History ComicBook / MyLittlePonyFriendsForever

* NotSoDifferent: The running theme of the series is whomever the issue focuses on being this and getting a FriendshipMoment out of it.

The series ran for 38 issues and concluded in April 2017; a new series, ''[[ComicBook/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicLegendsOfMagic My Little Pony: Legends of Magic]]'', has replaced it in the rotation with the main comic line.

The series ran for 38 issues and concluded in April 2017; a new series, ''My Little Pony: Legends of Magic'', has replaced it in the rotation with the main comic line.

The series ran for 38 issues and concluded in April 2017; a new series, ''My Little Pony: Legends of Magic'', has replace it in the rotation with the main comic line.

The series will run for 38 issues, concluding in March 2017; a new series, ''My Little Pony: Legends of Magic'' will then replace it in the rotation with the main comic line.

* ADayInTheLimelight: With two characters at once

** Twilight Sparkle and Big Mac (flusters bookworm, calm farmworker)

A ''Franchise/MyLittlePony'' series from Creator/IDWPublishing based on ''[[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Friendship is Magic]]'', and part of the overall [[Franchise/MyLittlePonyGeneration4 My Little Pony G4]] universe. ''Friends Forever'' is the second spin-off monthly comic series from the [[ComicBook/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicIDW main pony comic]], and replacing the limited-run [[ComicBook/MyLittlePonyMicroSeries micro-series]]. As opposed to the micro-series where stories were focused on a single character, ''Friends Forever'' will feature one-issue stories based on pairing the various characters, including those from the Mane 6, background characters, and other fan-favorites. [[http://boards.idwpublishing.com/3/viewtopic.php?p=354037#p354037 According to editor Bobby Curnow]], this gives them space to play around more, and more potential for future one-off stories while leaving the more [[StoryArc serial stories]] to the main comic. It will feature a similar revolving writer and artist.

* Foil: The stories often pair up some very contrasting individuals to see how they play off of each other.

!!Tropes applying to Individual Issues:

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Issue #1: The Pie's the Limit (Pinkie Pie and Applejack)]]
-->Written by Alex de Campi, Art by Carla Speed [=McNeil=]

Pinkie Pie is entering the Equestria Super Chef Championship against other bakers in Equestria, but attempts to mentally cram as many recipes as she can before going there. Meanwhile, Applejack is delivering a pie for Granny Smith as part of the backstage catering for the event. As the show starts, AJ is mistaken for one of the entrants in the show, Marine Sandwich, who tries to take her proper spot but is kicked off stage, and she vows to get revenge. In the first round, where the contestants are judged on a pre-made dish, Pinkie realizes she forgot to bring anything in her haste to remember her recipes, while AJ wins thanks to the pie she brought.

During intermission, Pinkie and AJ meet with another competitor, Toffee Truffle, who is trying to win the prize money to reopen a restaurant in Dodge City, and both Pinkie and AJ agree to do their worst to allow Toffee to win. Despite using food from the garbage to make up the desserts for the next round, Pinkie still manages to win. Before the final round, Toffee tells them she appreciates their help but she'd rather compete fair and square.

The final round has the competitors make their favorite food; AJ presents a simple apple, while Pinkie produces a number of pies with which she begins to throw around the stage, neither of which impress the judges. Toffee's dessert, however, has impressed them but before they can announce the winners, Marine bursts in with a fondant gun, freezing many of the competitors and crowd. Toffee and Pinkie use Toffee's sticky dessert and a portable party cannon to clog up Marine's gun, stopping her madness. The judges award Toffee the grand prize for both a tasty and practical dessert, with Pinkie and AJ happy for her success.

* AbnormalAmmo: Marine Sandwich produces a weapon that shoots fondant, which traps those it hits.
* AndIMustScream: Parodied. Marine Sandwich rants about how she'll trap everypony in her icing ''forever'', and the ponies she "freezes" all bear pretty shocked expressions (including [[HoistByHisOwnPetard Marine herself, when the frosting gun backfires]])...and then when Marine is defeated, Pinkie ''easily'' frees everypony...by ''eating the icing''. She even says it tasted good!
* CircleOfShame: After Pinkie Pie succumbs to performance anxiety, costing her the first round of the contest, she imagines all the baking ingredients laughing at her.
* ContinuityNod: Pinkie produces a Z&R Mark 4 portable party cannon from her hair {{Hammerspace}}. The Pinkie microseries comic identified her normal party cannon as a Z&R Mark 3.
* CoversAlwaysLie: One of the covers have AJ and Pinkie apparently going against each other in the competition. However, in the story, AJ not only is not opposing Pinkie in any way, but she wasn't supposed to be in the competition in the first place.
* FlatWhat: Applejack to a ''PinkyAndTheBrain'' ShoutOut.
* ExactlyWhatIAimedAt: Pinkie and Toffee fire a party cannon full of pastries at Marine Sandwich, and seemingly miss... except they actually meant to clog up her frosting gun, causing it to self-destruct and trap ''her'' in the icing.
* GettingTheBoot: Marine gets this twice on her attempts to discredit Applejack from security. Taken UptoEleven in that she is bucked by two guards at the same time (meaning that she is getting kicked by four hooves) and that both guards were unicorns that could have used their magic to remove her from the place in a more dignified manner. It's no wonder why she got insane by the climax of the story.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Marine Sandwich gets "frozen" in her own icing when her gun explodes.
* JerkassHasAPoint: As unhinged as Marine Sandwich is, she DOES have every right to be upset with Applejack taking her place (albeit accidentally) as she did earn the spot that Applejack took. The fact that Applejack tried to sabotage herself, which was also going to affect Marine's credibility as a chef, and she keeps getting humiliated with every attempt to prove her claims only makes it worse for her mental health. Subverted in that her attempts to reveal the truth are hysterical and easily confused with a troublesome spectator..
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: The security ponies are nice to Applejack due to them thinking she is the real Marine Sandwich, implying that they would have treated Marine Sandwich better had they known who she was. However, they are quite rough with the real Marine Sandwich, not hesitating to kick her out of the building rather than use their magic for a less painful and humiliating expulsion.
* KarmaHoudini: Unless they were frozen by Marine Sandwich during her rampage, the security ponies get no punishment for kicking her out or failing to stop her rampage.
* KickTheDog: A variation where the villain is on the receiving end with Marine Sandwich. She is in the physical and metaphorical sense of the trope when the security ponies disregard her claims about her identity and literally kick her out of the building.
* KungFuWizard: Given how they get rid of Marine Sandwich, it is implied that the security ponies prefer to dispatch troublemakers by kicking them with their hind legs rather than using their magic.
* LargeHam: Everyone, as normal. Applejack and Toffee Truffle stand out for being fairly normal.
* LargeHamAnnouncer: The announcer at the Equestria Super Chef Competition, whose cutie mark is ''literally'' [[LampshadeHanging a large ham]].
* MadArtist: Marine Sandwich is a "food performance artist" who seems to be a bit unhinged. She goes berserk when she thinks Applejack deliberately impersonated her, and at the climax attacks the contest with a frosting gun.
** Blade Sparxx is clearly a {{pyromaniac}} masquerading as a cook.
* MistakenForSpecialGuest: Applejack gets roped into the contest after being mistaken for one of the contestants.
* PaletteSwap: Take Fluttershy and swap out all the yellows and pinks for lots and lots of gray and you've got Marine Sandwich.
** Summer Van Der Hoof looks a lot like her too. She's even a fairly similar color.
* PoorCommunicationKills: If the staff had actually listened to Applejack, they could have avoided Marine's rampage.
* SeenItAll: Vermouth Roux suffers from this so badly that she approves of Pinkie's garbage coated pickles just because they're actually something different and exiting.
* ShoutOut: Evan Dorkin's Milk and Cheese make a cameo in Pinkie's imagined baked goods ridicule panel.
* TheComicallySerious: Vermouth Roux is a female [[Franchise/TheMuppets Sam the Eagle]], totally not approving of this silliness and taking very strange things at face value.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: In spite of them being present to get rid of Marine Sandwich in their previous attempts to enter the competition, the security ponies are not present in her last attempt to enter the story. Whether it was because she froze them off-screen before or during the attack or if they were not present at the time is never clarified.
* WideEyesAndShrunkenIrises / OhCrap: This is Marine Sandwich's reaction when she realizes her frosting gun is about to explode. It's literally frozen on her face afterwards.
* WouldHitAGirl: The security ponies are stallions who won't hesitate to kick Marine Sandwich with their hind legs in spite of having magic to dispose of her in a less crueler manner.

[[folder:Issue #2: CMC And Discord]]
-->Written by Jeremy Whitley, Art by Tony Fleecs, Coloring by Lauren Perry

The CMC try to plan how they will try to get their cutie marks but find they have exhausted their own list of ideas. They hear Discord singing outside, where he claims he had been given permission by Applejack, as part of his amended ways, to try to help with creating flavored apples in the orchard. The CMC realize that Discord might have some novel ideas for them to try to get their cutie mark and get him to help them. Discord uses his magic to warp reality to put the CMC in a number of different scenarios, including one case which temporarily involves Spike and Angel Bunny. When Discord shifts to another reality, Spike and Angel find themselves ejected back into Sweet Apple Acres, where a reality bubble has formed around where the CMC and Discord are. They race back to town to warn the others.

Meanwhile, while the CMC try in earnest at each new reality to get their cutie mark, they fail. Discord, slowly becoming annoyed with the trio, continues to invent new scenarios for them to try, unaware that the reality bubble is growing larger on the outside and starting to consume parts of Ponyville, with the Mane 6 trying to stop it. As the scenarios continue to get more contrived and Discord's patience with the CMC wears thin, the CMC comment to Discord that despite not being successful at getting their cutie marks, they really appreciate the help he's been given them and offer to make him an honorary member of the CMC. Discord is touched by their offer, dispelling the reality bubble and returning everything to normal, apologizing to the Mane 6 as being unaware of the effect of his magic. As the ponies return to their normal life, Celestia appears and reminds Discord how good it can feel to help others.

* AreYouPonderingWhatImPondering: Asked by Apple Bloom to the others, with Scootaloo giving the non-sequitur reply and Sweetie Belle putting her own spin on it.
-->'''Apple Bloom:''' Are you girls thinking what I'm thinking?\\
'''Scootaloo:''' You bet! But do you really think I could hang glide onto my scooter?\\
'''Sweetie Belle:''' I didn't know we were supposed to be thinking. Can you stop so I can catch up?
* BatmanGambit: Discord knows exactly what strings to pull to bring the CMC into his trickery.
* ContinuityNod: Per [[http://whatchareading.com/2013/12/18/katie-chats-with-jeremy-whitley-about-his-my-little-pony-book/ this interview]], post-"Keep Calm and Flutter On" reformed Discord from season 3.
** During the football game attempt, the CMC compete against a surprised Spike and Angel as well as Fluttershy's bear and one of the Cloud Gremlins from the Rainbow Dash microseries comic.
** As part of a ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' nod, Star Swirl the Bearded is used in place of Gandalf.
** One scenario puts the CMC into playing "Oubliettes and Ogres", the ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' game played by Shining Armor and friends in Issues #11-12 of the main comic series.
* FreudianExcuse: Implied for Discord--when Sweetie Belle points out that not having her cutie mark makes her (and the other Crusaders, for that matter) feel like they don't belong anywhere, and no one really understands them; the chaos spirit admits that he knows what that feels like. This seems to add more to the little that's known about him. Him never having a friend before was probably due to him standing out like this. It also seems to imply that Discord hasn't been around other draconequui.
* GoodFeelsGood: Discord admits he's never been part of a club before at the issue's end and he enjoys it. [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold Even if he doesn't admit it around Celestia.]]
* HiddenDepths: Near the end of the issue, Sweetie Belle gives a rather mature explanation for why she and her fellow Cutie Mark Crusaders are so desperate to find their special talent--they feel like they're alienated from everyone else, and no one understands them.
* LickedByTheDog: Discord. Despite the mayhem caused during his efforts to help the CMC find their cutie marks, Sweetie Belle genuinely thanks him for trying, and Scootaloo gives him a hug. [[spoiler: Both times, he's visibly moved by the displays of gratitude and friendship.]]
* NoodleIncident: Implied by the number of different attempts the CMC have made for getting their cutie marks, but include specifically previous attempts at lion taming and firefighting.
* PetTheDog: Even if he had mischievous intentions, Discord genuinely used his powers to try and help the Cutie Mark Crusaders find their cutie marks. The backlash of his reality bubble raising havoc in Ponyville was just a side-effect. [[spoiler: He even apologizes to Twilight for that!]]
* TooSpicyForYogSothoth: Discord is confident he'll be able to think outside the box enough to let the CMC try something they've never thought of to get their cutie marks. Cue his mounting frustration when it turns out that they've already tried many of the scenarios that he comes up with.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Issue #3: Princess Celestia And Spike]]
-->Written by Ted Anderson, Art by Agnes Garbowska

Spike seeks help from Princess Celestia when picking out a birthday present for Twilight, noting that her old telescope is wearing out. Celestia's astronomy adviser, Starry Eyed, can make one but he notes they need crystals for lens, only available on a distant mountain. To Spike's surprise, Celestia cancels her appointments for the day and goes to accompany Spike to get the crystals.

