard pressed to find any more willing suppliers for their machine once word gets out.
 * Oh and not to mention that Applejack has her Uncle and Aunt Orange from Manehattan. What's to say they won't come in and learn this from their Apple family members and then spread the word about this all to their rich friends? And what's to say that these rich friends will also make sure that no pony ever helps out the Flim Flam brothers ever again.
 * Dodge Junction is out, too, since Applejack got in good with Cherry Jubilee.
 * It gets worse when you remember not only is the Apple Family HUGE, it's also tight knit. Odds are the Apple Family is going to be TICKED.
 * And Applejack's not the only one with connections. Rarity has plenty of contacts in Canterlot, so Flim and Flam probably can't set up shop there. And that's assuming Twilight or Spike doesn't mention it to Princess Celestia, who could presumably shut them down entirely, fine the living heck out of them, or banish them to the moon. Especially since they were pretty much forcing both an Element of Harmony and the practical founder of Ponyville out of town.
 * Even without all that, Ponyville's entire population hates them. Word of mouth spreads and everypony knows their jerks and Con Artists or thinks their cider sucks. Even without the Apple Family or Princess interfering, they're in deep horse apples.
 * The funny thing is they could start over, as long as they change the name of their business, keep quality control, hide their machine, buy apples through a middleman, and most importantly don't act like jerks.
 * It seems weird how Dash seemed to jump ship for the Flim-Flam brothers so quickly, but if you'll notice, she stopped showing any support for them or any want for their cider once the whole thing became a competition with her friend's farm on the line.
 * That and her first reaction to the Flim-Flam Brothers' Kick the Dog moment is to try and kick their flanks for hurting her friend.
 * She does bear the Element of Loyalty, after all.
 * As much as Applejack claims she learned no lesson, one very good moral to be taken from this episode is to have both quantity and quality rather than one or the other. The Apples might have had excellent cider, but their business model was to make five barrels for each day, rather than make as many barrels at they could in a row and then serve from those. The only reason the Flim Flam brothers had even a chance WAS because the Apples did not make enough cider.
 * It seems weird that Pinkie Pie would invite a bunch of ponies to camp out but leave Rainbow Dash entirely out of it, right? Well, there's a good chance Rainbow went to sleep early so that she could get up at dawn. Pinkie wouldn't want to disturb her friend's rest.
 * Of course the cider is non-alcoholic. It's freshly pressed, unfiltered apple juice. And with Ponyville's population buying it all, it never has time to ferment and become alcoholic. Unless a unicorn has something to do with that as well.
 * Considering that cider is not inherently alcoholic in America and Canada, the cider needs no excuse to be non-alchoholic. (In other parts of the world "Cider" is generally the alcoholic version, while "Apple cider" is the non-alcoholic variety).
 * One of the brothers appears to have half an apple as his Cutie Mark. This would mean that his apple-related ideas are...
 * But I noticed otherwise: One of them has a slice of apple as cutie mark, while the other one has the full apple(with a slice of apple cut away) as the cutie mark. Their cutie marks can make a full apple.
 * Moreover, Flam's cutie mark is three quarters of an apple, and Flim's is the remaining quarter. Remember that percentage deal they proposed to the Apple family?
 * Flim (the single-apple-slice one with the higher Samuel Vincent voice) is the one who does most of the talking, but Flam (the mustached one with the majority of the apple piece cutie mark and lower Scott McNeil voice) does more of the mechanical operation of the machine.
 * Why does Rainbow Dash bother to wake Fluttershy, fly her to the line and even put her in front of herself, essentially risking not getting a drop of cider? Because she is being loyal to Fluttershy, who is known to be very clumsy about getting somewhere in time, as Angel knows. Dash is making sure, Fluttershy has a good chance of getting cider.
 * She even lets Fluttershy go ahead of her on the first day, though it comes back to bite her when Fluttershy gets the day's last mug.
 * Why do the townsponies have no problem with any of this contest until the Flim Flam Brothers actually win? It's never publicly stated the Apples will lose their farm if they lose until the Brothers actually win, revealing to everypony that their impatience has cost the Apples their home and their livelihood.
 * A small one but the scene where Fluttershy covers herself in embarrasment after Rainbow Dash throws rips her covers away is a little more than a call back to when Rarity didn't want to let Spike in when the girls are getting dressed from an earlier episode. Think, who does Fluttershy hang out with the most from the mane cast?

