History Recap / MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E25TwilightsKingdomPart1

* IWantSong: Twilight laments that she doesn't have any actual duties in her first song.

* PepTalkSong: Princesses Celestia, Luna, and Cadance sing to Twilight to assure her that she has a place in helping Equestria.

* KnightOfCerebus: Lord Tirek takes the cake out of all the previous Knights in the show, considering he's literally stealing everypony's destiny by robbing them of their magic and cutie marks.
* LastSecondChance: According to Tirek's back story, his brother Scorpan tried this after having a HeelFaceTurn, trying to convince him to abandon their plans. Tirek wouldn't listen, so Scorpan had no choice but to arrange for him to be imprisoned in Tartarus.

* MagicAIsMagicA: This is featured heavily in the refrain of "[[PepTalkSong You'll Play Your Part]]". As Princesses of the Day and Night, Celestia and Luna's magics are tied to their roles in raising and lowering the sun and moon, respectively, and Cadance's love magic is what helps her protect the Crystal Empire; the clear implication is that Twilight's role as Princess will be tied to her Element of Magic in the [[ThePowerOfFriendship Elements of Harmony]].

* AdaptationalBadass: The original Tirek was no pushover by a long shot, in the original VileVillainSaccharineShow, but his main threat was being the wielder of the Rainbow of Darkness and having an army whom he mutated with it at his command. Lord Tirek? He has no army and is still such a massive threat that sending ''Discord'' after him is considered [[GodzillaThreshold the best means of defeating him]]. Somewhat played with, though -- he starts out far weaker than G1 Tirek due to his imprisonment, and Discord was sent out because his abilities let him sense Tirek's magic and track him down effortlessly. It's only after he drains enough ponies that he becomes a real threat.

* BubblePipe: Discord's corncob pipe blows bubbles instead of smoke.

* CatapultNightmare: Celestia does this when she gets the vision of Tirek returning. Luna then comes in to confirm it wasn't just a nightmare.

* HuddleShot: When Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Rarity, Spike and Twilight are examining the objects that will become the Keys, the point of view if from the floor.

** He performs the typical shout out to ''Film/{{Patton}}'' when addressing the Mane Six while in a highly decorated military uniform (while wearing UsefulNotes/DouglasMacArthur's corncob pipe, ironically enough).

** When Discord hauls in some captured ponies with a fishing line, he is dressed ''exactly'' like [[Film/{{Jaws}} Quint]].

* NoSmoking: Discord's corncob pipe blows bubbles instead of smoke.

Meanwhile, Discord confronts Tirek and easily captures him. However, Tirek appeals to Discord's former nature as the master of chaos, and offers to share Equestria when they take it over. Discord finds himself tempted by the offer. Back at the castle, Twilight realizes that all the trinkets they gained over the season could be the keys they need, having been given to each of them by somepony whose life they changed for the better, after sticking with their element despite great temptation. They gather the objects and try to figure out how to activate them. It's only when Pinkie throws Boneless toward the chest in frustration does the rubber chicken suddenly turn into a key and fit into one of the slots. The others do the same, but Twilight's key is still missing and she hasn't received it yet.

* BlingOfWar: At one point, Discord [[{{Film/Patton}} dons a military uniform decked out with numerous gaudy medals and ribbons and a M1 helmet with four stars on it]], which is made funnier in the next shot when Discord is wearing [=MacArthur's=] iconic sunglasses and corncob pipe.

