History Recap / MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E4OneBadApple

* FixFic: ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8758944/1/Consequences-A-Bad-Apple-Comedy-of-Justice Consequences – A Bad Apple Comedy of Justice]]'' is two Fix Fics in one: The author saw Babs Seed as a bit of a KarmaHoudini ([[ShoutOut right down to mentioning the trope name in his Author's Notes]]), so he wrote two short stories where Applejack intervenes shortly after Babs' FaceHeelTurn in the first, and a reformed Discord actually shows Babs this episode in a dream for the second one.

** Applejack neglects to inform Apple Bloom that Babs also doesn't have a cutie mark; upon getting this key piece of information, Apple Bloom changes her behavior.

* KarmaHoudini: Sure, she has a FreudianExcuse, and she makes a HeelFaceTurn, but Babs Seed still gets off without any punishment at all for all the bullying she did to the CMC (which includes destroying the float they made for the parade, kicking them out of their own clubhouse, and kicking Apple Bloom out of her own bed and forcing her to sleep on the floor).

* KnightOfCerebus: Babs Seed, by the standards of the CMC episodes. While Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon's bullying isn't PlayedForLaughs, Babs' is played as much more serious, realistic, and genuinely hurtful than theirs. It's made clear the Crusaders are being hurt by what she's doing to them, and she physically bullies them at points. Fitting, as this episode was made to highlight the serious matter of bullying.

* FixFic: ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8758944/1/Consequences-A-Bad-Apple-Comedy-of-Justice Consequences – A Bad Apple Comedy of Justice]]'' is two Fix Fics in one: The author saw Babs Seed as a bit of a KarmaHoudini ([[OneOfUs right down to mentioning the trope name in his Author's Notes]]), so he wrote two short stories where Applejack intervenes shortly after Babs' FaceHeelTurn in the first, and a reformed Discord actually shows Babs this episode in a dream for the second one.

-->'''Sweetie Belle:''' Why do I feel like crying?[[note]]And she does, when Babs takes the CMC's clubhouse from them.[[/note]]
* BriarPatching: The CMC's revenge scheme depends on Babs stealing their parade float. They accomplish this by emphatically asking Babs not to steal it.

** Rarity's dad Magnum is seen fishing outside with some food: [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E5SisterhoovesSocial burnt juice and fried pancakes]]. Given this sets up for a scene in one of the CMC's bedrooms (and not Apple Bloom's), this likely confirms where Sweetie Belle and her parents live.

** The CMC building their second float is a nod to ''Series/TheATeam''--[[ATeamMontage various shots of the CMC's hooves working on the float]], complete with a [[SuspiciouslySimilarSong similar music cue]] to ''The A-Team'' theme.

** The CMC's deflating balloons after Applejack's [[WhamLine wham]] [[TheReveal line]] about Babs.

* AbsenteeActor: While every member of the Mane Six and Spike appear, only Applejack and Pinkie receive lines.

* BrokenAesop: The CMC learn the Aesop that when being bullied, instead of retaliating they should tell an adult like Applejack who can handle the situation better. However, the episode ends with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon bullying the CMC in front of Applejack, [[AdultsAreUseless who does nothing]]. Instead, Babs Seed handles things by scaring them off through intimidation, causing them to fall into mud (it isn't clear whether this result was intentional or not). To her credit, Babs does threaten to tell the girls' mothers, but she never carries out said threat, she was in no position to do so because she was about to leave town, and as "Crusaders of the Lost Mark" reveals, [[spoiler: telling Diamond Tiara's mother wouldn't have been a reliable solution, because her mother is the one who taught her to despise and mock blank flanks like the CMC in the first place]].

* BiggerBad: Whoever it was that bullied Babs back in Manehattan. They're indirectly responsible for the plot, but they never appear and we know next to nothing about them. If they didn't exist and Babs had some other FreudianExcuse for her actions, the plot probably wouldn't change much.

* OcularGushers: Sweetie Belle when Babs takes over the clubhouse. [[GenreSavvy Apple Bloom pulls out an umbrella so she and Scootaloo won't get drenched by her tears]].

* RedheadedBully: Babs. She even has freckles.

* AdultsAreUseless: DoubleSubverted. While Babs' bullying goes for most of the episode unencumbered, Applejack points out that the ''entire plot'' [[CouldHaveAvoidedThisPlot would've been resolved]] had the CMC told an adult instead of trying to handle things themselves. In the end, Babs promises to tell her sister about her own bullying problem. However, when she witnesses Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon's bullying, Applejack does nothing but look enraged. Instead, Babs Seed handles things by scaring them off through intimidation, causing them to fall into mud (it isn't clear whether this result was intentional or not). Babs does threaten to tell the girls' mothers, but she never carries out said threat, she was in no position to do so because she was about to leave town, and as "Crusaders of the Lost Mark" reveals, [[spoiler: telling Diamond Tiara's mother wouldn't have been a reliable solution, because her mother is the one who taught her to despise and mock blank flanks like the CMC in the first place]].