En route, Celestia notes she's not been able to spend much time with Spike since he hatched, but as they talk, the two are set on by rock lobsters that cage the two. Spike complains about not being an adventurer, with Twilight and the others overshadowing him when they go on their own, but Celestia assures him that she herself is not an adventurer too, but instead inspires others to do their best. This gives Spike the idea to show the rock lobsters that dragons eat rocks, and the lobsters quickly let them go, promising they were only holding them for ransom money.

They continue to the crystal mountain and Spike sniffs out the perfect crystals for the lens. As they leave, a volcano on the mountain erupts. Spike drops the crystals into the lava flow but jumps in to rescue them, with Celestia helping to catch him before he falls over a lava-fall. Fleeing a fireball, they get trapped in a cave with a large boulder blocking the exit, and though Spike tries to push it aside, Celestia knows he's far too weak and she blasts the boulder away; she notes to Spike that sometimes, the teacher needs to help the student in more difficult problems. They return safely to Canterlot and Starry Eyed completes the new telescope. Twilight is thrilled with Spike's gift, and Spike receives a letter from Celestia which notes that she felt their time together was very meaningful and considers herself Spike's [[TitleDrop friend forever]].

* AllPowerfulBystander: Invoked. The comic finally addresses why Princess Celestia doesn't handle many of the situations the Mane Six end up having to deal with. [[note]]Celestia is actually far from the level of "All-Powerful" that this trope normally implies. Without the Elements of Harmony as a final option, she's been taken out at least three times, including being vanished by Nightmare Moon, kidnapped by Plunder Seeds, and losing a head-to-head duel with Queen Chrysalis.[[/note]]
* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: Spike's list of the bullies the Mane 6 have defeated on adventures includes things like manticores, changelings, dragons, and bad manners.
* CharacterDevelopment: Probably the most detail we've been given on Celestia as Equestria's leader, and shows that she rather be the AllPowerfulBystander, and as a SinkOrSwimMentor hoping that [[SurpassedTheTeacher her students can surpass her]].
* ContinuityNod: A representative from Apploosa appears to provide census results.
** Spike, in complaining about being the sidekick to the adventures the Mane 6 have, calls back to the Manticore (from "Friendship is Magic, Part 2"), Changelings ("A Canterlot Wedding"), adult dragons ("Dragonshy"), teen dragons ("Dragon Quest"), the hydra ("Feeling Pinkie Keen"), and nightmares ("Friendship is Magic, Part 2")
** Dragons are immune to lava, as previously shown in "Dragon Quest".
* DudeWheresMyRespect: Celestia's "Princess" status means little to the rock lobsters that capture the pair.
* LonelyAtTheTop: Celestia confesses to Spike that she often wishes she could join Twilight and friends on their adventures, but her duties as Princess of Equestria never allow her to do anything she ''really'' wants.
* MuggingTheMonster: DoubleSubverted. The Rock Lobsters kidnap Celestia and Spike with little fuss. Celestia's shown enough power to fry them on the spot, but she's content to languish behind the bars of a [[CardboardPrison Bamboo Prison]] as long as Spike isn't injured. However, Spike then points out that as a dragon, he can eat his way out the prison (which he demonstrates), and then reminds the Rock Lobsters how dragons also ''[[ExtremeOmnivore eat rocks]]'', ensuring a swift release.
* MythologyGag: One of Celestia's agenda items is to prepare for the seapony delegation.
* NoodleIncident: Spike mentions how Twilight accidentally turned all of Ponyville upside down for a few hours, while Celestia is reminded when Twilight accidently turned her class - including herself - into palm trees.
* RememberedICouldFly: This is the ''first'' time that a writer makes Spike purposely use his dragon skills (his powerful jaws, indestructible teeth and his ability to swim on magma) to correctly solve his problems.
* ShownTheirWork: The three rock lobsters are named Iggy, Metty, and Seddy; these three names are often used as a mnemonic for the three basic types of rock, Igneous, Metamorphic, and Sedimentary respectively.
** And indeed, Iggy is a smooth basalt black, Seddy is striped like a stratified bedding, and Metty is covered with swirled foliations.
* SinkOrSwimMentor: {{Subverted}}. Princess Celestia confesses that she shows shades of this trope, letting Twilight learn by handling dangerous situations that Celestia herself could have handled on their own. However, as evidenced when rescuing Spike, Celestia steps in immediately when the student is actually about to drown.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Issue #4: Twilight Sparkle and Shining Armor]]
-->Written by Rob Anderson, Drawn by Amy Mebberson, Colored by Heather Breckel.

Twilight is preparing to visit Shining Armor in the Crystal Empire, reminiscing about their youth and how they would play "monster hunters". When she arrives there, she finds Shining struggling to keep up with the endless discussions Lexicon and other advisers have brought to him with Princess Cadance currently away from the castle, and Shining apologizes to Twilight that he can't spend much time at the moment. That evening, one of Twilight's books is taken, and she finds from Lexicon that this has been happening frequently and the rest of the staff believes a ghost in the castle is at work. When Shining finds out what is going on, he and Twilight agree to find out the truth behind this "ghost", reliving their "monster hunter" game of the past.

Finding a secret passage in the castle, the two explore an old cave system under the castle, with several traps that Shining presumes were placed by King Sombra. They eventually come across the "ghost", a crystal bard creature crying to itself and surrounded by the stolen books. The two find the creature is far from dangerous, and the crystal bard explains that it had been captured by King Sombra during his reign, forcing the bard to read out of the books. One day, the bard had been able to escape into the caves, and Sombra had set up the various traps they saw to try to recapture the creature, but the creature figured out how to sidestep these traps to go and obtain books to read. Twilight and Shining tell the creature that Sombra has long since been defeated and it has nothing to fear now, and realizing that the creature is well versed with the books, offer it a position as the castle's librarian. Shining and Twilight happily finish off her visit in peace.

* AchievementsInIgnorance: Lexicon manages to walk through a trap filled cave unharmed while his glasses are broken, thinking he's heading to his room.
* AwesomenessByAnalysis: Twilight and Shining Armor memorized their "Monster-pedia" to the point that they can remember the precise page numbers of the various entries.
* BlindWithoutEm: Lexicon is near blind without his glasses, and manages to wander through a trap-filled cave thinking he's heading to his bedroom when they're broken.
** Even ''with'' his glasses, his eyesight isn't very good. Heck, he thought Twilight was ''Celestia''! Besides both being alicorns, they don't look even ''remotely'' similar (Celestia being white as opposed to Twilight's purple, as well as being a lot taller). Shining lampshades this, asking Lex if he'd gotten his eyes checked again like he promised.
* CharacterDevelopment: We learn a bit more about King Sombra from this story in the short flashbacks than we did in the two-parter featuring him, in that he was egotistical and a well-educated tyrant. And that he was a bit stinky...
* TheChainsOfCommanding: Shining is definitely feeling the chains.
* ContinuityNod: As noted by the solicitation, this is the first comic of any of the series to take place in the Crystal Empire.
** Shining Armor frequently refers to Twilight as "Twylie!"
** Sombra's attention to setting traps as he did to protect the Crystal Heart is re-enforced by his attempts to trap the Crystal Bard.
* CoversAlwaysLie: The staircase featured on the special subscription cover is filled with fire and frickin' laser beams; in the comic proper, it's the only part of the secret passage that ''doesn't'' have traps in it.
* {{Mooks}}: A flashback confirms the fanon that Sombra had pony soldiers.
* MoreHeroThanThou[=/=]WhoWillBellTheCat: Twilight and Shining in a flashback, trying to decide which of the "brave monster hunters" be the first to enter the damp, dark cave deep in the forest. Later, in the present day, they laugh it off and step inside together.
* OurGhostsAreDifferent: The crystal bard is only ''called'' a ghost.
* QuipToBlack:
--> '''Twilight''' (to Lexicon): You aren't scared of ghosts?
--> '''Lexicon''': Scared or not, something is stealing books...
--> (next panel)
--> '''Lexicon''' (with sudden turn of head): And they're overdue.
* SadlyMythtaken: In-universe, the crystal bard is referred to as a crystal ghost in the Monster-pedia.
* SkewedPriorities: One of the ponies at Shining's meeting is really focused on flugelhorns, despite there being more serious issues.
* VillainousLegacy: The entire conflict is Sombra's fault, but he's too busy being dead to participate.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Issue #5: Fluttershy and Zecora]]
-->Written by Thomas Zahler, Art by Tony Fleecs

Fluttershy wakes up one day to find that all her animal friends can talk to her in normal, pony-based language instead of chirps and squeaks. When she tries to explain this to Rarity, her friend just passes it off as a sign of being too tired. Fearing she is losing her senses, she goes to Zecora to see if she knows anything. The zebra runs Fluttershy through a number of tests, mostly to verify that she herself hasn't been charmed or magicked. Zecora brings in a raccoon to try to have it "speak" to Fluttershy, but the critter stays silent, and Zecora starts to wonder if Fluttershy is going crazy.

While Zecora tends to something in a different room, the raccoon speaks up and says he needs to get to some planned event and leaves, with Fluttershy giving chase. When Zecora finds Fluttershy absent, she brings in two wandering cats and interrogates them - and then forces them through a comedy routine - eventually discovering that they ''can'' talk, but were told only to talk to Fluttershy by an entity they can't reveal. Zecora heads off to find Fluttershy.

Meanwhile, Fluttershy has followed the raccoon back to a large gathering of animals, lead by a very talkative Angel Bunny. By the time Zecora arrives, she discovers that the animals have all set up a giant tea party for Fluttershy, and are anxious to hear more of her adventure stories. While Fluttershy is having fun, she realizes that this is still unnatural, and prompted by Zecora, determines the true culprit: Discord. The Spirit of Chaos appears, saying this was all a gift for Fluttershy for being good friends. Fluttershy, though still a bit distraught on the suddenness of the gift, thanks Discord and goes back to talking to her animals. Zecora, having a feeling Discord was behind it, reminds him he'll have to turn the animals back to normal, still wary of his mischievous ways. Discord promises and admits that this was all in hopes of helping to keep his friendship with Fluttershy in his path of reformation.