Read it and Weep

 * "Read it and Weep". Why would the first "Daring Do" book be the third on the shelf? Anachronic order. It's a little-known fact even today that Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is placed chronologically before Raiders of the Lost Ark.
 * Of course Daring Do is a Palette Swap of Rainbow Dash. We're seeing the events filtered through Rainbow's imagination, and RD immediately empathizes with the novel's heroine. She's putting a bit of herself into the reading.
 * That's also why Fluttershy's putty tat shows up in the novel's events. Rainbow didn't really care for the cat back in May the Best Pet Win, so her memory shoves it in when she imagines a generic cat.
 * Not necessarily - Daring Do is on the cover of the book.
 * In universe combination of Rule of Cool and Reality Is Unrealistic. Not as many ponies have multiple hair colors, much less six. So as a way of making the character look cool, the illustrater gave Daring Do a rainbow mane, but grayed it out because, in all honesty, who has a rainbow mane?
 * or this: http://browse.deviantart.com/?q=Gilda
 * Why is the book titled "Daring Do and the Sapphire Stone" when it's actually about a statue? Twilight Sparkle even repeats the title with "Statue" instead of "Stone." Why, because of reprints and alternative titles, like "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's/Sorcerer's Stone"!
 * Of course, said statue is clearly carved from a sapphire, or a sapphire-colored stone.
 * Why does Rainbow Dash heal from a compound wing fracture so quickly? Simple, ponies have magic and access to at least some herbal medicines with magical healing capabilities. It's very likely their hospitals are more effective because of it.
 * It's simpler than that actually, If Rarity can reattach tree branches and river serpent's mustaches and Twilight can repair broken dams at what is presumably a molecular level, it stands to reason a unicorn doctor can do the exact same thing to bones. So by the time Rainbow Dash had woken her wing was already mostly healed and she just needed a few day's rest.
 * Rainbow Dash didn't have a compound fracture. Shortly after the opening sequence, we see a doctor looking at an x-ray of Rainbow Dash's wing. One bone is shown split into two fragments, but they are for the most part lined up.
 * According to this, that injury would be considered a complete transverse fracture. Although it's pretty nasty, it would be relatively easy to line the fragments back up and immobilize the wing. If a nail or splint was surgically inserted, the recovery time wouldn't be that far from what modern medicine can do without any magic (the metal implant would not be visible on the pre-operation x-ray.
 * At first, Daring Do's choice of difference in the tiles -- the rat as the only non-predator -- seems rather arbitrary. However, both predators and the traps try to attack Daring. The rat wouldn't attack her, and so wouldn't trigger the trap.
 * The ponies play a pony version of Battleship. ...which is also owned by Hasbro! So I don't see a reason why they had the line cut off before its title was said.
 * Because, despite the series' use of Schizo-Tech, they probably don't actually have battleships. This game is about clouds, so it wouldn't be called that.
 * ............ Cloud..................... ship?
 * Some kind of airship is seen being launched in "Sweet and Elite", so perhaps the game involves them
 * Schizo-Tech didn't stop the writers from mentioning tanks.
 * It's interesting to note that Pinkie is the one who mentions Spider powers - her own Pinkie Sense is a direct Shout-out to Spidey's Spider Sense itself.
 * The X-ray with the unlikely bone structure of a wing actually explains the rather odd uses and properties of wings in some later episodes.
 * At first, Rainbow's fears of being mocked for being an "egghead" seem a little strange, but then remember one thing; the poor girl was bullied all through flight school, of course she'd be afraid!
 * Daring Do seems awfully sweaty when she's in the room with the Sapphire Stone. At first it might be because she's nervous, which would make sense, what with being in a temple full of death traps and all, but don't forget - that room only has a thin floor separating her from a pit of boiling hot magma. It has to be hot in there.

Hearts and Hooves Day

 * Fans have wanted Big Macintosh to have a larger role in the show pretty much since the beginning and in season two he starts getting a little more attention, but here's the thing: most of the stuff he gets to do is showing off his softer side, such as his love of Twilight's old Smarty Pants doll, helping his granny with the Sisterhooves Social, or crying Manly Tears when he finds out his sister won't be returning to Ponyville (and then tears of joy when she comes home) it's all well and good until you find out
 * In "Hearts and Hooves Day" Doctor Whooves gets two quick appearances, and in one of them he's shown running - if you're at all familiar with the 9th-Doctor-and-onwards Doctor Who, you'll know why the simple word 'Run' became Arc Words for three Doctors in succession. That and the whole "I've always been a runner" or something like that.
 * In a bit of a meta example, the CMC clearly learned and recited the lesson they learned at the end of "Hearts and Hooves Day," even though a letter was never actually written. That doesn't mean that Princess Celestia never heard it, however: after all, the CMC are telling their lesson to Cheerilee, who shares a voice actress with the Princess.
 * Alternatively, the CMC don't have the same kind of friendly connection to Celestia (a mentor figure, at least for Twilight) as the Mane 6 and are reciting the lesson to their equivalent of her; their teacher.
 * The pairing of Twist and Truffle SHUFFLE! seems a bit weird at first... until you realize his "special talent" is eating and she is a candy maker.
 * Notice that Scootaloo gathers the cloud--as the only pegasus on the CMC, she's the only one who can handle clouds as if they were solid.
 * She's also at the top of the Pony Ladder the CMC make to grab it. Makes sense seeing as Pegasi are implied to be much lighter than unicorns and Earth Ponies (and of course she can't fly yet).
 * Likewise, Apple Bloom is at the bottom of the ladder because as the CMC's resident earth pony, she's physically the strongest of them.
 * It may also be further evidence that she can't fly PERIOD, a theory that has existed for some time among fans and which is underscored by the flashback to Rainbow Dash's own childhood in Cutie Mark Chronicles, where she is the same age if not younger than Scootaloo, and was already capable of flight. There's also Pound Cake, who is shown to possibly be a prodigy as he can fly at only ONE MONTH OLD.
 * Confirmed later in 'Flight to the Finish' - Scootaloo can't fly, and is well past the age at which a pegasus filly should normally be capable of flying.
 * The name of the holiday (and the episode). Hearts And Hooves Day seems to be a reference to human burial practices for racehorses: bury the head, heart and hooves. Double brilliance in that there is a depiction of a funeral service (presumably for a pony) on-screen, and that St. Valentines Day originates from a rather bloody tale from Catholic history but has shifted to be romantic over the years.
 * Big Mac says very few words himself this episode. Remember that an episode that never got put through production starring him was supposed to have him barely speak at all.
 * Apple Bloom also mentions off-handedly that Big Mac is actually rather shy. This goes a long way towards explaining why he talks normally to Applejack when it's just him and his little sister, but is fairly monosyllabic when Twilight or Applejack's other friends are around. It's also helps explain why he's usually working on the farm while Applejack makes time for activities with her friends.
 * There's a blink-and-you-miss it moment after Scootaloo asks Big Mac if he's doing anything for Hearts and Hooves day where he looks sad. He was most likely happy to be set up with Cheerilee but too scared to say so.
 * Where did Twilight learn the "Want It, Need It" spell? From her Hearts and Hooves Day book. The illustration even has the same heart-shaped irises as in Lesson Zero.
 * How come the Mane Six were pretty much absent besides Twilight giving the CMC that book? So they wouldn't be subjected to Ship Sinking (Big MacIntosh pairings excluded).
 * The Fridge Horror entry points out that one: the recipe for the horrifying Love Poison is printed in an easily accessible book, and two: clouds, rainbows, and pegasus feathers are all in close proximity at the Cloudsdale weather factory and could easily be accidentally mixed. Maybe the potential to make the poison accidentally is exactly why the recipe is so accessible - as an all-too-likely industrial accident in the making, it is necessary that the product safety warning be ubiquitously available.

