History Recap / MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E7MayTheBestPetWin

* CanadaEh: DHX Media/Studio B shows its Canadian roots by staging Rainbow Dash and the eagle playing curling (a popular Canadian sport) in the photo montage. It's irony if the eagle is meant to be a bald eagle, the symbol of America, where curling is non-existent and stereotypically connected to Canada in this fashion.

* FriendToAllLivingThings: Rainbow Dash, for once. Every living thing wants to be her pet.

Before long, Dash is briefing her pet contenders on the upcoming challenge. When Fluttershy comes up and places a turtle[[note]]Actually, it's a [[InsistentTerminology tortoise]][[/note]] in the lineup, Rainbow Dash complains, but Fluttershy browbeats her into giving him a chance, as he's been trying to find a home for the longest time. Dash puts the pets through a series of events to test their speed, agility, guts, style, [[DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment coolness, awesomeness, and radicalness]]. Despite finishing last every time, the tortoise [[{{Determinator}} persists in competing]]. At the end, Rainbow Dash commends his effort, but she's narrowed her choices down to an owl, a falcon, an eagle, and a bat.

* DamselInDistress: Rainbow Dash becomes one when her wing gets caught under a bolder, leaving her stuck in Ghastly gorge until Tank comes to get her out.

* SturdyAndSteadyTurtles: The reason Tank wins the competition, despite his incredible slowness -- in the race part of the competition, all the other animals complete three full circuits in the time it takes him to take ''a single step'' -- is his seemingly endless perseverance and refusal to give up. He going no matter how hopeless his situation looks, and when the other animals shoot ahead and leave Rainbow behind when she's trapped by a landslide, he walks up to her and slowly, patiently digs her free, and then just as slowly carries her to the finish line. This, and his loyalty, is what convinces Rainbow to choose him as a pet. In the last scene, Tank completes one of the earlier trials -- stealing Opal's favorite mouse toy -- by goading her into attacking him, letting her waste her furious claw swipes on his shell while he calmly reaches over to grab the toy.

-->'''Rainbow Dash:''' The bat would be awesome but the wasp I'm digging too. Do you have anything in a yellow-striped bat?

* ADayInTheLimelight: The first episode of the second season for Rainbow Dash.

** The ponies sport expressions that they never had in the first season, although one in particular seemed odd to some viewers. See OffModel, below.

* OffModel:
** Rainbow Dash is briefly animated without wings while lounging in a tree.
** When Rainbow is giving her DrillSergeantNasty routine and says her prospective pets need guts, the duck is on an animation layer above hers as she zips past them, making for a very weird FreezeFrameBonus.

* AluminumChristmasTrees: While Fluttershy doesn't have one, there '''''are''''' [[http://www.livescience.com/28578-striped-bat-from-south-sudan.html yellow-striped bats]] in the world.

* CoolPet: The episode is about Rainbow Dash's attempt to find one of these, with her tests being specifically designed to winnow down the contestants until she's left with the coolest (and awesomest and most radical) possible pet. By the end of the episode, Tank's little helicopter contraption certainly makes him one.

* AwesomeMcCoolname: Tank the tortoise.

* TurtlePower: ''Tortoise'' power wins the competition.

* RidiculouslyCuteCritter: Several of the pets offered by Fluttershy, and taken UpToEleven with the "puddy tat".

** The duck during the radical skills challenge looks a lot like [[WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes Daffy Duck]] doing one of his famous dance routines in that NiceHat.

* TheHypnotoad: The butterfly uses his wings to hypnotize Opalescence and easily snags away her toy while she's entranced.

* ThoseMagnificentFlyingMachines: Rainbow's pet tortoise is fitted with helicopter propellers so he can fly around.

* ThemeTuneCameo: The bat performs part of the MLP theme song on a set of water glasses during the TalentContest.

* {{Adorkable}}:
** Fluttershy's glee when she hears Dash wants a pet.
** The Tortoise's efforts to impress Rainbow Dash
** Rainbow Dash in her prep-school outfit while posing with the owl.

* HypocriticalHumor:
** Rainbow Dash claiming that the contest "isn't a game, you know", and explaining immediately afterward that "these ''games'' will determine..."
** We have this bit between Fluttershy and the rest of the main cast (sans Rainbow Dash, who's on Tank's back). Keep in mind that she's been [[InsistentTerminology correcting Rainbow Dash that Tank's a tortoise]] the entire episode every time she calls him a turtle.
--->'''Pinkie Pie:''' Wait! Look!\\

* DoggedNiceGuy: The tortotise tries so hard to impress Rainbow Dash despite her shooting him down every step of the way. It pays off in the end.

** Subverted in that everyone else notices she's not there when the birds all cross the finish line, and it takes them all of 10 seconds to figure out there had been an avalanche and that something had probably happened to Rainbow. It's highly unlikely that she thought her life was actually in danger.

* StaggeredZoom: Used on the reveal of Ghastly Gorge.

* PalatePropping: When the animal racers are dodging the quarray eels, the owl gets snapped uo by one and has to force its mouth open by using its wings like a jack to keep from being eaten.

--->''Sort of X... not X... pretty X! Could be more X/X-er.''[[note]]X being such qualities as "fast", "agile", or "awesome".[[/note]]

* PunnyName: "Quarray" Eels.

The four fliers (and the tortoise) head for the tie-breaker, a race through the hazard-filled Ghastly Gorge, where the one who crosses the finish line with Rainbow Dash will be her pet. Dash leads them through a series of dangerous obstacles: a windy tunnel, a large patch of briars, and a nest of gigantic Quarray Eels. As the race continues, Dash flies backwards to offer taunts and encouragement—only to smack into a canyon wall, causing an avalanche that pulls her to the bottom.

* BeeAfraid: Averted. Fluttershy offers a wasp as a ''pet'' and it acts benign.

* CoolPet: The episode is about Rainbow Dash's attempt to find one of these. By the end of the episode, Tank's little helicopter contraption certainly makes him one.

* {{Hammerspace}}: Where Spike keeps a quill and scroll handy.
* TheHedgeOfThorns: There is one in the Ghastly Gorge where the pets pass through.

** Rainbow Dash claiming that the contest "isn't a game, you know," and explaining immediately afterward that "these ''games'' will determine..."

* MeaningfulName: Tank is named because he is "built like a tank," with his tenacity, determination, and [[NoSell his ability to resist Opal's non-stop scratching]].

* MixAndMatchCritters: Rainbow's opening nightmare and hinted at during the song:

** When Fluttershy "politely asks" Rainbow to let the tortoise compete, she ''shoves him into Rainbow's face.'' Fluttershy also does this during their duet when showing off the "puddy tat" at her house.

* RidiculouslyCuteCritter: Several of the pets offered by Fluttershy and taken UpToEleven with the "puddy tat."

* SandWorm: The [[PunnyName "Quarray eels"]].