* BaitAndSwitch: The attitudes of the animals hinted that they were planning something sinister. Turns out they were throwing Fluttershy a surprise party.
* BatmanGambit: Zecora starts a comedy routine on the two cats she grabbed, then pretends to forget the punchline of a joke, leading to one of the cats bursting out the answer in frustration.
* BladeOnAStick: Zecora's Jaffa Stick, a tribal-esque spear. How she plans on using ''that'' to solve Fluttershy's problems is a mystery.
* CallBack: A reformed Discord appears again.
* ContinuityNod: The animals make mention of Fluttershy's adventures in the "Crystal Kingdom".
* CharacterDevelopment: For Discord, we learn that he sees his path to redemption as being through maintaining his friendship with Fluttershy. Given this came out after the Season 4 finale, in which the friendship between Discord and Fluttershy is tested, gives Discord's motivation here a much more poignant meaning.
* GRatedDrug: Zecora uses catnip as a bribe to two cats to get them to spill the beans.
* HypnoticEyes: Zecora gets these during one of her tests.
* LiteralMinded: Fluttershy during Zecora's tests to try and help the pegasus figure out what's going on.
** When Zecora tries to do an InkblotTest, Fluttershy replies that she sees ink.
** When the zebra asks Fluttershy to guess what shape is on the card she's holding, she guesses card-shaped.
* OffModel: Discord looks a little odd, especially the panda eyes.
* ParentalBonus: One of Zecora's tests is a sobriety test.
* PetTheDog: The animals suddenly being able to talk was a well-meaning gift from Discord to his friend.
* RhymesOnADime: Zecora, as usual. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] by both Fluttershy and Discord.
* ShownTheirWork: Zecora refers to catnip as Nepeta at one point, and indeed, that's the scientific name for the genus of plants to which the species of catnip belong.
* SnarkToSnarkCombat: Discord can be pretty snarky on his own. Putting him in the same room as Zecora, however, leads to some ''fun'' times.
* SuddenlyVoiced: All the animals can suddenly talk to Fluttershy.
* TalkingAnimal: While the show implied that she had at least a base understanding of their languages, the animals becoming SuddenlyVoiced and able to speak to Fluttershy in a language everypony can understand is new.
* UnexpectedCharacter: Being an Fluttershy/Zecora pairing, the sudden appearance of Discord, and more about his reformation post-"[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E11KeepCalmandFlutterOn Keep Calm and Flutter On]]", came as a surprise.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Issue #6: Rainbow Dash and Trixie]]
-->Written by Thomas Zahler, Art by Agnes Garbowska

Rainbow Dash receives a message to come perform at a distant kingdom, and she eagerly takes off despite the warnings of her friends. She is surprised to find that the kingdom is one run by Diamond Dogs, though much more refined than the trio she had met before. Rainbow is taken to their new queen that had sent for her - Trixie. After dismissing her staff-in-waiting, Trixie anxiously begs Rainbow for help, as she only became queen after the Diamond Dogs found her looking for prop jewels in a mud pit believing that she was gifted in dousing for gems. Though initially thrilled to be treated as royalty, the Diamond Dogs won't let her leave, hoping Rainbow can help her out before they find she really can't douse for gems.

Rainbow tries the straight-forward route - flying Trixie out of the kingdom - but they find her crown is really a collar that magically prevents her from leaving. Rainbow manages to coax information from some of the Dogs that they've gone through a lot of rulers and the collar they gave Trixie will keep her in only as long as they believe in her abilities. Rainbow and Trixie scheme a plan to weaken the trust the Dogs have in Trixie - as Rainbow performs an aerial show for the gathered kingdom, Trixie suggests that they give Rainbow the entire treasury of gems as respect. The Dogs begin to doubt Trixie, long enough for Rainbow Dash to pull off a Sonic Rainboom and in its wake, fly Trixie off and leaving the collar behind. Trixie thanks Rainbow for her help and promises not to get into any similar jams.

* ZeroPercentApprovalRating: It turns out that the only way to get the crown off is to [[InvokedTrope invoke this]] and make it so that the Diamond Dogs don't want Trixie as their Queen anymore by making them lose faith in her.
* AintTooProudToBeg: Trixie for Rainbow's help escaping.
* BatmanGambit: Trixie called Rainbow Dash to perform at the party because she wasn't sure the pegasus would come help her if asked, but ''knew'' she'd come if her ego was appealed to.
* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: Trixie enjoys being Queen at first, but it loses its appeal when she realizes that she's been KickedUpstairs and isn't allowed to ''leave''.
* CallBack: The kingdom is called Dimondia, the kingdom of the Diamond Dogs.
* CharacterDevelopment: Trixie is still a LargeHam, but she [[AintTooProudToBeg isn't afraid to ask Rainbow to help]], and drops her ThirdPersonPerson act when she's alone with Rainbow Dash. She also works surprisingly well with Rainbow Dash and is quick to compliment her for her part in the plan.
* ContinuityNod: The events of "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E19ADogAndPonyShow A Dog and Pony Show]]" are explicitly discussed, with the more "civilized" Diamond Dogs having long kicked out the three, Rover, Fido, and Spot, that tormented Rarity.
* DogsAreDumb: Civilized or not, these Diamond Dogs still aren't very bright. A good portion of them are illiterate and they easily fall for Trixie's HurricaneOfExcuses.
* DramaQueen: Trixie's just as bad as Rarity.
* GildedCage: The Diamond Dogs fall for Trixie's bragging and make her the queen of their kingdom. She relishes in her new position...until she realizes that not only is she not allowed to leave, she cannot leave at all because the crown she wears is enchanted specifically to keep her from leaving and cannot be taken off normally.
* HiddenDepths: A few Diamond Dogs have surprisingly varied vocabulary. One moment, they'll be talking about how half of them can't even read, the next moment they're talking about how executive power is derived from the people.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Trixie got herself into this whole mess with her usual bragging.
* HurricaneOfExcuses: What essentially kept Trixie from having to reveal that she can't find gems. These include anything from "The stars are out of alignment" to "I don't work on Sundays". It helps that the Diamond Dogs are dumb enough to fall for them every time.
* MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch: Jim tells Rainbow that the "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E19ADogAndPonyShow A Dog and Pony Show]]" Dogs were rougher than these dogs, and were kicked out of the pack a while back.
* NoKillLikeOverkill: Part of the plan is for Trixie to rile up the Diamond Dogs so that they don't accept her as their queen anymore which will disable crown. The problem is that she riles them a little too well and keeps going even as the dogs form an angry mob. It's probably a good thing Rainbow got her out of there when she did.
* RestrainingBolt: Trixie's crown, which prevents her from leaving. It was created specifically because their previous rulers quickly left not long after being recognized by the Diamond Dogs.
* [[CoversAlwaysLie Summaries Always Lie]]: The summary claims that Trixie has a hidden agenda, and that Rainbow Dash might not want to help her once she finds out. [[spoiler:Trixie doesn't. She genuinely just wants to escape, simple as that.]]
* UnreliableNarrator: Trixie's story of how she ended up as Queen, as expected of her LargeHam nature. Luckily, we get to see what ''[[DramaQueen really]]'' happened.
-->'''Trixie's narration''': I was bearing the situation with my usual grace and poise, of course.
-->'''Trixie''': ''(In her {{Flashback}})'' Why? Why do these things always happen to me?!

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Issue #7 Princess Luna and Pinkie Pie]]
-->Written by Jeremy Whitley, drawn by Tony Fleecs, colored by Heather Breckel

The annual Chuckle-lot event, instituted by Princess Celestia during Nightmare Moon's banishment to help raise the morale of her subjects, is coming up soon, and Princess Luna, still trying to acclimate to normal life, worries she is not funny enough to participate. She first turns to Twilight Sparkle, but Twilight's by-the-books lessons on humor bore Luna. Twilight instead suggests going to Pinkie Pie. Pinkie is only glad to help, and tries to help teach Luna, first by the aspects of physical comedy and slapstick, and then helping to show her how to do practical jokes on the various groups at Canterlot.

However, with the Chuckle-lot event the next day, Luna still doesn't have anything for the event, too worried about being laughed at herself as she tries to upstage Celestia. Pinkie reminds her that being funny is not just about making others laugh but being able to laugh at yourself, as well as being oneself. Pinkie and Twilight attend the event the next day and Celestia is disappointed to announce that Luna would not be attending. Luna suddenly appears, and offers a gift to her sister. Celestia opens it and is splatted in the face with a cream pie. Pinkie finds several other presents at the event are also cream pies, and a pie fight soon breaks out. Luna trips up in the pie filling on stage and crashes into her sister, and realizes the humor of the situation, leading off a round of laughter from the entire audience.

* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Part of Luna's problem is that she sees herself as inferior to Celestia and she wants to best Celestia in the Chuckle-Lot without losing the respect of their subjects.
* BeYourself: Ultimately, the [[AnAesop aesop]]. Pinkie tells her that if she had stopped trying to compare herself to her sister and be herself, she wouldn't need anypony else to teach her how to have fun. Luckily, Luna heeds Pinkie's words in the end.
* BrickJoke: Pinkie demonstrates several practical jokes, but a pie catapult doesn't go off. Until a few pages later when Luna walks in front of it, which then causes her to stumble into all the other pranks.
** Pinkie calls Luna Nightmare Moon again.
* CallBack: Pinkie's inanimate friends from "Party of One" return.
* TheCameo: Several IDW-specific ponies reappear: Flax Seed and Wheat Grass from the Rarity micro, the PNN newspony and one of the Cloud Gremlins (or at least a costume of him) from the Rainbow Dash micro, and Praiser Pan from the Fluttershy micro, and Tiberus, Luna's pet possum, from her micro.
* TheComicallySerious: Twilight teaching about humor in the most dry and boring way possible. Later, Luna realizes this is the best role for her at Chuckle-Lot.
* CondescendingCompassion: Just like Luna thinks she [[ComedyGhetto will lose her respectability by being funny]], turns out she also doesn't have that much of respect for Pinkie in first place (in part due to Pinkie making foals run scared from her).
-->'''Pinkie''': Laughing and mocking are not the same thing.
-->'''Luna''': You do not understand, Pinkie Pie. I'm very important. You're just a clown.
-->'''Pinkie''': ''(crestfallen)'' Oh, I see.
-->'''Luna''': Pinkie, I didn't mean it like that. It's just that I have responsibilities and you...
-->'''Pinkie''': And making ponies happy isn't important.
* ContinuityNod: The reason for the annual Chuckle-Lot event is tied to the banishment of Nightmare Moon. Pinkie also still calls Luna as "Nightmare Moon" when she first sees here, and it's implied that Luna holds a bit of a grudge.
* DiscussedTrope: Many ComedyTropes are discussed. In particular, ComedyGhetto becomes a major plot point when Luna believes she would lose the respect of her subjects by causing them to laugh at her.
* MoodWhiplash: When Pinkie calls out Luna for being motivated by wanting to beat Celestia instead of a genuine desire to be funny, their argument ends with Pinkie sadly trudging out of Luna's bedroom, and Luna slumping down on her desk in despair.
* MoralGuardians: The role Luna ends up playing at Chuckle-Lot, becoming the straight mare to Celestia's comedian.
* NoIndoorVoice: Luna arrives at Twilight's library with the Royal Canterlot Voice. Lampshaded later when Pinkie turns to address Luna in the same manner.
* NoSenseOfHumor: Luna's problem is that she doesn't know how to make ponies laugh.
** Ironically enough, Luna once held the Element of Laughter along with Honesty and Loyalty when she fought Discord alongside Celestia. Thinking everyone preferred Celestia over her is what made her Nightmare Moon in the first place, so it makes sense that she'd have forgotten what those things meant.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: Luna's eyes after Pinkie breaks down in guffaws.
* RuleOfThree: [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] and demonstrated (albeit unknowingly) by Twilight in researching the essence of humor.
** Luna also prepares three pies for her Chuckle-Lot demonstration.
* PieInTheFace: A big showdown in the Chuckle-Lot presentation.
* VitriolicBestBuds: Pinkie is not shy about mocking and criticizing Luna, something the princess is obviously not used to. It's this lack of formality that makes their relationship so effective.
* WhoopiEpiphanySpeech: Pinkie gives Luna a speech calling her out about her disregard by comedy.
-->'''Pinkie''': You don't really want to learn about being funny. You just want to beat Celestia at something. (...) Maybe if you stopped worrying about what you are supposed to be and were just yourself you wouldn't need somepony to teach you how to have fun.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Issue #8 Reins, Trains, and Carts with Wheels (Applejack and Rarity)]]
-->Written by Katie Cook, drawn by Andy Price, coloring by Heather Breckel

The Apples get a letter, and Granny reads off that AJ's cousins on the west coast want her to bring some of her apples to Applewood to use in a dessert. Realizing this as a potential financial opportunity, AJ prepares to leave and asks Rarity for a traveling bag. Rarity, upon hearing the name "Applewood" is immediately eager to join AJ, not only to meet the celebrities in Applewood and its fashion sense, but also to sightsee along the way.