A Friend in Deed

 * A Friend In Deed shows how Pinkie really feels the need to be best friends with every pony in Ponyville. But if thats the case, what was with her behaviour with Rainbow Dash in Griffon The Brush Off? After all, Rainbow Dash was certainly acting like they were not friends at the beginning. And thats why Pinkie was trying to get her to go pranking - to fix just that. Given Pinkie's persistence, suddenly Rainbow Dash running off when she hears Pinkie is looking for her makes a bit more sense....
 * There is a reason for Pinkie Pie remembering everypony's birthday in "A Friend In Deed": the last time she forgot her own birthday was a disaster! She just doesn't want anything like that to happen ever again. Alternatively, remembering all those birthdays was why she forgot her own in the first place. Of course, she apparently remembers her own birthday now, so she's still learned her lesson.
 * During the song, next to the Mayor, you see two other other somewhat official looking ponys. Take a look at their cutie marks - they symbolise the separation of powers: executive, legislature, judiciary.
 * The reason why Pinkie's thoughts are shown as felt animation could be a Stealth Pun. The Cuckoo-lander Pinkie has "fuzzy" logic.

Putting Your Hoof Down

 * It seems somewhat strange that Iron Will would hold his assertiveness training course in a hedge maze, but when you consider the original myth of the Minotaur... Also making the hedge maze location a perfect choice for the site of his seminar: remember where Fluttershy originally Took a Level in Jerkass back in "The Return of Harmony?
 * It's kinda easy to understand why some ponies keep calling Iron Will a monster: Who else is depicted as a bipedal figure with horns and hoofed feet who is associated with goats? Oh right, Satan. Or in this universe, Discord.
 * Given events in the most recent episode, it seems that the Ponyville marketplace is a bazaar where sellers greatly inflate the price of their merchandise, and haggling, charm, and trickery are all perfectly acceptable ways for both shoppers and merchants to do business. If this is true, then wouldn't Applebloom's behavior in Call of the Cutie be normal? In this case, Applejack would have stopped Applebloom because she holds herself (and Sweet Apple Acres) to a higher standard. More Element of Honesty points for AJ.
 * In Putting your Hoof Down, both Rarity and Pinkie Pie constantly call Iron Will a monster and blame him for Fluttershy's behaviour. However, Iron Will is shown to be a jerk at most and even willing to accept defeat. By blaming him, Pinkie and Rarity are in effect treating the minotaur like they treated the Hydra or any dragon besides Spike, a foe that must be defeated and to blame. By constantly correcting her friends and owning up to her behaviour, Fluttershy is both showing her Element and maturity. She doesn't need to be a jerk to be assertive, and she doesn't need to blame someone else to justify her actions. Essentially, a good lesson for the kids to learn.
 * There's a theory that "Putting Your Hoof Down" is a "flashback" episode (that it takes place before Twilight came to Ponyville.):
 * Fluttershy, even in her earliest days, was never that much of a doormat. She's nervous, yes, and she prefers not to fight, but it's not because she doesn't know how to stand up for herself. This supports the theory that the episode took place before the beginning of the series.
 * Where's the rest of the Mane Six, anyway? If Fluttershy was having an emotional crisis, you'd think her friends would all help! Well, as we saw in Season One ("Green Isn't Your Color"), Fluttershy and Rarity have been friends for a long time, enough to have developed an almost religious ritual of spa weekends. Applejack and Rainbow Dash also seem to have known each other longer than the series itself, and when you consider they're the athletes of Ponyville, that makes sense. (In addition, since RD is head of the Ponyville weather team and weather is highly important to farmers, her and AJ have had to professionally work together all the time they've both been in Ponyville.) Twilight, obviously, is still in Canterlot, and Pinkie Pie is friends with everypony. It all fits!
 * The recent episode Dragon Quest seems to give this a level of credibility. Cranky Doodle Donkey's apperance makes it clear that that episode takes place before A Friend In Deed, confirming that not all the episodes take place in exact order. So this could very well be a flashback episode.
 * The tone of Fluttershy's letter to Princess Celestia backs this up. She talks about "when I first tried [to be assertive]", putting some distance between the letter and the events of the episode. As well, if this IS a flashback episode, and the first time Fluttershy learned to be assertive without being a jerk, it could explain the origin of her stare. It's brief, but you can see Fluttershy give Angel a stare for a moment right before he finally tries the salad she made for him. If she'd been capable of that all along, she would have used it already. - User:Alphacat
 * All right, we all wanted to smack Angel Bunny in 'Putting Your Hoof Down'. However, taking into account the above theory, his bratty behavior makes perfect sense. Fluttershy has never asserted herself before; Angel's behavior is exactly the kind of thing you would expect from a spoiled child! He's been raised to always get his way, and Fluttershy never gave him the discipline every child or pet needs. When she started being a parent instead of a servant, he grew into the lovable, if snarky, rabbit we know today.
 * In Putting Your Hoof Down, we see that a lot of the background ponies have become Jerkasses. At first, this seems like a cheap plot device to get Fluttershy in Iron Will's assertiveness class. However, in Iron Will's class we see that there's an enormous crowd of ponies there. Since Fluttershy became a bully after the class, its safe to say that other ponies could have been affected that same way. Now if Iron Will has held previous classes this could explain where the meanness of the background ponies came from. More Jerkass ponies would result in more ponies feeling like doormats and deciding to take the class, creating a viscous cycle. This means that Fluttershy was probably the first to realize the flaw in Iron Will's program and explain it to him, likely ending (or at least reducing) the cycle of meanness.