** Tartarus was first mentioned back in ''[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E20ItsAboutTime It's About Time]]'' as a prison for all the evil creatures in Equestria. When Cerberus got loose, Twilight tried bringing him back before any of the monsters could escape. As this episode reveals, she missed one...
** The mysterious chest from the Tree of Harmony introduced in ''[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E2PrincessTwilightSparklePart2 Princess Twilight Sparkle - Part 2]]'' once again plays a part, this time having Twilight focusing all her efforts on opening it in the hopes of saving Equestria.
** Celestia previously mentioned being able to use Discord's magic for good rather than evil as the reason to de-stone him back in ''[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E11KeepCalmAndFlutterOn Keep Calm and Flutter On]]''.
** Discord says he has been doing a little light reading, and the book that he is "lightly reading" happens to be the Friendship Journal. The book has bookmark tabs that represent five of the six colors (excluding Twilight's purple) that have been used to denote the keys for the box.
** The five "gifts" given to the Mane 5 at the end of their highlight episode--Rarity's spool of thread, Rainbow Dash's Wonderbolts badge, Pinkie Pie's rubber chicken, Fluttershy's flower, and Applejack's coin--become five of the six keys to the mysterious box.
** Twilight brings up all the hard decisions her friends had to make to get their keys. Only Applejack and Fluttershy get flashbacks, though.

* CerebusRetcon: In ''[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E20ItsAboutTime It's About Time]]'', Cerberus leaves the gates of Tartarus, where the most evil beings in all of Equestria are imprisoned. The whole thing is PlayedForLaughs when [[FluffyTamer Fluttershy tames him like a cute puppy]]. Then this episode comes along to reveal that Tirek, ''the'' most catastrophic threat Equestria has faced yet, managed to escape while he was gone.

** Spike once more reminds us [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E2TheCrystalEmpirePart2 he's the hero of the Crystal Empire]]--[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E24EquestriaGames twice]].

** Tirek's brother Scorpan is shown in the story flashback to go off with a unicorn wizard; though the name is not said, this is clearly meant to be Star Swirl the Bearded, based on similar imagery from ''[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E11ThreesACrowd Three's a Crowd]]''.

** After Rainbow Dash says, "In your dreams!" Discord replies with, "Oh, I never dream of such things. Ask Princess Luna." This is a reference to Luna's ability to walk into other ponies' dreams as seen in ''[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E6SleeplessInPonyville Sleepless in Ponyville]]'' and ''[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E20ForWhomTheSweetieBelleToils For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils]]''.

* EvilSoundsDeep / EvilSoundsRaspy: At first, Lord Tirek's voice is frail and old, but he later gains a deep, booming voice as he returns to his original power.

* MorphicResonance: Discord's alternate shapes, like the bird one, still reflect his FashionableAsymmetry colors. Downplayed when turned into a stallion, as it would give him away, but he still keeps the overall color scheme of his head (including that of his blue antler for the unicorn horn).

* ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything: [[DiscussedTrope Discussed]]. Twilight spends much of the episode lamenting that her role as a princess is largely ceremonial.

* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: [[DeconstructedTrope Deconstructed]]. Twilight spends most of the episode lamenting how she hasn't been given much to do as a princess other than "smile and wave" and unfurl a banner for some visiting dignitaries, and is especially distraught when Celestia tasks Discord over her with tracking down the escapee from Tartarus. Twilight is finally given a role at the [[{{Cliffhanger}} end of the episode]] when the other princesses inform her that [[WhamLine they must rid themselves of their magic]] to protect it from Tirek.

*** You might as well add in [[Anime/DragonBallZ Cell]] too.

** He performs the typical shout out to ''Film/{{Patton}}'' when addressing the Mane Six while in a highly decorated military uniform (while wearing DouglasMacArthur's corncob pipe, ironically enough).

** Scorpan, here reimagined as Tirek's brother, also counts, due to having ''less'' a role in the original story than Tirek, but here being the one responsible for his original defeat.

** [[InvokedTrope Invoked]] by Pinkie Pie in the [[TheTeaser cold open]].

* LiteralMetaphor: Discord's ears are burning. Yes, literally.

* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Tirek introduces himself as [[NamesToRunAwayFrom/{{Titles}} Lord]] Tirek.

* FirstWorldProblems: So Twilight was made a princess of an entire kingdom, but her only job seems to be waving to crowds? Aw, poor baby. Certainly there are others even in Equestria that would kill to have her problems.