Their first stop puts them at Salt Lick City with a few hours layover, and Rarity suggests they go see the Largest Ball of Cashmere Yarn in Equestria. AJ obliges, but gets bored and falls asleep quickly. When she wakes, she realizes they are late for the train and barely make it on before it leaves the station - only to learn that ''this'' train is not theirs, which is running late, but one bound for Seaddle, where they can transfer to the right train - after another brief layover. Rarity, again, suggests taking in a seaside attraction. However, when their taxi back to the station is wrecked, and they get caught in a rain shower, they hastily take shelter for the night, knowing they'll miss the train. Fortunately, Rarity finds a pedal-powered aircraft that they take.

The two get into an argument over the lack of any serious business plan AJ has to sell her apples, causing them to crash into Mount Monument. As they get down safely, AJ realizes they were flying the wrong way, but they are fortunate to find a small western town with a stagecoach puller willing to take them to San Franciscolt where they can catch a quick train ride to Applewood. Rarity insists on more sightseeing but AJ shuts her up, until they are attacked by a gang of Cattle Rustlers. AJ and Rarity manage to work together despite their arguments to fend off the bulls and help reach safety.

A brief train ride later lands them in Applewood, and the two apologize for each others behavior. AJ has a way of making it up to Rarity, taking her to Whinnyland as she had been asking during the trip. The two enjoy a fruitful day as friends before they head to AJ's relatives. They are as surprised to see her and have no need for her apples, but Rarity sees they are throwing a party and joins in, dragging AJ along with her.

Back in Ponyville, Granny Smith realizes that she misread the letter and sent AJ off in the wrong direction, and it was really Aunt and Uncle Orange in Manehatten that wanted the fruit.


* ActionGirl: Applejack manages to beat up several of the rustlers, with Rarity getting in a few licks as well.
* {{Adorkable}}: Both AJ and Rarity when at Whinnyland; their excitement is comparable to RealLife adults visiting Disneyland for the first time.
* AllAnimalsAreDogs: After getting caught in the Seaddle rain, AJ and Rarity take shelter; Rarity has managed to stay mostly dry but AJ is sopping wet, and not amused. Rarity tells AJ to calm down, goading AJ into shaking off the water like a wet dog would, totally drenching Rarity.
* AmusementPark: Whinnyland.
* TheCameo:
** Derpy appears as the mailmare.
** Whinnyland includes an attraction based on ''PiratesOfTheCaribbean'', and in it is Captain Hoofbeard from the pirate arc of the main series, who himself is an {{Expy}} of Captain Jack Sparrow.
** The Observer ponies briefly show up again.
** Jim the Troll (based on "Big" Jim Miller, the show's co-producer) is on a billboard and called out as "Big Jim".
** Aunt and Uncle Orange appear, albeit at the very end.
* CaptainObvious: In the finale montage, "Apple Bloom: Did not get her cutie mark in base jumping"
* CasualDangerDialog: Applejack and Rarity get into disagreements over AJ's business plan while flying a plane and fighting off the Rustlers.
* ContinuityNod:
** Mount Monument is in the middle of an expansion to add Princess Twilight Sparkle's head to the sculpture. A small sign, petitioning to add Queen Chrysalis's head, is hidden below it, and with only one signature, Chryssy's herself.
** Rarity offering to help AJ with her business plan despite the anger between them mirrors Rarity's line from "Testing Testing 1 2 3" where she's willing to help Rainbow Dash despite her offhanded comment.
** Rarity and AJ are doing The Navigator dance (from the Big Mac arc of the main series) at the "City Bear Disco" attraction at Whinnyland.
* DeathGlare: AJ gives Rarity a ''very'' impressive one at one point.
* EpicFail:
** Big Mac builds the replacement barn so poorly that it collapses and he has to start all over again. It's implied a similar situation is why the barn collapsed early in the comic.
** Apparently, the Seaddle's show always ends with the boat crash-landing out of the stadium, usually wrecking a taxi or some other vehicle in the process.
* {{Expy}}: There are several locations that are blatant copies of US locations.
** Mount Monument is a obvious copy of Mount Rushmore, but with the faces of the four Princesses instead of presidents.
** Whinnyland is the Equestrian answer to [[Ride/DisneyThemeParks Disneyland]], with a wombat Mickey and an eagle Donald.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: {{Lampshaded}}, as the Cattle Rustlers promise they will be back in a future issue (in this case, main series #25-26 announced just before this issue came out).
* GraveHumor: When Applejack and Rarity go on "[[Franchise/TheHauntedMansion The Haunted Stable]]", one of the tombstomes reads "I told you I was sick".
* HeroOfAnotherStory: The stallion that carted Applejack and Rarity then went on a series of adventures of his own, and apparently became a king, but we don't see any of it.
* HilarityEnsues: The issues is pretty much set out for wacky hijinks.
* LeaningOnTheFourthWall:
** The goat at the Biggest Ball of Yarn has a chewed up version of a season five script in its pen.
** One of the Cattle Rustlers says that they'll be back in another issue.
* MissingStepsPlan: Applejack's business plan: "Sell apples".
** In a BrickJoke, they decide to actually ''deconstruct'' the trope, of all the tropes to deconstruct. Rarity is exasperated that Applejack thinks business is that simple, wondering how the farmer expects to settle a supplier/salespony partnership contract if her business model begins and ends at "fruit stand".
* MuseumOfBoredom: Rarity eagerly drags AJ to visit the Largest Ball of Cashmere Yarn and its associated museum while at a scheduled train stop at Salt Lick City. While she ''is'' initially impressed and gets to pet the goat, AJ tires of it quickly.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Literally, with Big McIntosh destroying the barn more than once, and Applejack & Rarity wrecking the aircraft.
* NoodleIncident: Oh, we see how Big Mac destroyed the barn, but AJ's DeathGlare suggests this is not the ''first'' time this happened with Big Mac. From the images at the end, it appears that he just isn't very good at making sure the barn is sturdy. That or he's so strong that any attempts would end up breaking the barn even more.
* TheOtherRainforest: Of course it rains in Seaddle.
* RealityEnsues:
** Rarity is quick to point out that Applejack doesn't have a serious business plan for selling her apples.
** The owners of the "borrowed" "gyro-flyer" were quite surprised to find it missing.
* RoadTripPlot: Applejack and Rarity take a road trip to see Applejack's relatives, and it goes just about as well as for them as it did for [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E9PinkieApplePie the Apple Family and Pinkie Pie.]]
* SchizoTech: Rarity and Applejack use a pedal-powered two-seater airplane (a "gyro-flyer") at one point of their trip.
* ShaggyDogStory: Granny's misreading of the Oranges' letter sets off the whole disastrous chain of events for nothing.
* ShownTheirWork: Assuming that the geography in Equestria is similar to the real world, the travel challenges in this issue make sense. They leave from Ponyville (somewhere in the mid-west) , to Salt Lake City, get on the wrong train to Seattle, find the plane but take it the wrong direction (east, instead of south) as to end up in South Dakota, then find a western town that is close to San Francisco which is then a short train ride to Hollywood/Los Angeles. Mind you, some of the attractions don't make sense (the Biggest Ball of Twine is in Minnesota, and Seattle doesn't have the type of body of water to make a good water-skiing show, at least as large as the one shown with sharks and dolphins), but otherwise still spot on. The inconsistencies can probably be pinned on the fact that Equestria isn't an exact copy of Earth.
* SkewedPriorities: Rarity gets into an argument over AJ's (lack of a) business plan for selling her apples ''while flying a plane''. They crash.
* StealthPun: There's a mention of Rodeo Drive, which given the series' fondness of horse-based puns is likely pronounced just how it looks, unlike the real street in Beverly Hills which is pronounced "Ro-DAY-o."
* SwappedRoles: Normally Applejack is the calm and steady one, with Rarity as the DramaQueen getting worked up over small details, but Rarity is remarkably calm about things, while Applejack is the one getting stressed out more. AJ lampshades this at one point. Things apparently go back to normal after the trip is over.
* VitriolicBestBuds: Applejack and Rarity, of course.
* WhereAreTheyNow: A series of photos at the end of the comic shows what became of the characters after the events of the story. Applejack learned a lesson...about something. Rarity had a minor breakdown over her own project sometime later. Applebloom did not get her Cutie Mark in base jumping. Big Mac built a barn...He didn't do a very good job on the first barn and had to do it again. Granny Smith has an optometrist appointment next Tuesday. The stranger sought adventure and eventually became a hero. The curator of the world's biggest ball of yarn is currently working out how many socks can be knit with the ball of yarn. The owners of the gyro-flyer that AJ and Rarity took were incredibly confused when they returned to their barn some weeks later. The Manehatten Oranges are still waiting for Applejack.


[[/folder]]

[[folder:Issue #9 Granny Smith and Flim & Flam]]
-->Written by Christine Rice, art by Tony Fleecs

The Apples attend the annual fruit-sellers convention, though Granny Smith is bitter about the excessive amount of non-apple products the convention has added over the years. As AJ, Big Mac, and Apple Bloom set up their stall, Granny wanders the fairgrounds and is surprised to hear the voice of Flim trying to hawk a new gadget, but with no sign of Flam. Flim states he has broken up with his brother and have gone their separate ways. Later, Granny finds Flam also trying to sell the same gadget, and has the same story. Despite their past attempts to con the Apples, Granny feels this isn't right and goes to find Flim and ask him about it.

Flim tells her that three weeks before the con, they were in Dodge Junction where they met Marian, a librarian pony, which caught both of their attention. They started to vie for her heart, but got so bitter towards each other that Marian decided to drop the both of them. The two brothers went their separate ways, by chance being at the fruit convention at the same time.

Granny hatches a plan to bring the brothers together. After stopping them from yelling at each other, Granny tells them that in her youth, she incited the same division of the Jonagold brothers when they both tried to win her over. She opted to leave both alone, but that caused the brothers to feud, and never see each other again, and she does not want the same to happen to Flim and Flam. She helps them reconcile their differences, and by the end of the convention, they are back together and making a (legitimate!) fortune, thanks to Granny's advice.

* AscendedMeme: Apparently, [[WebAnimation/FriendshipIsMagicBitch Celestia likes bananas]].
* BlatantLies: Granny Smith initially denies helping the brothers get back together, but admits it when Applejack gives her a DeathGlare.
* CassandraTruth: Flim and Flam tell Granny that they are no longer on speaking terms and are not scheming anything, but it takes awhile before Granny actually believes them.
* ContinuityCavalcade: The two page spread overlooking the apple convention has too many background character cameos to list, though some notable characters include Cheese Sandwich, Maud Pie and the rest of the Pie clan, Ms. Harshwhinney, Surprise, and Daring Do.
** There's also several nods to the past comics: the DavidBowie - inspired pie wagon from the Rainbow Dash micro is there, as well as Flax Seed & Wheat Grass's "Goops for Stuff" from the Rarity micro. "Fancy Shmancy" from the Pinkie/Luna is in line, and the PNN reporter pony is awaiting on stage. Wheat Grass and Summer Mane also show up later.
** It might be easier to say who ''doesn't'' show up.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes[=/=]EveryoneHasStandards: Granny may not particularly like the Flim Flam brothers, but she won't stand by and let two family members be driven apart if she can do anything about it.
* HistoryRepeats: Granny Smith was once courted by a pair of twins called the Jonagold brothers, who began fighting each other of her affections. Granny, unable to choose between them, broke it off with both of them, and neither spoke to the other again. Her helping Flim and Flam is an attempt to stop the same thing from happening to them.
* IWasQuiteALooker: Granny says this word for word at one point.
* ShoutOut: To Theatre/TheMusicMan. Flim and Flam were ''originally'' based on Professor Harold Hill from that play, and in the backstory to the comic they vied for the love of a a mare named Marian -- who is a [[HotLibrarian librarian]].
** There's also a [[Series/ArrestedDevelopment Bluth's Banana Stand]] in Apple Con.
* [[SiblingTriangle Sibling]] LoveTriangle: Both of the Flim Flam brothers had a crush on one mare, named Marian, and their attempts to woo her drove them apart, and neither got her. This is situation that Granny can relate to as she was in a love triangle herself with the Jonagold brothers.
* ReallyGetsAround: Apparently Granny had a lot of boyfriends when she was younger.
* RiddleForTheAges: Flim proposes the idea that Marian had never cared for him and his brother, and was only distracting them from conning the ponies of Dodge Junction. Granny's tale implies that she couldn't choose between them and was tired of their fighting. Since she never appears outside of what Flim is telling Granny, we never know.
* SiblingRivalry: Flim and Flam, due to having been two opposing sides of a LoveTriangle.
* TakeThat: Granny Smith's and Apple Bloom's reactions to Apple Con parody the most common criticisms of San Diego Comic Con -- the theme of the convention has drifted away from its original focus (apples = comics, oranges = movies and TV), it's too crowded, and attendees spend most of their time standing in line.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Issue #10 Fluttershy and Iron Will]]
-->Written by Christine Rice, art by Agnes Garbowska
Fluttershy's friends are alerted that Iron Will is back in town and looking for her, and they race to her cottage to help protect her from him. However, Fluttershy is more than happy to see what Iron Will wants, where they learn that he's been kicked out of his maze by his wife for being too assertive and is looking for Fluttershy's help to calm down. She is happy to help, and tries to put him through several situations to help learn patience and understanding: feeding her animals (until it comes to Angel Bunny), helping at Sugarcube Corner (until Pinkie has a bit of InsaneTrollLogic that throws him off), and even helping at Sweet Apple Acres (until he tries to harvest apples by ramming a tree directly and knocking himself out). Fluttershy suggests a bit of time at the spa but when Rainbow Dash comes in and teases Iron Will for finding his "inner pony", he storms off to Everfree Forest.