It's About Time

 * In, "It's About Time", the Stable Time Loop may seem like a Shaggy Dog Story...except that because Twilight was worried about a disaster, she ended up fixing a lot of potential ones, as shown in the montage, and making Cerberus go back to his post. So in actuality, messaging herself from the future actually helped a lot.
 * Same episode-it may seem Twilight's gone back to Super OCD...except that from her POV, she's trying to prevent a catastrophe she knows next-to-nothing about, and is legitimately worried rather than anal-retentive. Once she realizes there really wasn't anything, she calms down instantly and actually goes back to give herself a chill pill, rather than worrying more.
 * The last part of "It's About Time" might seem like a lampshade of the Royal Guard being incredibly ineffective. But with Celestia's photobombing of Twilight at the end, you realize something: Celestia TOLD HER GUARDS to ignore Twilight should she try to access the Starswirl time scrolls. Why? Three reasons:
 * One is the classic "Faithful Student" clause. Celestia knows Twilight's responsible and she wouldn't try to do something like that without cause.
 * Two, it is the "Faithful Student" status that grants Twilight authorization into the more restricted sections anyway.
 * Three: She sensed Future Twilight's time spell when it activated. So she knew that at some point, her student would need that spell in order to maintain a Stable Time Loop. However, Celestia also knows that Twilight has an impulsive streak a mile wide and that she'd NEVER try to ask for something like that normally. So she foresaw Twilight try to break in, and naturally gave her an advantage by having her guards play dumb.
 * Celestia may have also known what Twilight was up to because she's been watching her more closely since the last time Twilight Sparkle had an episode.
 * She probable knew what was happening in this episode for the same reason, namely Spike sent her a letter. She was probable waiting in the archives to calm down Twilight if things got too bad.
 * How does "Madame Pinkie" know Twilight Sparkle will receive an awesome birthday present? She's the one who plans to give it to her.
 * Why does Twilight bring Pinkie, the most random and uncontrollable of her friends, on a stealth mission to break into a top secret magic library? Because she can anticipate the short-term future. (It's too vague to be useful, but Twilight isn't thinking straight at this point.) Pinkie has also had a tendency for locating things in the library that Twilight couldn't, such as the Elements of Harmony reference guide and the spell that gave Rarity her wings in "Sonic Rainboom." Finally, she was hoping that Pinkie's talent for showing up in surprising places without warning would help them infiltrate.
 * Twilight has taken a lot of flak for leaving Spike alone during this season, but in "Its About Time", he says he likes it when Twilight goes off on adventures because he can catch up on his sleep.