-->'''Cadance:''' ''You stand here for a reason,\\
You are gifted and you are strong,\\

* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: [[DeconstructedTrope Deconstructed]]. Twilight spends most of the episode lamenting how she hasn't been given much to do as a princess other than "smile an wave" and unfurl a banner for some visiting dignitaries, and is especially distraught when Celestia tasks Discord over her with tracking down the escapee from Tartarus. Twilight is finally given a role at the [[{{Cliffhanger}} end of the episode]] when the other princesses inform her that [[WhamLine they must rid themselves of their magic]] to protect it from Tirek.

* YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre: The basic idea behind [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v29NtMcW03s the Princesses song to Twilight]].

* AnachronicOrder: The order of the acquisition of the Keys in the friendship journal is totally different from the order of the episodes with the acquisition of the Keys.

->Special Guest Stars: Creator/JohnDeLancie as Discord and Mark Acheson as Tirek

* ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything: Twilight spends most of hthe episode feeling her role as a princess is largely ceremonial.

'''Princess Twilight:''' Nothing. Unless, of course, one of you needs me to smile and wave.

* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Tirek introduces himself as [[NamesToRunAwayFrom/{{Titles}} Lord] Tirek.

* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Tirek introduces himself as [[NamesToRunAwayFrom/Titles Lord] Tirek.

* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: [[DeconstructedTrope Deconstructed]]. Twilight spends most of the episode lamenting how she hasn't been given much to do as a princess, and is especially distraught when Celestia tasks Discord over her with tracking down the escapee from Tartarus. Twilight is finally given a role at the [[{{Cliffhanger}} end of the episode]] when the other princesses inform her that [[WhamLine they must rid themselves of their magic]] to protect it from Tirek.

* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Twilight wants to invoke this trope, and therefore is not happy when Celestia tasks Discord over her with tracking down the escapee from Tartarus.

** Tartarus was first mentioned back in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E20ItsAboutTime "It's About Time"]] as a prison for all the evil creatures in Equestria. When Cerberus got loose, Twilight tried bringing him back before any of the monsters could escape. As this episode reveals, she missed one...
** The mysterious chest from the Tree of Harmony introduced in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E2PrincessTwilightSparklePart2 "Princess Twilight Sparkle - Part 2"]] once again plays a part, this time having Twilight focusing all her efforts on opening it in the hopes of saving Equestria.
** Celestia previously mentioned being able to use Discord's magic for good rather than evil as the reason to de-stone him back in "Keep Calm and Flutter On".

* CerebusRetcon: In [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E20ItsAboutTime "It's About Time"]], Cerberus leaves the gates of Tartarus, where the most evil beings in all of Equestria are imprisoned. The whole thing is PlayedForLaughs when [[FluffyTamer Fluttershy tames him like a cute puppy]]. Then this episode comes along to reveal that Tirek, ''the'' most catastrophic threat Equestria has faced yet, managed to escape while he was gone.

** Tirek's brother Scorpan is shown in the story flashback to go off with a unicorn wizard; though the name is not said, this is clearly meant to be Star Swirl the Bearded, based on similar imagery from "Three's a Crowd".

** After Rainbow Dash says, "In your dreams!" Discord replies with, "Oh, I never dream of such things. Ask Princess Luna." This is a reference to Luna's ability to walk into other ponies' dreams as seen in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E6SleeplessInPonyville "Sleepless in Ponyville"]] and [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E20ForWhomTheSweetieBelleToils "For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils"]].

* AdaptationalBadass: The original Tirek was no pushover by a long shot, in the original VileVillainSaccharineShow, but his main threat was being the wielder of the Rainbow of Darkness and having an army whom he mutated with it at his command. Lord Tirek? He has no army and is still such a massive threat that sending ''Discord'' after him is considered [[GodzillaThreshold the best means of defeating him]]. Somewhat played with, though -- he starts out far weaker than G1 Tirek due to his imprisonment, and Discord was sent out because his abilities let him sense Tirek's magic and track him down effortlessly. It's only after he drains enough ponies that he becomes a real threat.

* VileVillainSaccharineShow: The original Tirek was the long-running king of this trope for awhile. This Lord Tirek seems to live up to the original's vileness, as a creature quite literally from the pits of the Underworld.