History Recap / MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E13HearthsWarmingEve

* SurpriseCreepy: Considering this was an episode centering around a normal play, it's kind of a shock when [[EldritchAbomination the windigos show up]]. Made creepier by the fact the first few times we see them there's ''no explanation at all'' and we don't get one until the climax.

* AwesomeMcCoolname: Commander Hurricane. For a different variant of "awesome," Clover the Clever and Smart Cookie. It's like naming someone "Brilliant Mc-Rational the Calm-Headed."

* NiceHat
** On the ride to the pageant, Rarity's basically wearing a full-blown Christmas tree on her head. She isn't certain if it's festive enough.
** Almost everypony involved gets one as part of her costume: crown (Rarity), Roman-style military helmet (Rainbow Dash), another one also heavily inspired by both ancient Macedonian and Renaissance-style helmets (Fluttershy), Tyrolean hat (Applejack), pudding bowl (Pinkie Pie). Twilight Sparkle, who has to make do with a ragged hood, is the only one left out.

One year, an inexplicable blizzard came to their land, and the ground was frozen so hard that the Earth Ponies could not cultivate. Neither the Pegasi nor the Unicorns could banish the storm, so the three clans held a summit, trying to figure out a solution. But with the storm raging outside reflecting the ponies' conflict inside, it didn't take long for the leaders to angrily give up and return home. The second-in-commands of each group -- Pegasus Private Pansy (Fluttershy), Unicorn vizier and student of Star Swirl the Bearded Clover the Clever (Twilight Sparkle), and Earth Pony secretary Smart Cookie (Applejack) -- were disappointed at the news.

* CallBack: Clover the Clever was the student of Star Swirl the Bearded, who was first mentioned in "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E4LunaEclipsed Luna Eclipsed]]."

* {{Fanfare}}: Princess Platinum and Commander Hurricane have theirs blown on trumpets as they enter; Chancellor Puddinghead's has hers blown on kazoos.

* AesopAmnesia:
** Before the pageant with Rainbow Dash and the lesson of "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E8TheMysteriousMareDoWell The Mysterious Mare Do Well]]".
** The Mane Six forgetting the moral of the play that ''they just performed''. Good thing it did not last long.

** The mane six forgetting the moral of the play that ''they just performed''. Good thing it did not last long.

* GoOutWithASmile: When the three assistants realize there's no escaping their fate, they decide to become friends before their end so they can at least die as friends instead of meaningless enemies. [[ThePowerOfFriendship This was a]] [[CircleOfFriendship very wise move.]]

* {{Adorkable}}: Princess Platinum, flustered over the failed negotiations, plops her crown on upside-down.

* Narrator: Spike plays as one telling the story of how Equestria was originally made to the audience, including the viewers who are watching the episode.

* EverythingIsBetterWithPrincesses: One of the six real characters present in the play is Princess Platinum, daughter of the king, who represents the unicorns as if she's as good as is their ruler. There's no explanation for why she's doing it instead of the king himself, who never shows up. It's either a case of [[RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething royals who actually do something]] vs. [[PiratesWhoDontDoAnything Royals who don't do anything]], vs. PoliticallyActivePrincess and it was [[TheFace her duty to go to the meeting as his representative.]]

* {{Pluralses}}: Pinkie as Chancellor Puddinghead is confused about the plural for "Pegasus": "Pegasusususes".

* ForegoneConclusion: A longer but less detailed version of the story of Equestria's founding had already been told in the [[IOSGames iOS app]] ''[[http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/my-little-pony-twilight-sparkle/id465213808?mt=8 Twilight Sparkle: Teacher for a Day]]''.

* CrossCastRole: Commander Hurricane is addressed as male during the play.

->'''Twilight Sparkle:''' I can't believe that Princess Celestia chose us to put on the most important play of the season! Do you guys know what an honor this is? For all of us?

* DeepImmersionGaming: To the viewer, the characters appear to be in a large open landscape or high in the air. Occasionally, it is shown they are still on a relatively small stage, with more conventional stage fixtures.

!!Tropes present in this episode (YMMV tropes can be found [[YMMV/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E13HearthsWarmingEve here]]):

* LemonyNarrator: Spike occasionally goes off script during his narration of the play, making [[aside comment]]s and riffing on [[AddedAlliterativeAppeal alliterations]] describing how the Windigos had turned Equestria's [[ItsAlwaysSpring lovely weather]] into another frozen wasteland.

* LemonyNarrator: Spike occasionally goes off script during his narration of the play, making [[aside comment]]s and riffing on [[AddedAlliterativeAppeal alliterations]] describing how the Windigos had turned Equestria's [[ItsAlwaysSpring lovely weather]] into another frozen wasteland.

* LiteralMinded: Chancellor Puddinghead as played by Pinkie Pie, such as her "thinking inside the chimney" bit. Difficult to tell if that's just Pinkie * LemonyNarrator: Spike occasionally goes off script during his narration of the play, making [[aside comment]]s and riffing on [[AddedAlliterativeAppeal alliterations]] describing how the Windigos had turned Equestria's [[ItsAlwaysSpring lovely weather]] into another frozen wasteland.
or part of the role itself.

* LiteralMinded: Chancellor Puddinghead as played by Pinkie Pie, such as her "thinking inside the chimney" bit. Difficult to tell if that's just Pinkie or part of the role itself.