Dragon Quest

 * Knowing that dragons can swim in lava certainly makes Spike's once using all of Ponyville's hot water on a seven hour bubblebath a lot more understandable. It's also a nod, to the episode Griffon The Brush Off, where he says that dragons are fireproof.
 * In one of the pictures, during the end sequence, you see that Spike cut and pasted a photo of himself into a group photo of the Mane six. Why on earth wasn't he in the picture with them? Because it was in Canterlot during Twilight's Birthday, and he was absent, for some unspecified reason.
 * When Rarity walks up to the trench, a puff of confetti pops out of nowhere to complete the overdramatic display, Pinkie Pie-style. Then we remember that Rarity was seen hanging out with Pinkie the entire episode in "Putting Your Hoof Down", so the latter has likely rubbed off on the former a bit.
 * At first it just seems like a normal teenage prank for the teen dragons to go raid phoenix eggs. But if you think about it, why would a phoenix ever lay eggs (let alone SIX CHICKS at a time)? The nature of a phoenix is that it never truly dies; it becomes old, burns up, but then becomes reborn from its own ashes. With this in mind you realize that perhaps the teenage dragons' fondness for egg-raids are, in fact, beneficial to the balance of their ecosystem. What at first seems like a cruel prank actually turns out to be an intrinsic requirement so that the world does not eventually become overpopulated by phoenixes.
 * But, then again, we don't really know how ofter phoenixes reproduce; For all we know, phoenixes only reproduce every few hundred years or so. Even though a pheonix can't die of old age, it could be possible for them to die from other mean; starvation, disease, hunting, predators, etc. Again, keeping in mind that pheonix mating seasons could very well be hundreds of years apart, even for a species that can't die of old age, other causes of death like the ones I mentioned could still make occasional reproduction necessary. Something I feel supports this is Philomena's molting: although she was just playing around with Fluttershy, it could be possible this 'molting rebirth' thing could still take a while, so if a pheonix was fatally injured, it's not out of the realm of possibility for them to die before the 'rebirth' part starts (If I remember correctly, it seems like they needed to loose all their feathers before they could be reborn). My point is, just because a species can't die of old age doesn't necessarily mean they're impossible to kill Then again, we don't know for sure exactly about how pheonixes work in this universe, so I could be completely and utterly wrong, but hey, Wild Mass Guessing and all.
 * It seems weird at first that someone with as much knowledge about clothes as Rarity would come up with such ridiculous camouflage, wearing purple and gold when everypony else is wearing camo green... until you take a second look and see the whole meadow is lilac - Rarity's suit is the only one that is anywhere near the colour of the surrounding plantlife.
 * The "Ya git! E'ryone knows, dat purpl is da sneakiest one! 'Ave you eva seen da purpl a'my? Thot so! Dat 'orsie sure knows her camo!" line from the main page -- Spike's from a line of Dragon Ninja, which is why none of the others have ever seen one like him.
 * Spike finally gains his own Cool Pet in this episode (I guess that means he's a full member of the Mane cast now), a baby phoenix he names Pee Wee. Phoenixes are immortal and in many mythologies (except for death by violence) so are Dragons. Spike's pet will most likely live as long as he does, possibly longer.
 * The only other character with a pet phoenix is Celestia, who is also immortal.
 * Why is Spike so small compared to the teen dragons? Because Spike is a baby dragon who was hatched by ponies outside of the natural breeding cycle of dragons. This would mean that there simply aren't any dragons of Spike's age. Teens normally aren't welcoming to young kids trying to hang out with them.
 * Considering that phoenixes in MLP are shown to be immortal, or at least being reborn indefinitely, the dragons smashing their eggs may have been the only thing preventing them from overtaking Equestria's ecosystem...
 * Not really. The phoenix lifecycle merely lets them be reborn once in a while. A Real Life equivalent would be the Turritopsis nutricula AKA the immortal jellyfish. Yeah, they can live indefinitely, but they can die due to external forces.
 * Ah, but if the phoenixes do not die of old age, yet continue to reproduce, then they would have to have some external force controlling their numbers - dragons smashing their eggs might be just one example.
 * Twilight mentions early on that ponies have scant knowledge of dragons at all, which would explain why they wound up with a crappy costume even with top fashionista Rarity on hand. The fact that it's also covered in gems can be chalked up to Author Appeal. There's also the fact that Spike leaves immediately after he informs the ponies of his intention to join the migration; chances are Rarity had to throw the costume together really quickly if they wanted to keep up with him.
 * It also explains Twilight's lack of knowledge in "Secret of my Excess."
 * And why Spike's dragon costume in "Luna Eclipsed" still looks like Spike.
 * The last photo that Spike has, where he has taped himself into shot? It's a birthday party, apparently for Twilight (who is at the center of the group), and appears to be taken at Canterlot Castle rather than in Ponyville. That is, the one from "Sweet and Elite". The one party that the fandom noted that Spike was conspicuously absent from. Its Call Back here may be to justify why Spike was absent then as to make this shot more poignant.
 * Twilight actually has a bit of difficulty teleporting the group to safety and is visibly tired after the teleportation is over. This probably explains why she doesn't just teleport the group where they need to go all the time.
 * Dragons are Nigh Invulnerable reptiles whose growth is based on greed. Of course teenaged dragons, the point were most beings are far more aggressive than normal, would be jerks.
 * The fact that the dragons have no clue who Princess Celestia is makes sense if you factor in how isolated they are from pony society. It works both ways. How do we know they don't have their own Creation Myth and everything?
 * We also don't have confirmation that the ponies' Creation Myth is nessecarily true. Princess Celestia is nowhere to be seen in the story of founding of Equestria and the only thing that's confirmed is that she and Princess Luna raise the sun and the moon, which is only seen firsthand once at their respective festivals. There is no confirmation that either of them is immortal (again, not seen in the founding of Equestria) and they do age, albeit slowly (Luna ages between the pilot and "Luna Eclipsed" and I doubt they were born as wholly formed adults, especially since Luna is confirmed to be the younger). They are powerful, they are long-lived, but they are not gods. Dragons are one of the few species that would possibly live as long as them and would know that, which is why they don't recognize their authority.
 * A being of surpassing size, long life, and incredible power? Sounds like the average dragon. Ruling a bunch of "Namby-Pamby Ponies" probably doesn't go far, either.
 * Even if they are aware of her, it's possible they just don't know her by name. We know there's at least one not-so-impressive alicorn princess, and there's been unicorn royalty since before the founding of Equestria. Clearly, just being a pony princess is nothing impressive on its own.
 * After this episode, Twilight has an owl and a phoenix living in her house. They are birds of night and day, which makes sense, considering her name is Twilight Sparkle