Fluttershy follows the minotaur to the forest, where he reveals that the reason he was kicked out was that his son, who he is proud of, has been taking too many of his assertive mannerisms and has been using that against his mother and his teachers at school. Fluttershy helps to remind him that while being assertive can be good (and for Iron Will, his source of income from his seminars), that there's a time and a place for it, and if he can show more care around his family, his son will pick up on his good habits as well. Iron Will is impressed by this advice, and before he goes, treats Fluttershy and her friends to a meal (revealing he is a gourmet chef).

* AnAesop: Iron Will learns that there is a time and a place to be assertive.
* TheCameo: Twist and Gizmo/Poindexter make appearances as customers at Sugarcube Corner.
* Myth/ClassicalMythology: The fact that Iron Will, a minotaur, actually lives in a labyrinth, is consistent with the Greek mythology detailing the Minotaur living in a maze under the palace of Crete.
* ContinuityNod:
** This issue marks the first appearance of Twilight's new castle that debuted at the end of "Twilight's Kingdom", making it the first post-Season 4 comic.
** Angel's reaction to Iron Will's salad mirrors the same gag from "Putting Your Hoof Down", the very episode Iron Will made his debut.
* CurseCutShort / NeverSayDie: Iron Will starts one of his mottos after Angel throws a salad onto his head, but is cut short by Fluttershy before he can finish.
--> '''Iron Will''': Put food on my head, consider yourself d--
* ExiledToTheCouch: What Iron Will is going through until he can control his assertive manners.
* HiddenDepths: Iron Will is a gourmet chef. Who knew?
* JerkassBall: The Mane 6 sans Fluttershy are surprisingly hostile and unwelcoming towards Iron Will despite the fact that he was fairly reasonable with Fluttershy during their last meeting (most damage he did was rip off Fluttershy's barricade and that was her own doing to protect her friends after going overboard with her newfound assertive-ness), especially Rainbow Dash who only serve to make fun of him of his "inner-pony" when he was starting to calm down, thus not helping the situation.
* RealMenCook: Iron Will appears to be an excellent cook.
* ShipSinking: After ''[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E19PuttingYourHoofDown Putting Your Hoof Down]]'' aired, Fluttershy x Iron Will became a fairly popular ship. Fast forward to this issue and it turns out that Iron Will is already married with a son. Oops...
* StockYuck: Rainbow Dash hates brussels sprouts.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Issue #11 Rainbow Dash and Spitfire]]
-->Written by Ted Anderson, art by Jay P. Fosgitt
Rainbow Dash is summoned to Cloudsdale for a very important mission under Spitfire's orders, abandoning her plans with Scootaloo. Expecting something major, Dash is surprised that Spitfire needs her help to train a class of colts and filly pegasi to learn how to fly. Dash easily starts to help, but clearly sees Spitfire struggling to articulate anything. After the class, Dash and Spitfire go flying and Dash learns that Spitfire never really wanted to be the Wonderbolts' leader, but her drive and skill brought her respect from the others to elevate her to that position. While she has no problem training the Wonderbolts' ranks as she can use commanding voices to them as adults to command respect, she doesn't know how to same to the younger fliers. Dash suggests she tries it the next day, which turns out to be a disaster when Spitfire goes overboard with her command style and has the whole class break down into tears.

Again, Spitfire and Rainbow Dash go off to fly and talk, and Spitfire calls another aspect of her Wonderbolts command, being the ability to inspire others. This gives Dash an idea, and goes off to prepare. At the next class, Spitfire is there alone with the huddled mass of frightened colts and fillies, when Dash barges in and warns that a rogue tornado is approaching the school. Spitfire drops into a no-nonsense stance and races to deal with the tornado, while Dash coolly stays behind and tells the class to watch. Spitfire expertly undoes the weather pattern and dispels the storm, and as she returns the class cheers for her. Amid the celebration, Spitfire realizes it was Dash that has created the tornado, but for good reason, as the class now look up to Spitfire and ask for more of her lessons the next day. Spitfire admits she feels more confident in training the class now, and thanks Dash for her help. Rainbow then returns to Ponyville, where Scootaloo berates her for not telling the filly that she was coming back. Rainbow apologizes and takes her on a flying trip.

* AnAesop: Everyone has flaws, even heroes, and if you know you can't handle a task by yourself, there's nothing shameful about asking for help.
* AscendedFangirl: It's revealed that Rainbow Dash is now part of the Wonderbolts' reserves.
* BrickJoke: Scootaloo is left hanging when Rainbow Dash is summoned to Cloudsdale. But she comes back and takes Scoots on a flying trip on the last panels.
* CoolTeacher: Rainbow reveals herself to be a very good, patient teacher. She ends up explaining to the class the theory behind Spitfire's moves and maneuvers, in a curious yet logical subversion of her usual role, being a practitioner rather than a technician.
* CoversAlwaysLie: Although the covers show Spitfire wearing her dress uniform, in the present day of this issue she's always naked (like ponies normally are) [[HalfDressedCartoonAnimal except for her goggles]], and in flashbacks she wore her Wonderbolts flight suit.
* DrillSergeantNasty: Spitfire reveals herself to be a ToughLove version.
* FriendToAllChildren: Rainbow Dash... except, ironically, to Scootaloo, who is uncharacteristically annoyed at Dash whenever she appears in this issue.
* MotorMouth: Loop de Loop tends to babble when she gets nervous.
* MythologyGag: Amy Mebberson's cover features several G1 ponies as G4 fillies.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: The foals are reduced to tears when Spitfire tries her DrillSergeantNasty approach on them.
* OcularGushers: Spitfire's commanding approach causes at least one filly to break out into this.
* OffModel: This is the first time Jay Fosgitt has drawn an MLP comic, and he admits that he wasn't given any reference material, which is why Ponyville looks like a modern suburb instead of a medieval village, and the Cloudsdale gymnasium is made of bricks instead of clouds. The ponies also have very odd proportions that shift between panels.
* ShrinkingViolet: Loop de Loop. Spitfire temporarily becomes one too, when she tries to hide behind Rainbow Dash after making mistakes with the kids.
* SpoilerOpening: It's apparent from the covers that Spitfire's secret is [[BadlyBatteredBabysitter not being good with foals.]]
* ToughLove: The reason Spitfire has trouble with teaching foals is that she uses this technique with the Wonderbolts, who know she's trying to encourage and motivate them. When she tries it on the fillies and colts, they're reduced to tears.
[[/folder]]


[[folder:Issue #12 Pinkie Pie and Twilight Sparkle]]
--> Story by Barbara Kesel, art by Brenda Hickey

The annual street vendor fair has come to Ponyville, and just as Twilight and Spike are about to go enjoy the wares, Pinkie barges into the castle, asking Twilight to help her with her insatiable appetite for the one particular snack that her [[HyperactiveMetabolism hypermetabolism]] cannot absorb, [=PheNOMNOMenons=]. Willing to help, Twilight starts with some basic [[TheLudovicoTechnique aversion therapy]] but Pinkie is too easily drawn by the snack to stay put. Twilight tries locking up the castle to keep Pinkie in, but her hyperactivity easily busts the chains Twilight had used. After restraining an increasingly angry Pinkie, Twilight creates a device that runs off Pinkie's own hyperactivity to keep her occupied, but once Twilight tells Pinkie that if she can break out from it she can get her [=PheNOMNOMenons=], Pinkie quickly defeats the device.

Twilight catches up to Pinkie as she starts downing a snack, but Pinkie tells her she has to try one. After one bite, Twilight is overwhelmed by the flavor and both binge on [=PheNOMNOMenons=], Twilight quickly realizing that there's little she could do on her own to stop Pinkie from having the delightful treat, but gets inspiration that she could make Pinkie choose to quit on her own. Feigning failure, Pinkie suddenly rushes to Twilight's aid, forgoing the snacks. When Twilight points this out, Pinkie realizes she has the willpower herself, and successfully wills herself to not eat one of the offered treats. Pinkie gives Twilight a great amount of gratitude for her help before she goes off to find something else to eat.

* AllThereInTheManual: The two mares selling [=PheNOMNOMenons=] had no names given, but artist Brenda Hickey drew them separately and gave them the [[PunnyName Punny Names]] of "Fawn Doo" (the maroon one with the bonnet) and "Marcie Pan".
* ArtShift: As Pinkie (and later Twilight) get caught up on the [=PheNOMNOMenons=], the art starts to get a bit on the wacky side, but shifts back to (mostly) normal once Pinkie finds her self-control.
* AudienceWhatAudience: A transition panel from one of Twilight's plans to another has the caption "Later...". Pinkie comments on the caption that she's thanking Twilight "later", and Spike is bewildered at what Pinkie is looking at.
* TheCameo: Wheat Grass shows up as one of the stall vendors.
** One of the pirate ponies from the main series Pirate arc is selling pineapples.
* ContinuityNod: Pinkie gets in some very odd moods, and as such, Pinkamenia Diane Pie returns a few times.
* EleventyZillion: "And I can't stop at one! Or fifty! Or a thousand! Or a million jillion! Or a kazoomazillionzillion!"
* GoingColdTurkey: Ultimately, the way Pinkie breaks her addiction amounts to this.
* GoshDangItToHeck: One panel, after Pinkie has foiled another of her plans, has Twilight going "Oh, ..." with the last phrase covered up by another panel with the word "[[WebOriginal/{{LOLcats}} CHEEZBURGER]]". (Her mouth is in a state where one would say an "f"-sounding word, making this even more amazing it got past the censor.)
* GRatedDrug: The new snack that Pinkie can't stop chowing down on.
** Especially since [[spoiler:Twilight herself ''instantly'' gets just as hooked on them after one bite.]]
* NoodleIncident: According to Pinkie Pie, the last time she ate a [=PheNOMNOMenon=], there was a incident involving another pony, a top hat and a curtain that she doesn't completely remember.
* RubeGoldbergDevice: Twilight builds one to try to confine Pinkie Pie. [[spoiler:It fails.]]
* SelfRestraint: What Pinkie learns to do.
* VerySpecialEpisode: Even from the covers and synopsis, one can see this being a parallel to someone helping another to break some type of addiction.
* TheVoiceless: The two ElegantGothicLolita-style salesponies working at the [=PheNOMNOMenon=] stand never speak.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Issue #13 Rarity and Babs Seed]]
--> Story by Jeremy Whitley, art by Agnes Garbowska

Rarity and Sweetie Belle are about to go to Manehattan, with Sweetie planning to visit Babs Seed while Rarity works on some dresses for Sapphire Shores. However, Sweetie comes down with an ear infection, and Rarity is forced to go on her own. As she is preparing dresses in Manehattan, Babs stops by, disappointed that Sweetie couldn't come. Rarity, seeing Babs' disappointment, offers to take the filly around town instead. Rarity, being Rarity, drags Babs to a spa, a hair stylist, and a clothing store, but Babs is not as interested in these elements, and while thankful to Rarity for her time, leaves to go home.

