YMMV / My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic S2 E13 "Hearth's Warming Eve"

• Accidental Innuendo: It might have been overlooked if there weren't previous similar cases ("A Dog and Pony Show", "May the Best Pet Win") but Twilight being ridden by Rarity seemed to raise a few eyebrows in the community (see Les Yay below).
• Alternate Aesop Interpretation: In addition to their general hostility toward the other pony races, each leader has a flaw that represents a common criticism against government: overly aggressive and war-mongering (Commander Hurricane/Rainbow Dash), aloof, pampered, and out-of-touch with the people (Princess Platinum/Rarity), and incompetent or even idiotic (Chancellor Puddinghead/Pinkie Pie). Is this a simple holiday myth about friendship, or a multifaceted fable about how to maintain harmony, both among individuals and in a greater community?
• Alternative Character Interpretation: Were the windigos evil spirits intentionally causing the ponies suffering and grief or non-sentient beasts who were merely feeding and their natural way of survival made them a dangerous threat?
• Fanfic Fuel: The land that the ponies originally came from. What happened to it? Who lives there now? Is it even still inhabitable?
• Faux Symbolism:
  • The fiery heart in the sky at the end of the episode could be seen as representing the Star of Bethlehem.
  • The Equestrian flag the three tribes decide on at the end looks almost but not quite like Celestia and Luna but could as easily be a Yin-Yang representing the new balance and harmony between the races.
• Harsher in Hindsight: After seeing "Hurricane Fluttershy" and "Filli Vanilli", one can't help but be amazed the poor pegasus managed to finish the play at all.
• Hilarious in Hindsight: Five years later, Disney would also use a play within the show that tells the story of how different races that were traditionally enemies came together to found a new land where they would all live together in harmony to introduce viewers to the world of Zootopia.
• Les Yay: Compared to the other groups, Platinum and Clover seem rather...close.
  • The Les Yay might stem from the fact that they are both played by mares playing to the script, but for all we know, Clover was male originally. In fact, all of them except Princess Platinum could have been male (the most likely cases being Commander Hurricane and Smart Cookie, which can be assumed from the fact that AJ keeps her long hair tucked in her costume for the most part except an animation error, which is the poor-mans way of making a long-haired actor/actress appear to have short hair. The commander is addressed as "sir" and is only referred to as "her" once, which may have been a mistake of Fluttershy's).
  • Clover the Clever was later revealed to be male so this trope is Subverted.
• Nightmare Fuel: Even though they're portraying other characters, it's still disconcerting to watch as beloved members of the Mane Six freeze solid with their faces contorted with hatred.
  • The roar of the windigos.
• Suspiciously Similar Song:
  • When the leaders of the three tribes and their assistants are making up, there are small snippets that are very reminiscent of "Greensleeves" playing.
  • And another one of the jingles (used primarily for Princess Platinum) is extremely reminiscent of the opening tune of nothing less than Exodus (1960).

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