Hurricane Fluttershy

 * Why the hell didn't Spitfire help with the tornado? She's a Wonderbolt--if Dash has over sixteen wingpower during casual training, Spitfire could definitely have helped boost them the five they needed. Why would she just stand there while pegasi are struggling--and getting hurt?
 * Not only that, but she probably wasn't allowed to help if she even wanted to: It is tradition that every year, a town in Equestria is chosen to bring the rainwater to Cloudsdale. This is seen as a big honor for the town's local pegasi. Hence why Rainbow was making a big deal over beating Fillydelpia's record. Having an outsider like Spitfire help would undermine the effort made by the local town in question, otherwise Cloudsdale could easily send a team of specially-trained weather pegasi to do the job themselves.
 * Also, its not a life-or-death emergency for Cloudsdale; if Ponyville fails to provide the water that day, they'll just move on to an alternate location or else try again when the missing ponies are off the sick list. The only people who are at risk of injury are the Ponyville pegasi themselves... and you don't become team captain of the Wonderbolts without accepting the fact that if a pegasus wants to risk themselves pushing the envelope, then that's their choice to make.
 * Rumble's presence is Heartwarming in Hindsight. At first it seems a pegasus couple just couldn't find a sitter for their foal, so they decided to drag him along. Then it's revealed that he probably just wanted to be with his big brother. What's more, when Thunderlane gets sick and can't make it, Rumble shows up willing to take his place.
 * Hurricane Fluttershy had some Twilight technobabble. The weird thing is that the technobabble was actually sensical. "This is an anemometer. It measures your accelerative velocity and translates it into wing power, thus gauging your cumulative H2O anti-gravitational potential." Pegasi apparently use the moisture in the air to fly instead of pushing all the air like real winged creatures. If their magic pushes up against the sparse number of H2O molecules normally in the air and lets them fly easily, wouldn't that make clouds pretty much a solid surface to them?
 * It also explains how they can use a tornado as a reverse funnel. It's not just the wind, it's their magic pushing the water into the pony-free centre, letting it float freely and making the water shoot up into Cloudsdale through the actual wind force. Otherwise, the water would all be in the same space as the ponies, there would be no shooting action and it wouldn't be very nice to fly in.

Ponyville Confidential

 * It might seem incredibly odd to some that Big Macintosh would deliver a stern lecture to the Cutie Mark Crusaders, but didn't Applejack once warn Applebloom that she'll tell Big Mac if she didn't do as told way back in "Bridle Gossip"? Perhaps he really is the main giver of discipline in the Apple family household.
 * Possibly suggested earlier on Hearts & Hooves Day, when he's more than willing to go along with Cheerilee's idea that the Cutie Mark Crusaders do all of his chores as punishment.
 * There's a WMG that, in Equestria, social bullying is perceived as even worse than physical bullying. This episode among others suggests that theory may just be correct given just how angry everypony ultimately got over the Gabby Gums stories.
 * The last time we heard the phrase namby-pamby was from dragons, and not particularly smart ones... maybe they only learned it when Namby-Pamby went to research dragons for a story?
 * Before that we heard it from Scootaloo in "The Cutie Mark Chronicles", referring to the Mane Cast's Cutie Mark stories. I guess Scootaloo didn't have the same respect for him that Ruby Pinch does.
 * Did Pinkie only break down because she'd been reduced to a mundane party staple like Lampshade-Wearing (which we only last saw on Spike in the first freaking episode?)
 * It's easy to blame the Mane Cast for being insensitive to the CMC for the Gabby Gums stories, but remember, those three are their friends and younger siblings, Scootaloo being Rainbow Dash's, the Element of Loyalty's, number one fan, basically betraying her, so of course she's going to be upset. Just imagine how much it hurt the mane cast to have their loved ones humiliate them like that, and we see that towards the end the stories just get more and more hurtful, turning from partial truths to outright lies, which is why Applejack, the Element of Honesty, whom while she enjoyed the articles, those articles were kinda true and one article almost put a wedge between Spike and Twilight's friendship. Anyone that's had a loved one betray them will tell you just how much that hurts, especially the Fluttershy scene.

MMMystery on the Friendship Express

 * It turns out, . That leaves being the only innocent one, while Pinkie Pie and Twilight Sparkle where the ones investigating. If it was
 * She also wouldn't do it in the first place, since she isn't sneaky either.
 * She's also really bad at keeping secrets.
 * Plus Applejack was drooling over the cake like a dog and wanted to take a bite out of it the most in the beginning. Applejack and Pinkie Pie also eat the most food out of the Mane Six. Having the residential Big Eaters being the culprits would have been way to obvious.
 * Marzipan Mascarpone Meringue. MMMystery on the Friendship Express. It's a little obvious, but the MMM in Mystery stands for Marzipan Mascarpone Meringue, as well as being "Mmm", a sound one makes if they are hungry.
 * It makes sense that Pinkie Pie first suspects Gustave le Grande of sabotaging the cake, given that she's had a bad experience with griffons in the past.
 * Wait, does that mean that Pinkie Pie is a racist?
 * Perhaps, but you may also recall that she was willing, without evidence one way or the other, to assume that other griffons aren't necessarily as bad as Gilda herself. At least, after experiencing only the brush-offs, before Gilda went into active jerk mode...
 * The eaters of the cake being  makes alot of sense if you think of.
 * Also, it seems a bit unfair to presume that Fluttershy was just an innocent who was sucked in by RD and Rarity's antics. After all, she has flaws just like the others, and a cake would probably be especially delicious if you spent time feeding animals things like leaves and bugs and so on...
 * At first it doesn't make sense that the Cakes would let Pinkie take the MMMM to Canterlot for them when they know how off the wall she is, but they also know that she can be responsible too.
 * Also, staying at home let them spend time with their kids.
 * The hell Pinkie, you let get away without even a scold?! Oh Well, thankfully it's still you we're talking about; you would probably take a bite too (maybe more than one), if you weren't so occupied to protect it from the contenders, and you knew it.
 * Doughnut Joe's motivation for entering the contest is that he wants his restaurant to be famous. You might say he wants ponies to...(wait for it)...Eat At Joe's.
 * The hell Pinkie, you let get away without even a scold?! Oh Well, thankfully it's still you we're talking about; you would probably take a bite too (maybe more than one), if you weren't so occupied to protect it from the contenders, and you knew it.
 * Doughnut Joe's motivation for entering the contest is that he wants his restaurant to be famous. You might say he wants ponies to...(wait for it)...Eat At Joe's.