Later, Rarity is fitting her outfits with Sapphire and recounts the efforts she tried to cheer Babs up. Sapphire recalls what Rarity had said earlier about her own childhood, her parents not understanding her sense in fashion, but still encouraged her to succeed. With this inspiration, Rarity uses her connections to secure tickets and backstage passes to a roller derby event that evening, taking Babs along. Babs is thrilled even in Rarity's confusion of the event, and is excited to met one of her favorite athletes, who also shows how her mother didn't understand her interest in roller derby to start but since has become one of her biggest fans. After completing her business in Manehattan, Rarity helps to prepare a special CMC-emblazed roller derby outfit for Babs with Sweetie Belle (with the performance name "Bad Seed") and sends it off to her, while writing in their journal about the importance of letting children follow their interests and supporting them.

* ActuallyPrettyFunny: Rarity doesn't quite approve of the violent nicknames used in the roller derby, but admits that "Shining Harmer" is pretty clever.
* TheCameo: Sweetie Belle has a Spike plush.
** Sapphire Shores appears as well, giving useful advice to Rarity on how to sympathize with Babs.
** It is not stated specifically, but one of the derby racers is named "Shining Harmer" and looks ''very'' suspiciously like Princess Cadance. She did say she liked adventure now and then... (Artist Agnes Garbowski [[https://twitter.com/AgnesGarbowska/status/554806246646116353 remains purposely vague]] on this point).
* ContinuityNod: Events from the episode "For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils" (specifically, Sweetie and the other CMC breaking into Sapphire Shores' studio in Manehatten) are brought up.
** The comic also follows on from the main comic series issues #21-22; specifically, Rarity remembers where Babs lives to bring her the tickets to the roller derby event.
** Babs' little breathe of air to flip her bang out of her face comes up a few times. In one specific case, it actually helps to prevent a barber from cutting it off.
** Manehattan has their own pair of spa twins like Ponyville - this pair plays off a green and yellow color scheme, with the two having (separately) a pair of cucumber and squash slices for cutie marks.
** The name on the back of the roller derby outfit that Sweetie suggests, "Bad Seed", nods back to "One Bad Apple". Babs also notes that her Manehattan division of the CMC is growing as well, and Rarity recalls that Babs almost fell with the apple float off the road thanks to the CMC.
* CostumeTestMontage: Rarity treats Babs to one.
* IronicEcho: A few panels have Babs being pulled off by Rarity on one of Rarity's pampering stops, with Babs giving a surprised look or glare. Later, when Rarity produces two roller derby tickets for Babs, Babs does the same to Rarity.
* MeaningfulName: Babs is surprised that Rarity knows "Hoi Polloi".
* PunnyName: Some of the named derby athletes are puns from existing MLP characters, including "Scarswirl", "Princess Skullestia", and of course "Shining Harmer".
* ShownTheirWork: The descriptions of the derby moves are accurate for the sport.
* SuperOCD: The barber pony that sees his sole purpose as to snip off Babs' offending forelock of hair that falls in her face.
* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: Babs and Rarity. Since Rarity is an [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure authority figure]] to Babs, they're more polite around each other than interactions Rarity had with Applejack and Rainbow Dash have often been.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Issue #14 Spike and Princess Luna]]
--> Story by Jeremy Whitley, art by Agnes Garbowska

Spike is awoken by Princess Luna one night, and is asked to help her with an arson crime spree that is happening in the city of Fillydelphia. En route, Luna explains that the local unicorn police believe dragons from the Dragon Town area of Fillydelphia are to blame, and Luna would like Spike to learn more. When they arrive, the police show the two a recent crime scene, which involves a trail of slime leading the site of the fire. Spike thinks this is odd and unnatural of dragons, and goes off to find out more from them while Luna works with the police to go over suspects.

Spike finds none of the dragons want to talk to them, except for an excitable young dragon, Mina, that runs a comic store. Spike finds from her that there is resentment between the ponies and dragons, and agrees that the immediate blame of the arson on the dragons is more of that showing. Spike goes back to Luna, who has failed to find any leads, and explains Mina's theory that it might have been a unicorn that started it. Neither Luna nor the police accept this possibility, and Luna, frustrated, leaves Spike to continue to find an answer while she takes care of raising the moon.

Fearing another arson, the unicorn police order a curfew on the dragon population much to their dislike. Spike spots a nearby trail of slime, and following it finds a fire snail creature that wandered up from the sewer, its trail in flames. Spike is able to capture the critter, but not before it sets fire to another building which quickly spreads. Spike is able to convince the police to let the dragons help, their ability to withstand fire able to help evacuate the buildings before anypony is harmed. Luna arrives in time to help wake the rest of the ponies and everyone is safe. Recognizing the fire snail was the problem, the police agree to make sure there's no more of the creatures wandering around, while Luna apologizes for distrusting the dragon population. Spike suggests a way to make it up, and takes Luna to meet Mina, who is a huge fan of reformed villains. After a brief visit, Luna takes Spike home with Spike promising to visit the dragons of Fillydelphia more in the future.

* AscendedFanboy: Mina.
* BananaPeel: Spike steps on a banana peel, which gets stuck on his foot instead of causing him to slip, which he lampshades.
* BigDamnHeroes: Spike manages to mobilize the dragons to rescue ponies from the fire, and Luna wakes up anyone they missed when she arrives.
* BunnyEarsLawyer: Apparently Ride Along graduated top of his class from the police academy, but all he does is act as a living police siren.
* TheCameo: Garble and two of the other teenaged dragons from Dragon Quest appear in Spike's dream, and continue to tease Spike.
* ContinuityNod:
** The comic shop has many issues of the Power Ponies series. Spike mentions the events of that episode to Mina.
** Sombra's banishment to the frozen north is mentioned by Luna.
** Spike references the events of "Dragon Quest" when discussing his past experience socializing with other dragons.
** Luna still has no patience for paperwork, as previously shown in her Micro Series issue where she took over Celestia's duties for a day.
** Spike and the dragons of Dragon Town use their flame immunity to rescue ponies.
* CoversAlwaysLie: One of the comic covers show Luna and Spike facing a giant, evil-looking dragon, while the other shows them both doing detective work. The actual story had no giant dragons, the dragons shown were extremely peaceful and Spike did almost all of the investigation alone while Luna stayed behind.
* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: The discussion of the poor representation of dragons in comics is quite reminiscent of the issue of female characters in the real world, down to the argument that there should be more women writing them.
* TheDreaded: Spike exploits Luna's reputation as this to get the police officers enforcing the barricade around Dragon Town to let the dragons through to help.
* DudeWheresMyRespect: Finally subverted with Spike: the police acknowledge his hand in saving Equestria multiple times and welcome his aid. Well, except for the one {{Jerkass}} officer, but he's all-around bitter and sarcastic.
* {{Expy}}: Dragon Town is obviously based off real-world locations like Chinatown. The gates to Dragon Town even resemble Chinese architecture.
* {{Fainting}}: Mina faints when she meets Luna face to face.
* FantasticRacism: In spades, as there is clear animosity between the ponies and the dragons, even without the nature of the crimes that Spike and Luna are called to help on.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: Spike mentions standing in slime early on. It turns out later that the one causing the fires was a fire snail, whose slime trail was causing buildings to catch fire.
* TheInsomniac: It's mentioned that Hard Case doesn't get much sleep.
* LampshadeHanging: All over the place. Spike being a DeadpanSnarker and commenting on the situation when he steps on a BananaPeel and it sticks to his foot instead of slipping, as well as how the streets are filthy, Mina lectures Spike about presuming all dragons to be {{Jerkass}}es, Spike is surprised to see the police know his name until they mention how many times he's saved Equestria, and an officer comments that Celestia and Luna's past policy of invoking SealedEvilInACan on their enemies has never worked out well when they return and nopony is prepared for it.
* MetaGuy: Mina is pretty much what you'd get if a real-life ''Friendship is Magic'' fan was teleported into the show. She's obsessed with [[EnsembleDarkhorse Luna]] because she's a reformed villain and those are her favorite types of characters, refers to her as "best princess," asks if she ever had a "thing" with Sombra and/or Discord, and brings up numerous other questions fans have posited about Luna. She also brings up "shipping", which the brony fandom toys around with frequently.
* MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch: Spike comments about how his past experience with dragons was that they were all a bunch of bullies who made him steal phoenix eggs from a nest. Mina points out he obviously just met a bad bunch and let the experience cloud his perceptions on what all dragons are like, and that dragons are individuals just like ponies. On her urging, Spike reflects on how many pony antagonists he's met and realizes she's got a point.
* NonMaliciousMonster: The fire snail is actually pretty nice, it's just unaware that its slime trail is setting buildings on fire and getting the dragons blamed.
* NonMammalianHair: Several of the dragons in Dragon Town, with Mina being one of the most notable examples.
* ObliviouslyEvil: The fire snail is a NonMaliciousMonster, and is simply unaware that it's causing fires with its slime trail and getting the dragons blamed.
* RememberWhenYouBlewUpASun: The Phillydelphia police are fully aware of Spike helping to save Equestria previously, and say so.
* RequiredSecondaryPowers: The dragons use their immunity to flame to rescue ponies from burning buildings.
* SeenItAll: This apparently applies to the Phillydelphia police department, as By the Book says that "Peculiar is a slow day for us".
* SeriesContinuityError: Luna knows about the recurring dream Twilight's been having since she was a filly, despite having been imprisoned in the moon until Twilight was a young adult.[[note]]Luna has been shown being able to access a pony's memories with her dream-related abilities, or Twilight may have simply told her at some point since they're friends, but regardless how Luna would know something about Twilight's fillyhood is left unexplained.[[/note]] Also, the cartoon made perfectly clear that ponies know next to nothing about dragons and there's no information available, yet this story includes a thriving and amiciable dragon town next to one of the biggest pony cities.
* ShipperOnDeck: Mina is an ''actual'' shipper, of Luna/Sombra for some reason. Apparently she has a friend who ships Luna/Discord.
* ShipTease: Spike is hinted to have developed a bit of a thing for Mina. He says she's pretty, and we have this conversation at the end.
-->'''Spike:''' Yeah, I like Dragon Town a lot.\\
'''Luna:''' And Mina?\\
'''Spike:''' Yeah, I guess I like her too. I like being a dragon here.
* ShownTheirWork: One book Twilight mutters in her dream is about "Zhulongs, Zilants and Other Half-Dragon Creatures"; Zhulongs are a Chinese mythological creature with a human's head on a flying snake's body, while Zilants are Kazan myths of winged snakes.
* SuperOCD: Twilight dreams about sorting books in the Canterlot Library. She apparently has had this dream once a month according to Luna, but all her previous attempts have ended before she could get through the "S"s (this time, she's in the "Z"s and Luna doesn't want to disrupt her).

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Issue #15 Applejack and Mayor Mare]]
--> Story by Bobby Curnow, art by Brenda Hickey

Applejack finds that her barn has received a citation for being too tall. Annoyed by the rule, she goes to Ponyville's city hall to try to have the citation revoked, where she is met by Tadwell, a bookish assistant to Mayor Mare that requires AJ to fill out numerous forms before the citation can be invalidated. AJ quickly loses patience but before she can take it out on Tadwell, Mayor Mare shows up, and offers to take AJ to the right department of city hall to nullify the citation.

The trip soon becomes a tour of city hall's rather obscure and dysfunctional departments, and AJ wonders how Ponyville even runs efficiently, losing her temper. The Mayor knows of AJ's frustration, and suggests she spend the rest of the afternoon helping out, hoping AJ's no-nonsense approach might help. AJ quickly helps to resolve problems with her practical ways, much to the Mayor's pleasure. Suddenly, a commotion breaks out outside, where Sweetie Belle's budding magic is accidentally turning ponies into vegetables. AJ is stunned, but the Mayor quickly steps into action, ordering her aides to quickly put an end to the problem and revert everypony to normal. As the day winds down, AJ is amazed that the Mayor could jump into action like that. The Mayor explains that she's always loved Ponyville, but when she first tried to run for mayor, she didn't win. She had to learn about the diversity of Ponyville and got to know how they all worked together, and used that to run the next time, successfully winning the mayorship to this day. She admits she sees the same love and dedication to Ponyville in AJ, and had arranged for this day to hopefully inspire AJ to follow in her footsteps after she retires, and offers the voided citation.

