History YMMV / MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS5E19CrusadersOfTheLostMark

* AccidentalAesop:
** Diamond Tiara spent little over half the series bullying the CMC for being "blank flanks", and they couldn't find their cutie marks (caused by their insecurity of their "blank flank" status). It's only once Diamond Tiara starts [[YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre lauding them as hard-working fillies whose cutie marks will be amazing]] once they earn them that the CMC earn their wonderful cutie marks. In a way, this drives home the point that kind words can effect people for the better.
** The CMC ultimately got their cutie marks by deciding to help others find their special talents instead of their own, showing that helping others solve their problems could also solve your own problems too.

* AccidentalAesop: Diamond Tiara spent little over half the series bullying the CMC for being "blank flanks", and they couldn't find their cutie marks (caused by their insecurity of their "blank flank" status). It's only once Diamond Tiara starts [[YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre lauding them as hard-working fillies whose cutie marks will be amazing]] once they earn them that the CMC earn their wonderful cutie marks. In a way, this drives home the point that kind words can effect people for the better.

* HarsherInHindsight:
** The more or less outright confirmation of the Apple Family parents being dead does this to certain moments for Applejack and her family. For example, Pinkie's comment about how AJ [[StoicWoobie cries on the inside]] back in "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS5E5TanksForTheMemories Tanks for the Memories]]" certainly carries some heavier implications now.
** Many times Diamond Tiara has been called a KarmaHoudini for not getting worse punishment for her acts from the Crusaders or Miss Cheerilee. But now that we've seen her [[StageMom mother,]] it makes one wonder how Spoiled Rich reacted when her daughter lost the competition to carry the flag at the Equestria Games, or when she lost her job as the editor of the school paper and likely caused embarrassment to her family because of the gossip, or when she came home covered in mud... One imagines her mother's reaction was likely worse than anything the Crusaders or Miss Cheerilee could come up with. Not to mention DT's terrified reaction when [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E4OneBadApple Babs threatened to tell her mom about her bullying]].
** Diamond losing Silver Spoon's friendship at first. Given her terrible home life, she likely found some solace with Silver Spoon as her friend and, while she can be harsh, she did clearly care about her. So thus this could make some sense to why she was really hurt when she realizes that she caused her best friend to leave her. This likely made her go down a LOT worse off if it wasn't for the CMC helping her out.

* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotPolitical: The first act seems to have an implied message about the 2016 U.S. presidential elections, especially about Creator/DonaldTrump, and generally about billionaires who try to make their accrued wealth and personal triumphs a selling point in their campaigns in American politics, and using underhanded techniques that have nothing to do with benefiting voters in general. On the flip side, it might also be a message on a genuine candidate going against the establishment, such as an outsider like Bernie Sanders vs. established politician like UsefulNotes/HillaryRodhamClinton during the primary. However, due to AnimationLeadTime, this was likely unintentional. Apparently, there was AnAesop for such people regarding using their power and influence where and how they're needed.

* RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap: Diamond Tiara [[HateSink was meant to to hated]], but many found the other villains more interesting and those supposedly eviler being more redeemable, while she was just shallow, nasty and only remained a problem since StatusQuoIsGod, causing her to outstay her welcome. Here, she finally gets a [[FreudianExcuse reason for her actions]], sympathetic depth to her character, and a HeelFaceTurn. Even those whom object to how EasilyForgiven she was think this is an improvement.

* WhatAnIdiot:
** Cheerilee catches Spoiled Rich yelling at Diamond Tiara for hanging around with "blank flanks" and she ''still'' does nothing to stop the bullying.
** Spoiled Rich's advice comes off as counter-productive, not only for her goals of social climbing but in doing precisely the wrong thing to reach those goals. These are three fillies who have regular contact with the local princess. Their big sisters have thrones of their own in the castle of said princess and are considered friends by the other three alicorns. If Spoiled Rich wants her daughter to ascend the social pyramid, she should be telling Diamond Tiara to curry favor with those three. Especially since DT actually ''had'' successfully cottoned on to them for a while back in "Twilight Time", only to ruin it for herself by inviting the rest of the class along.
** Inverted on a meta level with the CMC themselves. For most of the series, the fandom consensus was that their talents were painfully obvious and they were simply being silly little kids who didn't realize it. Even ''Twilight'' believed this. In the end, it turns out they were right; figuring out their destinies was different than acknowledging their interests, and the journey was everything.