A Canterlot Wedding, Parts 1 & 2

 * Twilight showed the ability to conjure an identical force field in Return of Harmony Part 2 and Ponyville Confidential. It seems to be quite a powerful ability, as casting it even seemed to dispel some of Discord's magic, returning a section of ground to normal. Many of Twilight's spells are copied from other unicorns, and her special talent for magic allows her to imitate them. But of the unicorns we've seen, most have far less impressive skills than something as useful as force fields, so you'd think a talent like that would be worth mentioning. This episode reveals that it's Shining Armor's special ability, which both explains how Twilight was able to learn it (he taught her), and that it is indeed rather impressive compared to most spells (it's probably what landed him such a prestigious position).
 * When it was revealed that Shining Armor was Twilight's brother, there were a lot of questions about where he was and what he was doing during the incidents with Nightmare Moon and Discord. His special power provides a good answer. While he isn't as versatile as his sister, he could provide near perfect protection to whatever he could cover with his shield. During the Summer Sun Celebration he was probably holding a shield over Canterlot, and during Discord's escape he was likely keeping watch over whatever ponies he could.
 * The red bird Twilight nuzzles right before she sings her "B.B.B.F Forever" song is the same bird seen at the beginning and end of "Sisterhooves Social," an episode about sibling friendships. What's better, the bigger purple bird also seen at the beginning of "Sisterhooves Social" is flying away from the other bird as Twilight nuzzles it. The red bird is (probably) the younger of the two birds (just as Twilight is with Shining Armor), and here Twilight receives a little comfort from it as the (probably older) bird flies away without a backward glance, much as what Twilight fears has happened in regards to Shining Armor's relationship with her.
 * Shining Armor's name isn't just a reference to Knight in Shining Armor; 'Shining' comes from his relation to Twilight Sparkle, and 'Armor' refers to his talent as a Barrier Warrior.
 * Why is Applejack the one who consistently shows the most concern over Twilight's anxiety over her brother's marriage? Because she's the only other one of the Mane 6 (so far at least) to also have an older brother, and so she is the one who is probably most empathetic to Twilight's hurt.
 * Watch closely as Cadence checks on the wedding preparations the first time, and watch her horn.
 * Also,
 * Cadence's Unicorn magic is spreading love.
 * So...
 * The  can be seen as having been there from the start, after all, do   sound familiar?
 * In the short photo montage at the end, Spike is seen dancing with Sweetie Belle...Rarity's sister.
 * Why is everyone quick to believe Cadence when Twilight Sparkle accuses her of being evil? Aside from how outlandish that claim is out of context, everypony present knows that Twilight has gotten worked up over nothing several times, twice this season in fact!
 * It seems like sending that threat would make things a lot harder for her, as Canterlot ramps up security in response. However, it probably worked to  advantage:
 * The design for
 * The Changelings feed off of love. When the mane six are confronted by an army of them, the Changelings become doppelgangers of the mane six.
 * Why didn't Queen Chrysalis
 * Cadence acted like a Control Freak in Part 1. The makes perfect sense with The Reveal that she's actually
 * Why is Queen Chrysalis so powerful?
 * Here's another, going off the above: Cadance's magic rekindles love that already exists between ponies. And it has to be love that already exists for best results.
 * She probably preferred the name "Mi Amore Cadenza" because.
 * Or
 * As noted in the thread, that also explains her
 * A very subtle one, but when Cadence throws Applejack's treats to the trash, it at first seems just her being a jerk some more. But
 * Spike's remark about a "Bachelor party" is played as a joke since Shining Armor and the real Princess Candace had already tied the knot just before this. He was really talking about his dream bachelor party before his dream wedding with Rarity.
 * Suddenly I realize exactly why ponies in general appear to be so paranoid and panicky. YOU COULD BE ONE OF THEM.
 * Twilight mentioning that Shining Armor was her only friend when she was young, and not mentioning Spike, is because she is referring to before she became Celestia's apprentice, and hatched him. If you notice, in her flashbacks, she doesn't have her cutie mark yet. So before she even met him, Shining Armor was all she had. And so treasures their friendship.
 * Also, Shining Armor is like a mentor to her. He taught her how to do many things. Spike wasn't able to. He was just a baby (though in the song, she doesn't even have her cutie mark, so at the time he didn't even exist yet). Also, she sings a song about her relationship with Armor, because she misses him. She doesn't sing about spike, because she sees him everyday (also because the audience already knows about her relationship with spike, unlike shining armor, so they needed a song). She loves her brother like a friend. She loves Spike like a brother.
 * One fan pointed out that
 * Remember when Lauren said that she was forced to make Celestia a princess instead of a queen, because the target demographic (apparently) associates queens with evil? Well,
 * Which could also translate that into an in-universe reason. Why do Celestia and Luna insist on using the title "princess"? Because most of their worst enemies are ruled over by kings and queens, who only ever enforce the above stereotype in their dealings with Equestria.
 * The reason Celestia was beaten so easily is because changelings feed on love. When Celestia rose furiously to defend her people, Crysalis simply took the love Celestia had for her people and used it to fuel her own power. Celestia was defeated because she cares so much about the ponies of Equestria that it's genuine love. Fridge Brilliance coupled with Crowning Moment of Heartwarming.
