History Recap / MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS5E25TheCutieRemarkPart1

* BackToTheEarlyInstallment: Starlight Glimmer travels back to the past to prevent the Mane Six from becoming friends in the first place, winding up in one of the flashbacks from "The Cutie Mark Chronicles", where she prevents young Rainbow Dash from performing her first Sonic Rainboom. Since the ripples of this change don't just prevent the Mane Six from befriending each other, [[ForWantOfANail but also result in various villains conquering Equestria]], Twilight Sparkle has to time-travel back to prevent Starlight's meddling.

* ForWantOfANail: No Mane Six means nopony stopped Sombra or Queen Chrysalis.

%% * GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.

* OffModel: {{Averted|Trope}} compared to an instance from "The Cutie Mark Chronicles" -- in the original episode, during the race a pink filly was seen standing on a cloud despite lacking wings. Here, in a shot-for-shot repeat of the scene, this animation error is corrected and her wings are present.

Princess Twilight Sparkle is giving a presentation at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns in Canterlot on the magic of cutie marks, mentioning the bond that ties her and her friends' cutie marks to a single event: [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E23TheCutieMarkChronicles Rainbow Dash's first Sonic Rainboom as a filly]]. During her speech on how important this Rainboom was to gaining her cutie mark and status as Celestia's student/becoming the Princess of Friendship, Twilight is stunned to see who appears to be [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS5E1TheCutieMapPart1 Starlight]] [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS5E2TheCutieMapPart2 Glimmer]] listening to her speech, only to disappear when she looks again.

Once back, they see things are very different. Twilight's castle has disappeared (leaving only the map intact), and Ponyville has become ruins with boarded-up homes and businesses. They go to Sweet Apple Acres, only to find it has been modernized into an applesauce-canning factory. They soon learn from Applejack (who doesn't recognize them) that they are currently in a war with the Crystal Empire, led by [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E1TheCrystalEmpirePart1 King]] [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E2TheCrystalEmpirePart2 Sombra]] and a brainwashed crystal pony army. Twilight and Spike realize that Starlight stopping the Rainboom in the past is the cause of the alternate BadFuture they are currently in. With the scroll in hand and Map still functioning, they summon the portal and return to the past minutes before Starlight appeared.

[[MoodWhiplash *cue happy]] [[RunningGag credits music*]]

* ArcVillain: After being defeated by the Mane Six and the former members of her cult in the season premiere, Starlight has cameoed in a couple episodes to spy on Twilight, setting up her revenge plot in this season finale.

* DuringTheWar: The first alternate timeline is this type of story, with Equestria being caught in a ForeverWar against King Sombra's Empire, and all of its populace being mobilised to "do their part". It's [[FantasyCounterpartCulture purposefully reminiscent]] of a typical [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarI World]] [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII War]] [[UsefulNotes/TheHomeFront home front]].

* VillainDecay: Double Subverted with Starlight Glimmer. While she returns magically more powerful and threatening than ever, to the point where she can fight Princess Twilight to a standstill, it's a trade-off in that she also [[TookALevelInDumbass lost]] quite a bit of [[StupidEvil intelligence]], lacking the manipulative cunning and calculative [[ManipulativeBitch planning]] that made her [[FaceOfAnAngelMindOfADemon a highly]] [[BitchInSheepsClothing dangerous schemer]] who managed to take control over a whole society and outwit and outmaneuver the Mane Six in her first appearance. Starlight's newfound bitterness and rage, [[EvilIsPetty childish pettiness]], and [[MotiveDecay one-track]] [[RevengeBeforeReason plan for revenge]] also prevent her from thinking and considering important details. Little does she know, [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS5E26TheCutieRemarkPart2 this ends up being her own undoing]].

* NotEvenBotheringWithAnExcuse: Used twice by filly Rainbow Dash on Twilight and Spike's second trip through the time spell. {{Justifi|ed}}able as Rainbow perceives adult Twilight as StrangerDanger.

* DuringTheWar: The first alternate timeline is this type of story, with Equestria being caught in a ForeverWar against King Sombra's Empire, and all of its populace being mobilized to "do their part". It's [[FantasyCounterpartCulture purposefully reminiscent]] of a typical [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarI World]] [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII War]] [[UsefulNotes/TheHomeFront home front]].

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: It's subtly implied that Twilight is MistakenForPedophile by young Dash. Not helped by Twilight's suggestive body motions and eagerness to talk with Rainbow.

* {{Series Continuity Error}}: Applejack's cutie mark story was her in Manehattan, yet in the timeline we see her in, she's participating in war. Yet this might mean she was drafted into war by her family or she escaped Manehattan.

** Probably quite obscure, but Spike's picture in the slideshow seems to be a slight nod towards the beginning of ''Disney/AtlantisTheLostEmpire'', where Milo's picture of him at the beach is accidentally used.

* BackToTheEarlyInstallment: Starlight Glimmer travels back to the past to prevent the Mane Six from becoming friends in the first place, winding up in one of the flashbacks from "The Cutie Mark Chronicles", where she prevents young Rainbow Dash from performing her first Sonic Rainboom. Since the ripples of this change don't just prevent the Mane Six from befriending each other, [[ForWnatOfANail but also result in various villains conquering Equestria]], Twilight Sparkle has to time-travel back to prevent Starlight's meddling.

* BackToTheEarlyInstallment: Starlight Glimmer travels back to the past to prevent the main six from becoming friends in the first place, winding up in one of the flashbacks from "The Cutie Mark Chronicles", where she prevents young Rainbow Dash from performing her first Sonic Rainboom. Since the ripples of this change don't just prevent the main six from befriending each other, [[ForWnatOfANail but also result in various villains conquering Equestria]], Twilight Sparkle has to time-travel back to prevent Starlight's meddling.

* BarrierWarrior: Celestia plays to this during the battle against King Sombra's forces, using a magical dome to repel a group of his troops who attempt to ambush her.

* RevengeBeforeReason: Starlight tries to alter the past to get revenge on the Mane Six, despite them being the only thing between Equestria and destruction on multiple occasions. This results in a war with King Sombra and the Crystal Empire because the Mane Six never stopped him in the first timeline, then Queen Chrysalis taking over in the second one. Justified, as Starlight had no idea what ruining their friendship would lead to.

* TheBusCameBack: After disappearing into the caves at the end of the season's opening two-parter, Starlight Glimmer returns with a vengeance.

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: The fates of Princess Cadence and Shining Armor, rulers of the Crystal Empire, are not revealed in the BadFuture where King Sombra returned.