* AccidentalAesop: Diamond Tiara spent little over half the series bullying the CMC for being "blank flanks", and they couldn't find their cutie marks (caused by their insecurity of "blank flank" status). It's only once Diamond Tiara starts [[YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre lauding them as hard-working fillies whose cutie marks will be amazing]] once they earn them that the CMC earn their wonderful cutie marks. In a way, this drives home the point that kind words can effect people for the better.

* AccidentalAesop: Diamond Tiara spent little over half the series bullying the CMC for being "blank flanks", and they couldn't find their cutie marks (caused by their insecurity of no longer being "blank flanks"). It's only once Diamond Tiara starts [[YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre lauding them as hard-working fillies whose cutie marks will be amazing]] once they earn them that the CMC earn their wonderful cutie marks. In a way, this drives home the point that kind words can effect people for the better.

* AccidentalAesop: Diamond Tiara spent little over half the series bullying the CMC for being "blank flanks", and they couldn't find their cutie marks (caused by their insecurity of no longer being "blank flanks"). It's only once Diamond Tiara starts lauding them as hard-working fillies whose cutie marks will be amazing once they earn them that the CMC earn their wonderful cutie marks. In a way, this drives home the point that kind words can effect people for the better.

* AlternateAesopInterpretation: If you don't like the {{Cliche}} "A bully will become a friend with a bit of kindness and convincing" moral, try looking at the episode as trying to speak to abuse-victims-turned-bullies rather than bullying victims, in which case the moral becomes "It's not right to take your pain out on others, and with the support of friends, you can overcome the struggles and influences that led you down that dark path."

*** Even moreso after 2020 -- when Diamond Tiara is informed Pip won, she refuses to accept this and demands a recount, and ignores Cheerilee's insistence that Pip won; she is then horrified to learn she only got one vote. As the 2020 election results began to finish tallying and favored Joe Biden, Donald Trump refused to concede and demanded recounts, upon which in at least one state Biden's margin of victory ''increased''.

* AllThereIsToKnowAboutTheCryingGame: Naturally because of what big news it is, combined with the fact it impacts the appearance of the characters for the rest of the series, odds are the first thing anyone will learn about this episode is "it's the one where the CMC get their cutie marks."

** This episode is rather timely for American ''and'' Canadian fans, seeing as it aired in the midst of their respective presidential races. The former's [[Creator/DonaldTrump GOP front-runner at the time of airing]] was famous for coming from a family of successful businesspeople and even had the same initials as Diamond Tiara, while [[UsefulNotes/CanadianPrimeMinisters the former's]] was despised for being mean-spirited and petty, and he lost to a young up-and-coming politician who was noted for having a famous father.
*** Even moreso after 2020 -- when Diamond Tiara is informed Pip won, she refuses to accept this and demands a recount, and ignores Cheerilee's insistence that Pip won; she is then horrified to learn she only got one vote. In the wake of 2020 election, Donald Trump refused to concede to Joe Biden and demanded recounts, upon which in at least one state Biden's margin of victory ''increased''.

** This episode cements Diamond Tiara as such. One side views her {{backstory}} and reasons for being like she is sympathetic and found that her more positive actions have redeemed herself and are interested in seeing what plots can develop from this, and feel having an AbusiveParent is punishment enough. Others find her FreudianExcuse flimsy and {{cliche}}, especially [[AlphaBitch for her character type]], and, as a result, got off [EasilyForgiven way too easily for her terrible behavior]] over the course of the series.

** The fact that Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were EasilyForgiven has caused a rather big stir in the community. Some don't mind since it fits the theme of the show and helped the CMC ''finally'' get their Cutie Marks[[note]]a sub-plot that was already a point of contention in the community[[/note]], while others, after more than four seasons of the duo being complete {{Jerkass}}es to them, including them [[NeverLiveItDown infamously mocking Scoot's inability to fly]], felt they deserved far more comeuppance instead of [[EailyForgiven getting off scott free]]. The other side argues that Diamond Tiara at least did get a huge BreakTheHaughty moment before getting her redemption, and points out having [[AbusiveParents Spoiled Rich]] emotionally abuse her (with heavy implication this happens FREQUENTLY) was comeuppance enough.

