"This will be the best magical road trip ever!" Or not.
Written by Josh Haber
At the end of a magic show in Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle and Princess Cadance compliment Trixie and Starlight Glimmer on how well they work together. A Saddle Arabian unicorn named Hoo'Far has also seen the show, and he asks Trixie if she plans to do any performances in his homeland. She demurs at first, turning down his offer to trade her wagon for his larger, newer one, but eventually changes her mind and invites Starlight to go on the road with her.
Though living quarters inside Trixie's wagon are extremely cramped due to her props and Starlight's luggage, they decide to make the best of it. They get along well during the journey, but the experience begins to sour once they reach the desert village of Somnambula. Starlight's reckless spending leaves them short of funds for supplies, and they have to sleep in the wagon since every inn in town is packed to capacity. They drive each other crazy during the night and at breakfast the next morning, and their show (attended by Hoo'Far) degenerates into a barrage of sleep-deprived insults.
The next morning, Trixie is shocked to discover that Starlight has traded wagons with Hoo'Far so they can have more space. Furious, Trixie sends Starlight home with the new wagon and continues the tour alone, dragging her equipment across the desert. As Starlight struggles with the road hazards that had been so easy to conquer with Trixie's help, an encounter with a pair of traveling delivery mares — who have ended their own quarrel after seeing the two get along so well — inspires her to find Trixie again.
Meanwhile, Trixie intercepts Hoo'Far and demands to have her wagon back. Even after Starlight returns with his, he refuses to undo the trade unless they can prove their friendship. They clumsily improvise their version of the chant Twilight and Cadance did when they were younger, and Hoo'Far decides that only true friends would embarrass themselves so badly for each other's sake. With the trade reversed, Trixie and Starlight return to Ponyville, happy for having at least attempted the trip and for learning that they should never do it again.
Tropes:
- An Aesop:
- You shouldn't give something away at the sake of your friendship with someone else, especially if it isn’t yours to begin with.
- Just because friends like being together most of the time doesn't mean they want to be together all the time.
- The Alleged Car: Trixie's wagon is a minor example; the door sticks, with the door knob even breaking off during her first conversation with Hoo'Far.
- All There in the Script: Hoo'Far's name is never actually spoken in this episode, but it is shown in the end credits.
- Artistic License – Law: Starlight trading Trixie's wagon (without her Great and Powerful permission) to Hoo'Far is an iron-clad business transaction.
- Both Sides Have a Point: During their argument in the third act, both Trixie and Starlight have their point. On one hoof, it wasn't Starlight's call to trade away Trixie's wagon, even if it was for a "better" bargain for a bigger wagon. On the other hoof, Trixie doesn't quite have her priorities straight to say an inanimate wagon is a "better friend" than Starlight.
- Brick Joke:
- Starlight and Trixie witness Twilight and Cadance doing their "Sunshine" chant and dance at the end of the opening scene, and express their disinterest in such a thing. In order to prove their friendship and get Trixie's wagon back, they make up their own chant on the spot.
- The old stallion who takes Trixie's place in the trunk during the show in Somnambula grumbles about how cramped it is. Once Trixie and Starlight return to Ponyville, they find him still in the trunk and commenting that it actually does have enough room inside for a pony to take a nap.
- Call-Back:
- Twilight and Cadance perform their "Ladybugs Awake" chant for the first time since "The Times, They Are a Changeling".
- Starlight mentions her old village, recalling how she made them think her snoring was actually a group of wild bears.
- The Cameo: Cozy Glow is seen among the students lined up to see Starlight.
- Companion Cube: Trixie treats her wagon as a friend more than a possession. She calls it her only friend on the open road and after Starlight trades it for a bigger one she calls it her best friend, much to Starlight's anger.
- Continuity Nod:
- This episode marks the first appearance of Saddle Arabian ponies since their brief cameo debut in "Magic Duel", once again in conjunction with a Trixie episode.
- Starlight brings a copy of Dragon Pit for the trip with Trixie.
- One of the locations Trixie and Starlight travel through is the fire geyser Swamp.
- Trixie and Starlight stop at the village of Somnambula, which is having its annual Glowpaz festival.
- The two mail ponies were previously seen in "The Break Up Break Down".
- Cringe Comedy: Starlight and Trixie attempt to come up with a friendship chant on the spot. It's extraordinarily awkward, and commented on in-universe by Hoo'Far that it's obvious they just made that up.
- Deflector Shields: In the fiery swamp, a magic shield is used to protect the unicorns against a gout of flame. Interestingly, it's Trixie and not Starlight generating it, showing once again her progress in magic.
- Dual-Meaning Chorus: Given the road-trip premise, "We're Friendship Bound" would have the obvious meaning of "we are heading towards friendship". The alternative interpretation "we are bound by friendship", which is hinted at in the song itself, serves as Foreshadowing of the episode's conflict.
- Exhausted Eye Bags: Both Starlight and Trixie (most prominently the former) sport eye bags after spending the night in the cramped wagon with one snorer and one sleep-talker, respectively. Along with the associated foul mood from lack of sleep, naturally.
- Eye Cam:
- On being woken up by Starlight's snoring, we see the viewpoint from Trixie's opening eyelids... and she's startled because the first thing she sees is one of her star decorations with a goofy face.
- We see it again after a tumble, and Trixie open eyes to spot her precious wagon that was traded by Starlight.
- Face Fault: Hoo'Far's reaction to Starlight and Trixie's chant is to fall backwards into Trixie's wagon, setting off a smoke bomb in the process.
- Feather Fingers: Flurry Heart uses her wings to cover her face during the "scary" part of Trixie's show, and then peaks between the feathers.