* BatmanGambit: Mayor Mare's plan to convince AJ to spend the day in city hall so as to sow the proverbial seeds of becoming Ponyville's next mayor, all based on knowing how AJ would react to a trivial citation.
* TheCameo: Filthy Rich and Davenport (the Quills & Sofas store owner) appear in the meeting about taxes, as well as Flax Seed from the Rarity micro comic.
* ObstructiveBureaucrat: The nerdy assistant Tadwell is the ultimate pencil-pusher in Applejack's way. Surprisingly averted with the Mayor as she is more to task, though a bit roundabout into her reasons for bringing AJ to the city hall.
* TruthInTelevision: The statue sculpted for Princess Twilight uses a realistic horse face (the excuse being that the sculptor just had eye surgery). AJ quickly averts a problem by sticking a book into the statue's hooves as to look like Twilight is nose deep in the book, effectively hiding the face.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Issue #16 Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon]]
--> Story by Jeremy Whitley, Art by Jenn Blake

Ponyville's school is holding a scavenger hunt for the students, but requires them all to compete in sets of three. Diamond Tiara, knowing that she and Silver Spoon need to one-up the Cutie Mark Crusaders, is able to persuade her father, Filthy Rich, in finding the most capable third to finish their team.

As the hunt begins with many more teams entering this year, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon trade insults with the Crusaders while waiting for their third to show up. She soon appears, revealed to be the famous filly investigator, Prancy Drew. The Crusaders tried to convince Mayor Mare this is cheating, but the rules allow for it.

As the hunt starts the teams all get their first clue. While the Crusaders take a more obvious route, Diamond Tiara's team, with Prancy's aid, quickly deduce the true location of the next clue. By chance of near disaster the Crusaders also arrive and both teams set off on the next riddle. Again, while Prancy helps her team directly to the clue, the Crusaders' strange logic gets them there a few moments later. Diamond Tiara, fearing the Crusaders will win, takes a moment to rewrite the clue for the Crusaders, sending them onto the Castle of the Two Sisters while Prancy leads them to the next clue proper.

At the castle, the Crusaders figure out the last clue was a fact and written by Diamond, but as they discover it, they fall into one of the slide traps in the castle, which sends them flying back to Ponyville and, again by luck, minutes behind Diamond's team at the last clue, directing them back into town to the finish line. They give chase. As Diamond's team races on, Prancy falls and sprains a leg, but Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon refuse to stop to help. When Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon arrive at Town Hall before the other teams, they are told they haven't won yet as their third is not present, but soon she arrives, aided by the Crusaders. They help her to stage, which Diamond Tiara points out that still makes her team the first to complete. Mayor Mare agrees and gives them the first place prize -- tickets to see the blue hay band, the Pony Pickers. However, the Pony Pickers was so happy seeing so many teams compete this year that they donated extra tickets to Mayor Mare, who awarded them to the Cutie Mark Crusaders for taking second place. Just as Diamond Tiara is about to protest, Filthy Rich arrives, telling her that blue hay is his favorite style of music, and hopes Diamond Tiara takes him. In the epilogue, though they consider themselves winners, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon realize that winning isn't everything.

* BadassBookworm: Prancy Drew, to a certain extent; she has solved many mysteries that had even been published as novels, but she admits not being so good at physical activities, usually limiting herself to search for clues and gathering evidence.
* BlatantLies: It's revealed that Diamond Tiara gets away with most of the things she does because she manipulates her dad into thinking she's often bullied and ridiculed at school, when in reality she's the school's main bully.
* CallBack: The Castle of the Two Sisters is visited by the Crusaders who happen to fall into one of many trap doors the castle hides.
* CheatersNeverProsper: While Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon win due to misleading the Cutie Mark Crusaders, not only do the Cutie Mark Crusaders get the Pony Picker tickets anyway but Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon are forced to see the band when Filthy Rich turns out to be a fan of blue hay music (on top of having to wear silly country outfits). They are less than pleased.
* FanGirl: Prancy and Twilight are each other's fan; Prancy because Twilight is her favorite princess, and Twilight because of her love for mystery books.
* TheFool: With the exception of the second clue, almost all of the Cutie Mark Crusaders' victories can be chalked up to them being ridiculously lucky.
* ForTheEvulz: Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon thought the scavenger hunt was lame and the first place prize even lamer. The only reason they joined was to show that they were better than the Cutie Mark Crusaders and rub it in their faces.
* GeographicFlexibility: A trap door slide from the Castle of the Two Sisters (said to be deep inside the Everfree Forest) is able to launch the Crusaders far enough to end up in Sweet Apple Acres which is in Ponyville. Chalk that up to RuleOfFunny.
* HeelFaceDoorSlam: When Prancy Drew trips and sprains herself, Silver Spoon actually stops to try to help her up, only to be rebuffed by Diamond Tiara to head to the finish line.
* HiddenDepths: Silver Spoon seems to have a knack for Ponyville knowledge and is shown to once again be the friendlier of the two, warming up to Prancy and even apologizing to her when she has to abandon her to catch up to Diamond Tiara.
* {{Hypocrite}}: Tiara does this by mocking the CMC for thinking friendship will help them. Despite the fact that 1) She considers Silver Spoon her friend. 2) She couldn't have won the competition without Prancy's help and 3) She nearly lost it by leaving Prancy behind when the rules stated you need all three teammates to win. And who manages to help said teammate and unintentionally help her on the stage? The CMC.
* ItsAllAboutMe: Pretty much Tiara's mindset as seen in her narrations.
* KidDetective: Prancy Drew.
* LaserGuidedKarma: Several times over. Tiara cheats throughout the hunt to stall or misdirect the CMC to going to another location. But they somehow manage to get to where they need to go regardless (i.e: the rubberband and windmill and the slide in the Two Sisters Castle). Granted Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon manage to win, but the CMC still get their prize regardless making their victory moot and hollow since the band the CMC wanted to see donated extra tickets. What's more they get to "enjoy" their prize with Filthy Rich along with wearing some embarrassing outfits to boot.
* LoopholeAbuse: Although Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon are unable to initially claim victory due to not having their full team assembled, Silver Spoon points out that since Scootaloo (who was the second Crusader on stage) was carrying Prancy on stage, their full team was present first. Mayor Mare concedes.
* MoralMyopia: Diamond Tiara's whole mindset; she thinks manipulating her dad, employing a KidDetective, recurring to LoopholeAbuse and messing up with the other competitors' clues is more than okay, but throws a fit if the competitors catch on through sheer luck.
* PyrrhicVillainy: Mayor Mare points out the prize isn't worth the price of hiring a detective to help out. Also, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, who joined only to rub their victory in the CMC's faces, have no interest in the prize, and certainly don't enjoy "winning" it. And the CMC end up getting the prize anyway.
* SecondPlaceIsForWinners: Though the Cutie Mark Crusaders lose, they still get tickets to the Pony Pickers since they had donated extra tickets.
* SherlockScan: Prancy makes a quick one on one of Twilight's books, easily deducing she uses a candlelight instead of her own magic to read at night.
* SpoiledBrat: Diamond Tiara. She's also very manipulative and convinces her father Filthy Rich that she needs help to beat the CMC, which he goes out of the way to do.
* TalkingWithSigns: Sweetie Belle holds up a "Help!" sign when a trap door in the Castle of the Two Sisters gives way under them.
* TokenGoodTeammate: Since she was just hired to join Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, Prancy Drew is this by default. Silver Spoon veers into this territory, excitedly helping solve the riddles and genuinely enjoying Prancy's company. It's only when Prancy hurts her leg and Diamond Tiara urges them to hurry up that Silver Spoon ultimately chooses to leave her (she does apologize, though).
* TragicHero: Diamond Tiara tries to sell herself and Silver Spoon as this, thinking that living in a 'little backwater town', surrounded by 'losers' that can't recognize 'how awesome they are' make them qualify as living through a tragedy. [[DramaQueen Nopony buys it.]]
* VillainEpisode: Well, Antagonist Episode, anyway. This is the first time there's been an official story centered around the duo, bonus points for being the first issue to come out after the ''[[ComicBook/MyLittlePonyFiendshipIsMagic Fiendship is Magic]]'' event.
* VirtueIsWeakness: Diamond Tiara doesn't care if Prancy Drew is injured, she just wants to win the race and doesn't spend a moment to help her, despite the fact they need the full team the finish line.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Issue #17 Twilight Sparkle and Big McIntosh]]
--> Story by Ted Anderson, Art by Brenda Hickey

Twilight Sparkle is struggling to resolve the ever-increasing pile of friendship problem requests she is getting, stressing out and losing sleep. From Spike, she gets the idea to talk to other ponies to see how they handle the stress, and quickly realizing Applejack is a calm but hard worker. However, AJ is about to take off for a week to deliver apples to Canterlot, but suggests that Twilight talk to Big Mac, who is also as cool and collected.

Twilight attempts to spy on Big Mac to understand how the stallion keeps his cool, but doesn't learn anything. She tries to interview him, but his terse vocabulary frustrates her further. She returns home and discovers a spell that lets a pony enter the mind of another pony, which she figures will let her determine the inner workings of Big Mac's mind. Giving Big Mac only the briefest warning, she casts the spell and enters his mind.

Inside, she finds Big Mac's mind is pictured as a rather ordered farm that allow his ideas to literally grow in an orderly fashion, explaining how calm and collected he is. There are also alternate versions of himself that respect different facets of his personality, such as a helpful one or a talkative one. The more curious Big Mac is intrigued by Twilight's own stress and pulls them all into her mind within the mind spell. They find themselves in Twilight's mind, a library but without any sort of rhyme or reason to the sorting of the books. The Big Mac ego-facets suggest that Twilight needs to take time off from her problems and try to stop multitasking, as it is creating her stress. Twilight reasons they are right, but as she comes to that conclusion, a giant gelatinous form of Twilight's stress starts to flood the library. Twilight quickly ends her spell, returning her to the real world. She takes a moment to collect herself and then offers to help Big Mac on his chores to take her mind off her problems. With the farm work done, she is able to go back and come up with an innovative approach to her friendship problem piles and with a fresh mind gets back to work.

* ContinuityNod: Smarty Pants is sitting in a tree in Big Mac's mind.
* CharacterTic: Twilight chewing on the end of her mane when nervous.
* {{Expy}}: The talkative part of Big Mac's personality is one of Navi from "VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime". [[https://derpibooru.org/871314 So there's no doubt this was intentional...]]
* IncomingHam: After Twilight learns her spell, she zips off and lands with a loud "SWOSH!" right next to Big Mac, surprising him.
* JourneyToTheCenterOfTheMind: Twilight has a spell that lets her enter the subconscious minds of other ponies. Later, one of the Big Mac's is able to take them all into Twilight's mind for a dream-within-a-dream sequence.
* LiteralSplitPersonality: The various facets of Big Mac's personality that reside within his mind.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Issue #18 Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy]]
--> Story by Christina Rice, Art by Jay P. Fosgitt

The Flight Camp Reunion is coming up, and Rainbow Dash is excited for it given that she was a star of the camp, while Fluttershy clearly has reservations due to how she was teased. Rainbow Dash cheers up Fluttershy enough to assure her they won't tease her now, and will be there for her to give her confidence. When they arrive at Cloudsdale, Hoops and Dumb-bell tease Fluttershy before Dash stops them, at which they challenge her to a race. Dash can't turn it down, and zips off to race, leaving Fluttershy alone.

While waiting for Dash to return, Fluttershy is met by Cirrus Cloud, the events organizer of the reunion, but whom Fluttershy only remembers from how she teased her. Cirrus Cloud promises she'll give something to Fluttershy at the ceremony, leading Fluttershy to think that Cirrus will pull a practical joke on her, humilating her. Even when other pegasi including Spitfire greet Fluttershy, they all seem to know something, and she becomes even more frightened, running away from the other pegasi. She runs into Rainbow Dash, who has been challenged by other pegasi to races if only to brag they lost to Dash, and before Fluttershy can talk to Dash, she is dragged off to the reunion ceremonies.