** This episode is rather timely for American ''and'' Canadian fans, seeing as it aired in the midst of their respective presidential races. The former's [[Creator/DonaldTrump GOP front-runner at the time of airing]] is known for being extremely rich and shares his initials with Diamond Tiara, while the latter has had nearly ten years of a leader many despised as a meanspirited and petty bully enough to go for a new young politician promising a friendlier age like his father's.

** After all the fuss made over people seeing Diamond Tiara as a Donald Trump stand-in here, the comic later featured an unquestionable spoof of Trump via a BrainwashedAndCrazy Applejack.
* ItWasHisSled: Naturally because of what big news it is, combined with the fact it impacts the appearance of the characters for the rest of the series, odds are the first thing anyone will learn about this episode is "it's the one where the CMC get their cutie marks."

** Diamond Tiara's class presidential campaign was compared to [[Creator/DonaldTrump a certain real life person running for president]], and [[Administrivia/RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment that's all we're saying about that]].

** This episode cements Diamond Tiara as such. One side views her {{backstory}} and reasons for being like she is sympathetic and found that her more positive actions have redeemed herself and are interested in seeing what plots can develop from this, and feel having an AbusiveParent is punishment enough. Others find her FreudianExcuse flimsy and {{cliche}}, especially [[AlphaBitch for her character type]], and, as a result, got off [[KarmaHoudini way too easily for her terrible behavior]] over the course of the series.

** The fact that Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon were EasilyForgiven has caused a rather big stir in the community. Some don't mind since it fits the theme of the show and helped the CMC ''finally'' get their Cutie Marks[[note]]a sub-plot that was already a point of contention in the community[[/note]], while others, after more than four seasons of the duo being complete {{Jerkass}}es to them, including them [[NeverLiveItDown infamously mocking Scoot's inability to fly]], felt they deserved far more comeuppance instead of [[KarmaHoudini getting off scott free.]] The other side argues that Diamond Tiara at least did get a huge BreakTheHaughty moment before getting her redemption, and points out having [[AbusiveParents Spoiled Rich]] emotionally abuse her (with heavy implication this happens FREQUENTLY) was comeuppance enough.

* {{HSQ}}:
** Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon are redeemed, Diamond gets her own song, the two become friends with the CMC, and oh yes, '''''the CMC get their cutie marks'''''! CueTheFlyingPigs. All this in an episode that, from the summaries and previews released before it aired, looked to be a completely normal "Diamond Tiara has some scheme and the CMC try to stop it" episode. To say people were blindsided is an understatement.
** To a lesser degree, the Apple family's [[ParentalAbandonment parents being absent]] is ''finally'' acknowledged InUniverse!
* ItWasHisSled: Naturally, the first thing anyone knows about this episode, even if they haven't seen it, is "the CMC finally get their cutie marks."

* DracoInLeatherPants: Unlike [[BaseBreakingCharacter Diamond Tiara]], Silver Spoon's HeelFaceTurn has been fairly uncontested. While she did finally stand up to Diamond, it's due to them [[MistreatmentInducedBetrayal mistreating her]] and ruining their campaign as opposed to any regret over her actions. And she lacks Diamond's FreudianExcuse or [[CallingTheOldWomanOut effort]] into redeeming themselves.

* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotPolitical: The first act seems to have an implied message about the 2016 U.S. presidential elections, especially about Creator/DonaldTrump, and generally about billionaires who try to make their accrued wealth and personal triumphs a selling point in their campaigns in American politics, and using underhanded techniques that have nothing to do with benefiting voters in general. On the flip side of other coin, it might also be a message on a genuine candidate going against the establishment, such as Bernie Sanders vs. Creator/HilaryRodhamClinton during the primary. However, due to AnimationLeadTime, this was likely unintentional. Apparently, there was AnAesop for such people regarding using their power and influence where and how they're needed.

* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotPolitical: The first act seems to have an implied message about the 2016 U.S. presidential elections, especially about Creator/DonaldTrump, and generally about billionaires who try to make their accrued wealth and personal triumphs a selling point in their campaigns in American politics, and using underhanded techniques that have nothing to do with benefiting voters in general. However, due to AnimationLeadTime, this was likely unintentional. Apparently, there was AnAesop for such people regarding using their power and influence where and how they're needed.

** Diamond Tiara's class presidential campaign was compared to [[Creator/DonaldTrump a certain real life person running for president]], and [[RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgement that's all we're saying about that]].