* BrokenAesop: The Cutie Mark Crusaders learn the Aesop that when being bullied, instead of retaliating they should tell an adult like Applejack who can handle the situation better. However, the episode ends with Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon bullying the CMC in front of Applejack, [[AdultsAreUseless who does nothing]]. Instead, Babs Seed handles things by scaring them off through intimidation, causing them to fall into mud (it isn't clear whether this result was intentional or not). To her credit, Babs does threaten to tell the girls' mothers, but she never carries out said threat, she was in no position to do so because she was about to leave town, and as "Crusaders of the Lost Mark" reveals, [[spoiler: telling Diamond Tiara's mother wouldn't have been a reliable solution, because her mother is the one who taught her to despise and mock blank flanks like the CMC in the first place]].

* AdultsAreUseless: [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]]. While Babs' bullying goes for most of the episode unencumbered, Applejack points out that the ''entire plot'' [[CouldHaveAvoidedThisPlot would've been resolved]] had the CMC told an adult instead of trying to handle things themselves. In the end, Babs promises to tell her sister about her own bullying problem. When she ''witnesses'' Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon's bullying, Applejack is clearly enraged, but Babs deals with the situation properly before she gets the chance to do anything.

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: The gold paint the CMC's use on their new float is a special powdered dye Rarity uses for edible clothing.

* TheDogBitesBack: {{Defied|Trope}} The CMC attempt this... and then try to pull their punch when they learn Babs' motivation.

* TheDogBitesBack: The CMC attempt this... and then try to pull their punch when they learn Babs' motivation.

* KarmaHoudini: Sure, she has a FreudianExcuse, and she makes HeelFaceTurn, but Babs Seed still gets off without any punishment at all for all the bullying she did to the CMC (which includes destroying the float they made for the parade, kicking them out of their own clubhouse, and kicking Apple Bloom out of her own bed and forcing her to sleep on the floor).

* UsefulNotes/AmericanAccents: The [[BigApplesauce Manehattenite]] Babs Seed naturally has a New York accent.

* InitiationCeremony: The Cutie Mark Crusaders welcome Babs to their ranks with tremendous pomp, including some TribalDrums played by Scootaloo.

* KarmaHoudini: Sure, she has a FreudianExcuse, and she makes HeelFaceTurn, but Babs Seed still gets off without any punishment at all for all the bullying she did to the CMC (which includes destroying the float they made for the parade, kicking them out of there own clubhouse, and kicking Apple Bloom out of her own bed and forcing her to sleep on the floor).

** "Let us in", said to Pinkie on the Lettuce float.
* {{Pun}}: Pinkie Pie has an abundance of lettuce-related wordplay gags. She also thinks the Crusaders are doing this when they seem to be saying "Lettuce in!"

* SchoolBullyingIsHarmless: Variant 3, and played with. The Cutie Mark Crusaders are clearly shown to not enjoy being bullied, but they do not shown to suffer any lasting harm, and the bully stops because of a single incident and never does it again. However, the focus is on the fact some people become bullies in response to bullying, which is treated as serious and avoiding it is the aesop of the episode. Babs Seed herself shows signs of psychological harm and was sent to Ponyville in the first place because of the bullying she suffered. While Applejack believes telling an adult will solve the problem, she also promises that she and the CMC will help if that doesn't solve the problem.

** The giant pumpkin cart resembles the pumpkin coach from Cinderella.

* PoorCommunicationKills: Applejack holds off on telling the Crusaders the reason Babs came to Ponyville. Justified because she thought it would've make Babs feel singled out for the very thing she was trying to escape.

* AmericanAccents: The [[BigApplesauce Manehattenite]] Babs Seed naturally has a New York accent.

* NoodleIncident: We never find out how Babs was bullied in Manehattan but her treatment of the crusaders implies that it must have been pretty bad.

* BystanderSyndrome: Applejack said the bullying situation could have been avoided if the CMC told her in the beginning, and yet when Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon return to bully them some more, Applejack STANDS RIGHT THERE and does nothing [[spoiler: while Babs defends them]], though by the look on her face, [[MamaBear she'd be ready to pounce on them had Babs not intervened]].

* IdeaBulb: {{Invoked}}. When the CMC explain to Babs Seed that the spot under the lamp is where they often go to think, Sweetie Bell turns it on.

-->'''Sweetie Belle:''' We, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, elect Babs Seed to join us as a sister, friend, confidante, ally, bosom buddy, gal pal, compadre, chum of chums, home girl, [...] and fellow Cutie Mark Crusader! You are solemnly sworn in, here this day, in witness of your fellow [[OverlyLongGag sisters, friends, confidantes, bosom buddies, compadres]]...

!!Tropes present in this episode (YMMV tropes go [[YMMV/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E4OneBadApple here]]):

* AnAesop: Bullying is not okay, and [[HeWhoFightsMonsters getting revenge on a bully could turn you into a bully yourself]]. The best way to deal with a bully is to tell an adult.

