History Recap / MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E12GamesPoniesPlay

* AnAesop: It's best to give others what they always wanted but never had.

* BrokenAesop: Ms. Harshwhinny eventually decides to host the games in the Crystal Empire, saying that every other place she visited tried to put on airs, while she got the story of how great the empire was from a normal pony. The problem is the only reason the tourist has such a glowing opinion of the empire is because she experienced all of the things that they were doing to specifically impress Ms. Harshwhinny, while Harshwhinny herself only got grief and frustration from the Crystal Empire citizens. So if the moral was meant to be "People will be more impressed by sincerity than by fake attempts to seem great", or "Sometimes it takes an honest opinion from a fellow tourist to make up for what you've missed, whether or not you'd want to see it for yourself", then it undermined its own message.

** The plot is a variation on Gogol's comedy of errors, ''Theatre/TheInspectorGeneral''.

** The Crystal Empire welcoming the wrong pony as the Inspector is very similar to Creator/NikolaiGogol's play ''Theatre/TheInspectorGeneral'', in which a small provincial town hears that a government inspector is coming, but welcomes the wrong man, who plays along with the town's mistake.

* OffModel: When the train stops at the Crystal Empire, Fluttershy is briefly seen with Twilight's cutie mark. During the cheer sequence, this also applies to Pinkie.

* StockEpisodeTitles: This episode is based on one: "Games People Play".

* ThereWasADoor: When the tourist has had as much being indoors as she can take and bolts, and eventually runs through the racetrack, she hops two hurdles but just busts through three more. When a jar of some sort winds up over her head and turns her panic UpToEleven, she breaks through a door.

* ButtMonkey: Ms. Harshwhinny.

* GaleForceSound: Shining Armor when he is coaching the athletes.

* SynchronousEpisodes: With "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E8JustForSidekicks Just for Sidekicks]]".

* UsefulNotes/AmericanAccents: The tourist the Mane Six mistake for the inspector has a noticeable southern dialect to her voice, similar to Applejack's. Justified as she mentions she's a mustang.

* SequelHook: A season four episode about the Equestria Games themselves seemed inevitable at the time the episode was originally aired, especially in light of Twilight and Rainbow's conversation about coming back to watch the Games. Show writer Meghan [=McCarthy=] later hinted in a [[https://twitter.com/HubTVNetwork/status/403970748257021952 tweet]] that there would be an episode focusing on the Games at some point during the fourth season. As it turns out, there were ''three'' sequels - "[[MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E5FlightToTheFinish Flight to the Finish]]" and "[[MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E10RainbowFalls Rainbow Falls]]" both dealing with preparations for the Games, and "[[MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E24EquestriaGames Equestria Games]]", [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin when the Games were actually held]].

** In a flashback, Rainbow Dash delivers one when she hears that Cloudsdale was not chosen to host the Equestria Games. It's {{parodied|Trope}} seconds later when Pinkie Pie responds to Twilight asking if they're going to let Princess Cadance down.

-->'''Twilight:''' "We bring the Games Inspector back to the castle, put on our big welcome committee how-do-you-do and then..."
-->'''Pinkie:''' "...Put the pudding out to thaw before you eat it or you'll crack a tooth?"
-->'''Rainbow Dash:''' "I'll just ignore that."

** A somewhat unique example: everything that happens here makes it evident that Cadance's reasons for not inviting Spike (as mentioned back in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E8JustForSidekicks "Just for Sidekicks"]]) are more understandable and justified. Plus, considering all things, there was nothing actively preventing Spike from joining them even if he hadn't had responsibilities at home.

* POVSequel: To [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E8JustForSidekicks "Just for Sidekicks"]] as told through the Mane Six's perspective.

* SeriousBusiness: Both Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash treat the welcoming of the inspector very seriously both as a favor to Princess Cadance and the Crystal Empire and, in Rainbow Dash's case, to not have the Crystal Empire suffer the same disappointment she felt when she was a filly. Hosting the games is a huge honor for any city, so there is no reason not to treat the matter seriously. Plus, the fate of all of Equestria kinda depends on the Crystal Ponies' self-esteem, as [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E1TheCrystalEmpirePart1 "The Crystal]] [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E2TheCrystalEmpirePart2 Empire"]] demonstrates.

* StrongFamilyResemblance: Rainbow-colored manes run in Rainbow Dash's family, if the flashback of Filly!Dash with her dad is anything to go by.
* SynchronousEpisodes: With [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E8JustForSidekicks "Just for Sidekicks"]].

* ThirteenIsUnlucky: When Twilight advises the Mane Six practice the Welcome Committee Song ''"one more time from the top"'' while on the train, AJ mentions they've already practiced it ''twelve'' times earlier. Of course, the Mane Six practice it ''one'' more time... just in time for the train to arrive at the Crystal Empire, screech to a stop and throwing all of them for a loop.

* PunnyName: Ms. Harshwhinny, the Games Inspector, is ({{ahem}}) harsh [[CaptainObvious and a horse]].

** The plot is a variation on Gogol's ComedyOfErrors, Theatre/TheInspectorGeneral.

* SequelHook: A season four episode about the Equestria Games themselves seemed inevitable at the time the episode was originally aired, especially in light of Twilight and Rainbow's conversation about coming back to watch the Games. Show writer Meghan [=McCarthy=] later hinted in a [[https://twitter.com/HubTVNetwork/status/403970748257021952 tweet]] that there would be an episode focusing on the Games at some point during the fourth season. As it turns out, there were ''three'' sequels - "[MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E5FlightToTheFinish Flight to the Finish]]" and "[[MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E10RainbowFalls Rainbow Falls]]" both dealing with preparations for the Games, and "[[MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E24EquestriaGames]]", [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin when the Games were actually held]].

* SequelHook: A season four episode about the Equestria Games themselves seemed inevitable at the time the episode was originally aired, especially in light of Twilight and Rainbow's conversation about coming back to watch the Games. Show writer Meghan [=McCarthy=] later hinted in a [[https://twitter.com/HubTVNetwork/status/403970748257021952 tweet]] that there would be an episode focusing on the Games at some point during the fourth season.

* SchizoTech: Rarity uses a ''battery-powered drill''. Whether it use magic or electricity is left completely unanswered.

** A somewhat unique example: everything that happens here makes it evident that Cadance's reasons for not inviting Spike (as mentioned back in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E8JustForSidekicks "Just for Sidekicks"]]) are more understandable and justified. Plus, considering all things, there was nothing actively preventing Spike from joining them if he hadn't had responsibilities at home.

* [[Facehoof FacePalm]]: Rainbow does one when Pinkie starts making funny faces at the false inspector.