 * In a bit of meta brilliance and amusement, Changelings need love, right? The Queen and her minions must be quite full due to the love they are getting.
 * Celestia is in charge of the day and Luna is in charge of the night, so what was Cadance in charge of? Twilight!
 * is an evil enchantress, she does evil dances, if you look into her eye, she will put you in trances!
 * Why did
 * If Chrysalis does not take her revenge in Season Three, there is already another (meta) reason for it - Fan-love for her is so immense, she has already gotten numerous pieces of fanart and even multiple Tumblr blogs! She'll have more than enough love for her to feast on from the fans so she won't need to launch another feeding invasion. (Thought up by User:Ace Of Scarabs)
 * I'm pretty sure no one brought this up yet, but Miamore Cadenza means "My Love Cadence." A pretty appropriate name for a pony with The Power of Love.
 * I'm surprised no pony's brought this up: Notice how the Changelings all resemble Alicorns? and then take into account that Cadence is and Alicorn herself? Now count how many Alicorn OCs are all over the internet and how many Changelings showed up. Notice anything?
 * Remember how the Mane Six deal with Nightmare Moon and Discord using The Power of Friendship? So of course ! Friendship and romantic love are respectively Phileo and Eros - Two of The Four Loves!
 * It's stated several times that maintaining the shield protecting Canterlot was putting considerable strain on Shining Armor. Which falls apart when you realize that he has a gifted little sister coming to town who is more powerful than he is and can cast the exact same spell he's using. Plus, he works directly under Princess Celestia herself, who could also provide him with a temporary power boost to ease the burden. Shouldn't he have thought to ask one of them to back him up? Of course!
 * Twi would also have cottoned on to the fact that there's something wrong with him and his magic more easily if she had helped.
 * Chrysalis didn't factor on that. She barely knew Twilight. The plan was to avoid contact with Celestia, who was closer to Cadance and posed the greater threat. This was the other prong in Chrysalis' Batman Gambit; by sending the threat that triggered the security lockdown, Chrysalis forced Celestia to juggle her duties as the Royal Guard's commander-in-chief, Equestria's senior ruler, and the minister over her niece's wedding. That would keep Celestia distracted until after the wedding, when Chrysalis was ready to spring the trap. Twilight was just the Spanner in the Works.
 * Twilight explicitly says that only Shining Armor can conjure that shield. The reasons aren't explored, but neither his sister nor his boss could take over for him. Celestia has vast power and more than a thousand years of experience with magic, but she doesn't have the ability to learn any spell like Twilight. And in her case there could have been a limit to how well Twilight can copy spells, or perhaps a simple lack of experience with that one. Ultimately, it was unimportant to the plot.
 * And ultimately, unimportant to the point. Twilight was there. She could've offered him some support with any of the spells she knew. All he had to do was ask. POINT: Queen Chrysalis was keeping Shining Armor under enough stress, pain, and magic to cloud his judgement so she could maintain her cover as his bride-to-be. END POINT
 * More proof (as if it was necessary) that princess Cadence and Shining Armor are perfect for one another: A Military Cadence is a tool used by armed forces to build solidarity and cohesion, and what is Shining Armor's job? Captain of the royal guard. So in other words, she will help keep the force together so it can protect the royalty of Canterlot.
 * I feel rather silly for taking this long to realize that this episode ended with the locked away princess rescuing her knight in Shining Armor.
 * Another reason for the Queen to keep Cadance and Twilight alive: hostages. At some point in her plan, Chrysalis would have to face Celestia, and having her niece and favorite student would provide the leverage needed to disable her.
 * At least, according to her plan. Chrysalis wasn't that great a spy, and Celestia didn't earn her Magnificent Bastard badge for getting shot in the head by mutant bug-ponies.
 * In a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment when Twilight and co. get off the train, Twilight passes a grey unicorn with a white mane and tail who smiles at her when she walks past, but has a disappointed look when she ignores him. He's the same stallion from It's About Time that was happy to see Twilight in the library to the point that he'd open a sealed room for her. It looks like Twilight's idea of not having very many friends before Ponyville isn't held by the ponies she would see on a regular basis.
 * That or a Dogged Nice Guy.
 * Another reason for the Queen to keep Cadance and Twilight alive: hostages. At some point in her plan, Chrysalis would have to face Celestia, and having her niece and favorite student would provide the leverage needed to disable her.
 * At least, according to her plan. Chrysalis wasn't that great a spy, and Celestia didn't earn her Magnificent Bastard badge for getting shot in the head by mutant bug-ponies.
 * In a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment when Twilight and co. get off the train, Twilight passes a grey unicorn with a white mane and tail who smiles at her when she walks past, but has a disappointed look when she ignores him. He's the same stallion from It's About Time that was happy to see Twilight in the library to the point that he'd open a sealed room for her. It looks like Twilight's idea of not having very many friends before Ponyville isn't held by the ponies she would see on a regular basis.
 * That or a Dogged Nice Guy.