Rainbow Dash basks in the admiration she is getting at the award ceremonies, causing Fluttershy to hide under their table. When Dash realizes Fluttershy is hiding, she goes to talk to her as Cirrus Cloud starts to call for Fluttershy to come to the stage. Fluttershy admits that she's been scared of coming, fearing that the others will laugh at her and the situation more antagonizing when Dash left her. Dash apologizes, and reminds her that it doesn't matter if the pegasi laugh at her as her true friends are the one in Ponyville, and then reminds Fluttershy of all the great things she has done, such as befriending Discord. After being reassured by Dash, Fluttershy goes up to face her fear and accept what Sirrus has planned for her. Cirrus apologizes to Fluttershy for the teasing she did back in camp, and presents her with a special award for being a pegasi that others look up to, on account of her special achievements that she has done for Equestria since moving to Ponyville.

* DudeWheresMyRespect: Averted. Unlike many other cases where the exploits of the Mane 6 go unnoticed, Fluttershy is given a award by the Flight Camp alumni for what she had achieved since moving to Ponyville.
* SchoolYardBullyAllGrownUp: Played straight with Billy and Hoops who still engage in MaliciousMisnaming with Fluttershy and Dash (who quickly puts them in their place after a race). Subverted with Cirrus Cloud who, despite Fluttershy initially believing her to be hiding ulterior motives, does apologize for bullying her all those years ago and presents Fluttershy with an award for her various accomplishments.
* ShrinkingViolet: Fluttershy, moreso than usual. For much of the story, the other pegasi have a hard time registering her presence.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Issue #19 Rarity and Mr. and Mrs. Cake]]
--> Story by Christina Rice, Art by Brenda Hickey

After attending a wedding catered by the Cakes, Rarity sees the potential of she joining business forces with the Cakes. The Cakes are worried but agree to see what happens.

Rarity heads to Canterlot to get some fabric, where she runs into Touring Wind, an influential fashion magazine editor. Touring Wind has heard of Rarity and welcomes the chance to see her outfits and makes time in her busy schedule to come to Ponyville a few days from now. Rarity is a bit panicked but believes she can do it, until she gets back to Ponyville and finds that the Cakes have accepted catering another wedding the day after Touring Wind's visit. The ceremony is for AJ's cousins, Ginger Gold and Apple Crisp, who want a rather simple wedding. Rarity, knowing she can't work to impress Touring Wind and design for the wedding in the limited time, pushes the Cakes and the wedding couple to go with a much fancier ceremony and an over-the-top cake. The Cakes fear they can't pull it off, but Rarity assures them it will go fine.

The day of Touring Wind's visit comes and Rarity goes to see her at the train station. When they get back to Sugarcube Corner, however, they find that Ginger Gold has come down with an allergic reaction to the strawberries Rarity insisted they use for the cake, and that the giant cake Rarity demanded is on the verge of collapse. Touring Wind walks out, and works out how to get back to Canterlot as soon as possible. Rarity breaks down, but is surprised at how calm the Cakes are taking the situation, having prepared a quick remedy for Ginger and cleaned up the mess the Cake had made. They explain that having twins helps them keep their cool in tough situations, as well as to be extra prepared - they knew that Rarity's desires may have been out of reach, and had prepared the batter and frosting for the simpler cake that the couple wanted in the first place. Rarity takes this advice to heart, and begins re-working the dress for Ginger.

The next day, the Cakes are able to stop Touring Wind from leaving, and invite her to attend the wedding. After Spike causes the trains to become delayed, Touring Wind has little reason to decline. At Sweet Apple Acres, she finds that Rarity has developed a fashionable yet simple dress for Ginger, and that the Cakes' new wedding cake - a simple tower of cupcakes - works quite well for the rustic setting. Touring Wind promises to write this up in her magazine, and Rarity apologizes to the Cakes for going overboard, but they remind her that her confidence is part of the reason why they love her.

* {{Expy}} Touring Wind is as close to a ponified Lady Gaga as we'll get. Her name and look (the helmet-like mane and glasses), as well as her attitude towards her assistant (who has a red high-heeled shoe for a cutie mark, to boot) also evoke a ponified [[Literature/TheDevilWearsPrada Anna Wintour.]]
* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: It's rather heavily implied that Ginger Gold and Apple Crisp are KissingCousins.
* MythologyGag: The wedding topper that Ginger provides is styled after Generation 1 ponies.
* VisualPun: When Spike lays down to stop the Friendship Express, he is basically a railroad spike.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Issue #20 Discord and Princess Luna]]
--> Story by Jeremy Whitley, Art by Brenda Hickey

Discord is having a hard time sleeping, and when his powers activate unintentionally during one bad nightmare, wrecking havoc on Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle calls in the help of Princess Luna to see what is wrong with Discord's dreams. After zapping him to sleep, Luna finds that while Discord's mind is as chaotic as his normal self, his inner psyche tries to latch him down, forcing him to think in an orderly, business-like fashion. Luna helps to free Discord from this, trying to see what is really going on with him.

They come to a hallway of doors, where one particular door is locked up with numerous warning signs on it. Luna wants to investigate that one, but Discord refuses to, instead going into other doors marked with the cutie marks of the Mane 6. In each of these, his actions, while well intentioned, turn into catastrophe for that pony. Luna suspects what is behind the locked door, finding that it belongs to Fluttershy. Inside, in a more tranquil setting, the two watch as another version of Discord prepare to take Fluttershy and the Cutie Mark Crusaders on another wild adventure. Luna realizes Discord cares deeply for Fluttershy and the Crusaders, but that's why Discord considers this nightmare the worst of all: as a being of chaos, he thinks it's in his nature to eventually betray others, as happened with Tirek, and that he'll hurt the people he cares about when he does. Luna notes that caring for others is not a bad quality, and can help empower others to do good and to change themselves. Discord takes this to heart, and lets his concerns about harming Fluttershy go. Later, Discord helps to repay Luna's favor by joining her on her balcony to keep her company.

* BlueAndOrangeMorality: Discord states he isn't inherently evil, he's chaotic. [[spoiler:His nightmares stop when Luna makes him take his own advice -- while he's harmed ponies in the past by using chaos for evil, he's not destined to do so anymore if he doesn't want to.]]
* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: [[spoiler:Discord fears he has this as a result of being a being of chaos.]]
* ContinuityNod: This story calls back to several past ''Friends Forever'' stories, including Fluttershy and Discord, and Luna and Pinkie Pie.
* EndlessCorridor: What Luna takes Discord through to see what is wrong with his dreams.
* FourthWallObserver: Discord seems to be aware that he's in a comic book. Luna, however, isn't.
-->'''Discord:''' Oh, so this is going to be a philosophical issue. Great.\\
'''Luna:''' Issue?\\
'''Discord:''' Never mind.
* FullNameUltimatum: Luna gets Discord to stop dallying and open the locked door by calling his out as "Discord [[WesternAnimation/MonstersInc P. Sullivan]]!" This is likely a joke name, since Luna credits her humor lessons from Pinkie (from their Friends Forever teamup) to come up with that.
* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: In Discord's vision of a ''Series/{{Firefly}}'' cosplay, he makes Apple Bloom into Inara, a ''professional sex worker''.
* LampshadeHanging: At one point Luna directly asks if an out-of-place scene was a reference she didn't get; Discord denies this, it was apparently just random. They also note that Luna shouting [[WesternAnimation/MonstersInc "Discord P. Sullivan!"]] came out of nowhere, but they agree [[FourthWallObserver it somehow felt right]].
* PowerIncontinence: Discord's insomnia severely hinders his control over his powers, essentially making him repeat his actions from "The Return of Harmony" without realizing it.
* ReferenceOverdosed: Discord's mind is like that of a child flipping through television stations, carrying a lot of parodies and references with it.
* TwistEnding: [[spoiler:TheReveal that Luna is struggling with the same self-doubt issues Discord was turns a lot of her actions in the comic on their head.]]
* YourWorstNightmare: We find out what Discord's is. [[spoiler:He's fearful he will [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder betray those he cares for]] or it will otherwise end in disaster, because he thinks as a chaotic force of nature, it's just in his nature to do so.]]
* YourMindMakesItReal: Discord may be the greatest ''Reality'' Warper in Equestria, but even he requires Luna's help in navigating dreams where he can't fully control his powers.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Issue #21 Zecora and Spike]]
--> Story by Ted Anderson, Art by Agnes Garbowska

Zecora and Spike are immune to an ailment that is affecting the rest of the ponies in Ponyville.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Issue #22: Princess Celestia and Pinkie Pie]]
--> Story by Christina Rice, Art by Jay P. Fosgitt

Celestia enlists Pinkie's help to cook the perfect cake for Luna's upcoming birthday.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Issue #23: Applejack and Fluttershy]]
--> Story by Ted Anderson, Art by Tony Fleecs

While on a camping trip, AJ and Fluttershy track down the legendary Pigasus.

* CueTheFlyingPigs: Invoked literally as the pigasus is a flying pig.
[[/folder]]

!!Tropes applying to Short Features:

[[folder:Shorts]]

[[AC:Issue #8: A Morning In The Life Of Winona]]
-->Written and drawn by Katie Cook, colored by Kate Carleton

Over the course of a morning, Winona transfers mud from the pigpen to Big Mac's bed, destroys Apple Bloom's spelling homework, eats Granny's bake sale pie and chases (and is then chased by) Opalescence, all while maintaining good dog status with Applejack (if nopony else).

* ADogAteMyHomework: We see her do it.
* DayInTheLife

[[/folder]]

!!This series provides examples of these tropes (for more, please also visit the [[Characters/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic character]] guide):

%%* Foil: The stories often pair up some very contrasting individuals.
%%*LighterAndSofter:

* FourthWallObserver: Discord seems to be aware that he's in a comic book.

Discord is having a hard time sleeping, and when his powers activate unintentionally during one bad nightmare, wrecking havoc on Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle calls in the help of Princess Luna to see what is wrong with Discord's dreams. After zapping him to sleep, Luna finds that while Discord's mind is as chaotic as his normal self, his inner psyche tries to latch him down, forcing him to think in an orderly, business-like fashion. Luna helps to free Discord from this, helping to escape this to see what is really going on with Discord.

They come to a hallways of doors, which one particular door is locked up with numerous warning signs on it. Luna wants to investigate that one, but Discord refuses to, instead going into other doors marked with the cutie marks of the Mane 6. In each of these, his actions, while well intentioned, turn into catastrophe for that pony. Luna suspects what is behind the locked door, finding that it belongs to Fluttershy. Inside, in a more tranquil setting, the two watch as another version of Discord prepare to take Fluttershy and the Cutie Mark Crusaders on another wild adventure. Luna realizes Discord cares deeply for Fluttershy and the Crusaders, but that's why Discord considers this nightmare the worst of all: as a being of chaos, he thinks it's in his nature to eventually betray others, as happened with Tirek, and that he'll hurt the people he cares about when he does. Luna notes that caring for others is not a bad quality, and can help empower others to do good and to change themselves. Discord takes this to heart, and lets his concerns about harming Fluttershy go. Later, Discord helps to repay Luna's favor by joining her on her balcony to keep her company.

* EndlessCorridor: What Luna takes Discord to to see what is exactly wrong with his dreams.
* FullNameUltimatum: Luna gets Discord to stop dalying and open the locked door by calling his out as "Discord [[WesternAnimation/MonstersInc P. Sullivan]]!" This is likely a joke name, since Luna credits her humor lessons from Pinkie (from their Friends Forever teamup) to come up with that.

%%* ADayInTheLimelight:

* LampshadeHanging: At one point Luna directly asks if an out-of-place scene was a reference she didn't get; Discord denies this, it was apparently just random. They also note that Luna shouting "Discord P. Sullivan!" came out of nowhere, but they agree [[WesternAnimation/MonstersInc it somehow felt right]].

* Kung-FuWizard: Given how they get rid of Marine Sandwich, it is implied that the security ponies prefer to dispatch troublemakers by kicking them with their hind legs rather than using their magic.

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse?: In spite of them being present to get rid of Marine Sandwich in their previous attempts to enter the competition, the security ponies are not present in her last attempt to enter the story. Whether it was because she froze them off-screen before or during the attack or if they were not present at the time is never clarified.