- Furry Reminder: While camping outside Somnambula, Trixie and Starlight eat "haycakes" instead of pancakes.
- Germans Love David Hasselhoff: In-universe, Hoo'Far mentions that Trixie has lots of fans in Saddle Arabia, despite Trixie having never actually performed there.
- Gilligan Cut: Starlight says that Twilight and the others would "probably sing a song" about a road trip. It then cuts to her and Trixie singing a song about their road trip.
- Head Pet: Flurry Heart seems to like being on her mother's head, as she watches Trixie's whole show perched atop Cadance.
- Hypocritical Humor:
- Starlight says she is glad Twilight and the others are not with them because they would "probably sing a song" while traveling. Immediately after this, she and Trixie start singing while traveling.
- Trixie is annoyed by Starlight's loud snoring, yet she rehearses her show in her sleep.
- Leaning on the Fourth Wall:
- Trixie says the friendship between her and Starlight will last for "seasons yet to come," to which Starlight replies "for nine, at least." At the time, Friendship is Magic had recently been renewed for a ninth season, which also happened to be its last.
- At the end of the episode, the old pony who was napping in Trixie's trunk glances toward the camera and asks, "Is the show over?"
- Literary Allusion Title: The episode title, and the theme of the episode, evoke the concepts of the Crosby/Hope Road to ... film series. The song references "Road to Morocco".
- Moonwalk Dance: Trixie briefly stands on her hind legs and moonwalks while telling Hoo'Far why she won't trade her wagon.
- Never Smile at a Crocodile: The swamp that Starlight and Trixie cross on their journey is home to several crocodiles that Starlight blithely uses as stepping stones to cross the water, jumping off of each reptile as it rises to chomp down on her. Starlight encounters them again while crossing the swamp alone, and is quickly trapped on top her wagon by a circle of hungry reptilian mouths.
- No Antagonist: Hoo'far is the closest thing the episode has to an "antagonist", and even then he's not malicious nor the main problem. That mostly resides with Starlight and Trixie having to deal with the other's flaws.
- Once More, with Clarity: When Starlight makes the trip back to Ponyville alone, she finds it much more difficult.Starlight: This place is awful! How did I not see it before?!
- Passive-Aggressive Kombat: Used by Starlight and Trixie during one breakfast.Trixie: Oh. Would you like the last carrot? I know how fond you are of eating the last of things.
Starlight Glimmer: Oh, no. It might make me thirsty, and we don't have anything to drink. So...
Trixie: The good news is I'm so exhausted, I could sleep through a stampede of wild boars! Which, you'll be delighted to know, is only slightly louder than your snoring. - Plot-Mandated Friendship Failure: Starlight and Trixie get on each other's nerves during the road trip, which eventually reaches a climax when Starlight trades Trixie's wagon for a newer one. This starts a shouting match between the two of them that ends with them deciding to go separate ways. They make up by the end of the episode.
- Poor Communication Kills: While Trixie may have screwed up on her end on not telling Starlight about the sentimental value of her wagon, Starlight spontaneously trading her friend's house without even consulting her isn't exactly a friendly thing to do.
- Ridiculously Difficult Route: Trixie and Starlight's route to the first stop on their tour takes them around a perilous clifftop road, through a swamp of flame geysers and a bayou filled with cragodiles and tangling vines. They take it all in stride when they're together, but Starlight can't help but notice the perils when she retraces the route solo.
- Road Trip Plot: The core plot of the episode involves Trixie and Starlight traveling to Saddle Arabia to perform a magic show. Notably, they don't get all the way to Saddle Arabia; the farthest they get is Somnambula, and Hoo'far is the only Saddle Arabian to appear.
- Seasonal Baggage: In the song "We're Friendship Bound", Starlight line's "In summer, winter, spring, and fall, we're friends throughout the year" is accompanied by the background quickly skipping through the four seasons.
- Shout-Out: Starlight's line in "We're Friendship Bound" about a buddy movie with protagonists in hoof-cuffs is a reference to Midnight Run.
- The song in general is a take-off on the duet in the Road to ... films starring Bob Hope and Bing Crosby.
- Snark-to-Snark Combat: Starlight and Trixie spend nearly their entire time doing this to each other once they arrive in Somnambula.
- Stand Your Ground: Trixie is "Taking a stand! By lying down!" in front of her wagon to keep Hoo'Far from trotting away with it.
- Stereo Fibbing: Starlight and Trixie's friendship chant is incredibly awkward as they are both making it up on the spot.
- Talking in Your Sleep: Trixie rehearses her entire show while sleeping.
- They Changed It, Now It Sucks!: In-Universe for Trixie and Starlight's magic show. When they first do the show in Ponyville they are both enthusiastic and play off each other, getting a cheer from the whole crowd, but when they do it in Somnambula they are both cranky and exhausted from the previous night and insult each other in dull voices. Their performance only gets a mild awkward applause from the pony who originally saw them in Ponyville, who says their show was much better there than it is now.
- Title Drop: Invoked several times during the song, and also in dialogue (such as when Hoo'Far notes that "there seems to be trouble on the road to friendship").
- The Unreveal: The viewers don't get to see what Saddle Arabia looks like since Trixie and Starlight cancel their trip and head back to Ponyville.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: Starlight and Trixie make jabs at each other that start out as good-natured but slowly become more and more bitter until they are insulting each other during their own magic show. They eventually come back together and reaffirm their friendship to get Trixie's wagon back, even if it means embarrassing themselves.
- Worldbuilding: While we don't get to see Saddle Arabia, we at least learn that the Saddle Arabians consist of more than just earth ponies (as was implied in "Magic Duel"), since Hoo'Far is a unicorn.