* [[BeingTorturedMakesYouEvil Being Bullied Makes You a Bully]]: Babs's FreudianExcuse in a nutshell; the CMC barely avoid meeting the same fate.

* BystanderSyndrome: Applejack said the bullying situation could have been avoided if the CMC told her in the beginning, and yet when Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon return to bully them some more, Applejack STANDS RIGHT THERE and does nothing [[spoiler: while Babs defends them]], though by the look on her face, [[MamaBear she'd be ready to pounce on them had Babs not intervened]].

* CartoonlandTime: Even if their work was slapdash, their replacement float would have to have taken days to finish at the minimum, yet they finished it in a single night. Considering their [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E17StareMaster previous]] [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E18TheShowStoppers demonstrations]] of woodworking ability, a few days is being generous, however there is justification: Apple Bloom has been shown to be a wiz at carpentry when she's on her own (she restored the clubhouse herself, whereas the backdrop during their performance was made by Sweetie Belle), so assuming she got the other two out of the way she could do it. We can also assume that the CMC cut corners when making their float--after all, the whole point of the thing is for it to be smashed by the end--so it seems their first priority is simply to make it look good.

* ColorCodedForYourConvenience

* FixFic: [[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8758944/1/Consequences-A-Bad-Apple-Comedy-of-Justice "Consequences – A Bad Apple Comedy of Justice"]] is two Fix Fics in one: The author saw Babs Seed as a bit of a KarmaHoudini ([[OneOfUs right down to mentioning the trope name in his Author's Notes]]), so he wrote two short stories where Applejack intervenes shortly after Babs' FaceHeelTurn in the first, and a reformed Discord actually shows Babs this episode in a dream for the second one.

* {{Foreshadowing}}

* GenreThrowback: TheVillainSucksSong is specifically not a DisneyAcidSequence, but a throwback to classic HannaBarbera toons like ''WesternAnimation/JosieAndThePussycats'' and ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDoo''.

* [[HoistByHisOwnPetard Hoist by Their Own Petard]][=/=]TakingTheBullet: The Cutie Mark Crusaders save Babs from their self-sabotaged parade float, only to suffer the crash themselves.
* [[HandRubbing Hoof Rubbing]]: The Crusaders do this as they eagerly wait for their parade float to crash with Babs in it.
* HurricaneOfEuphemisms[=/=]LongList: The CMC acceptance speech contains a ''very'' long list of titles before finally getting to the point. Scootaloo wants Sweetie Belle to hurry it up, only to be reminded that ''she'' was the one who wrote it.
-->'''Sweetie Belle:''' We, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, elect Babs Seed to join us as a sister, friend, confidante, ally, bosom buddy, gal pal, compadre, chum of chums, home girl, [...] and fellow Cutie Mark Crusader! You are solemnly sworn in, here this day, in witness of your fellow [[OverlyLongGag sisters, friends, confidantes, bosom buddies, compadres]]...

* IncrediblyLamePun: Pinkie Pie has an abundance of lettuce-related wordplay gags. She also thinks the Crusaders are doing this when they seem to be saying "Lettuce in!"

* {{Irony}}: Sweetie Belle lampshades how ironic life can get in when they realize they've resorted to [[AddedAlliterativeAppeal bullying to get back at a formerly bullied bully who was only bullying them to avoid getting bullied herself]] (Try saying that ten times fast!).

* KarmaHoudini: Sure, she has a FreudianExcuse, and she makes HeelFaceTurn, but Babs Seed still gets off without any punishment at all for all the bullying she did to the CMC (which includes destroying the float they made for the parade, kicking them out of there own clubhouse, and kicking Apple Bloom out of her own bed and forcing her to sleep on the floor.

* NonStandardCharacterDesign: Babs is slightly chubbier and bulkier than the usual little filly. Also, the color of her coat is usually associated with male ponies.

* [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Pony]]: Sweetie Belle is the only CMC member to advocate talking to Applejack from the start.

* [[HeWhoFightsMonsters She Who Fights Bullies]]: The reason Babs Seed is a bully to the Crusaders is so she won't be bullied by [[{{Jerkass}} Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon]]. It happens to the Crusaders as well when they try to get back at Babs. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] by Sweetie Belle:
-->'''Sweetie Belle:''' Why does life have to be so ironic?!
* ShutUpHannibal: Babs does this to Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon while they're trying to bully the CMC again.

** The [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UReSqv0o4G4 song the CMC sing about Babs]] is stated by {{Word of God}} to be a {{Homage}} to classic Creator/{{Hanna-Barbera}} songs.

* StealthPun: The episode title.

* TheStoolPigeon: Lampshaded. The only reason why the [=CMCs=] didn't want to tell an adult about the bullying that was going on was because they didn't want to be labeled as "snitches" by Babs.

* BystanderSyndrome: Applejack said the bullying situation could have been avoided if the CMC told her in the beginning, and yet when Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon return to bully them some more, Applejack STANDS RIGHT THERE and does nothing [[spoiler: while Babs defends them]]