History Recap / MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS5E17MadeInManehattan

* WhatTheHellIsThatAccent: The mare watching the play with her colt. It's vaguely Puerto Rican, but as Creator/TabithaStGermain is Canadian, it sounds ''ridiculously'' fake.

->'''Applejack''': "I'm suggestin' we stop worryin' about what we can't do, and start doing what we can! I think I've got a plan. It won't be anythin' big or fancy, but it'll be somethin'. And somethin's gotta be better than nothin', right?"

* SpotlightStealingSquad: This is the third of three ''consecutive'' Rarity-centric episodes -- in broadcast order, anyway. Although she shares the spotlight with another pony in this and the previous episode.

-->'''Applejack''': "I'm suggestin' we stop worryin' about what we can't do, and start doing what we can! I think I've got a plan. It won't be anythin' big or fancy, but it'll be somethin'. And somethin's gotta be better than nothin', right?"

-->Written by Noelle Benvenuti

[[caption-width-right:350:Rarijack shippers celebrate]]

** Coco Pommel's neighborhood is home to Manehattan's Haypacking district and fashion district, a reference to the Meatpacking and Garment districts in UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity.

* [[PuttingAHandOverHisMouth Putting a Hoof Over Her Mouth]]: AJ does this to Rarity to stop her when she starts getting overly melodramatic about the difficulties in getting the park and the stage ready for the play.

Written by Noelle Benvenuti

** Coco Pommel's neighborhood is home to Manehattan's Haypacking district and fashion district, a reference to the Meatpacking district in UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity.

* WhatTheHellIsThatAccent: The mare watching the play with her colt. It's vaguely Puerto Rican, but as Tabitha St. Germain is Canadian, it sounds ''ridiculously'' fake.

* PuttingAHandOverHisMouth: AJ does this to Rarity to stop her when she starts getting overly melodramatic about the difficulties in getting the park and the stage ready for the play.

** There are several to ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}'', including Rarity setting up a "Friendship Advice" stand similar to Lucy's Psychiatric Help stand, Rarity saying Charlie Brown's catchphrase ("Good grief"), and even a pony that walks past the stand has a similar zig-zag sweater and single hair curl on its head like Charlie Brown (his cutie mark is even a football, which Lucy tends to pull away from him). The music also shifts briefly to a Music/VinceGuaraldi-inspired ditty when the booth is first revealed.

* {{Adorkable}}: Twilight is bored and keeps expressing it with raspberries and bored sighs.

* ClothingDamage: Poor Applejack. Poor hat.
* ContinuityNod:

** Rarity hangs off a lamp post immediately upon arriving in Manehattan and [[WaxingLyrical says]] the first line of "Generosity", calling back to "Rarity Takes Manehattan".

* CreativeClosingCredits: Just like in the [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS5E16RarityInvestigates previous episode]], the usual credits music is replaced by a different composition - in this case, a melody very similar to "Working in the Coal Mine," complete with pickaxe-like clangs.

* ItsAllAboutMe: The problem Rarity and AJ were sent to fix was that everyone was so focused on themselves and their own problems that they didn't think that they had time to help their community, thinking that they had to make a giant contribution.

''(Coco gives a sheepish smile)''
* MundaneSolution: Discussed. When seeing just how bad the park is, Applejack wonders why the map didn't send Twilight, who could zap the entire park to perfection in two seconds. They ultimately realize that while Twilight could have done this, no one would have learned anything if she did.

* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: Subverted. Twilight ''wants'' to be this, since she's already read ''every'' book in the castle library and is bored out of her mind waiting for something to happen, but the map calls Rarity and AJ to Manehattan instead of her, much to her dejection.

** There are several to ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}} including Rarity setting up a "Friendship Advice" stand similar to Lucy's Psychiatric Help stand, Rarity saying Charlie Brown's catchphrase ("Good grief"), and even a pony that walks past the stand has a similar zig-zag sweater and single hair curl on its head like Charlie Brown (his cutie mark is even a football, which Lucy tends to pull away from him). The music also shifts briefly to a Music/VinceGuaraldi-inspired ditty when the booth is first revealed.
** An elderly mare yells "Hey, I'm trottin' here!" at a taxi-cart just like in Film/MidnightCowboy.
** In Coco's scrapbook there's pictures of Charity Kindheart working on costumes for WizardOfOz. Coco herself is working on costumes for [[MyFairLady My Fair Filly]]. ''[[Theatre/FiddlerOnTheRoof Trotter on the Roof]]'' is mentioned in the play.

* ShowWithinAShow: the play.

* SynchronousEpisodes: The episode takes place at the same time as "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS5E18BrotherhoovesSocial Brotherhooves Social]]", which shows what Apple Bloom was up to at the Sisterhooves Social while Applejack was away.
* SpotlightStealingSquad: This is the third of three ''consecutive'' Rarity-centric episodes - in broadcast order, anyway. Although she shares the spotlight with another pony in this and the previous episode.
* TakeAThirdOption: Since holding the program at the park was out of the question and they could hardly advertise, Rarity, Applejack and Coco decide to just build a stage outside the park and hold the performance there in the hope it'll attract ponies. It works.
* TheoryOfNarrativeCausality: Repeatedly {{invoked}} by Rarity and Applejack as the reason they were the only two summoned to Manehattan by the Cutie Map.

--> '''Applejack''': "Butter mah biscuits!"

* WriteWhoYouKnow: The play is a dramitization of how Charity Kindheart, the mare who inspired Coco, founded the Theater Revival.

As they cast about for ponies with friendship issues, Rarity finds a flyer advertising the Midsummer Theater Revival, headed by none other than Coco Pommel. Rarity and Applejack meet with Coco, who tells the two of them that the program was formerly headed by a generous pony named Charity Kindheart, who used to organize a yearly event with plays, refreshments, and a sense of friendship to unite the community. But that all ended when Charity moved away, and while Coco wants to step into Charity's horseshoes, there's far too much work for her to do it alone. Rarity and Applejack eagerly volunteer to help Coco, but they can't seem to find anypony else to help -- and when they try to do it all themselves, they become overwhelmed.

Coco laments her failure, while Rarity and Applejack openly wonder why the map didn't simply call Twilight to Manehattan with them, since her magic could have fixed everything with ease. Applejack consoles Coco with advice: do what you can and don't worry about the rest. They construct simpler costumes and a much smaller stage, presenting the Midsummer Theater Revival's play to anyone who happens to be passing by. As the show goes on, passing ponies stop to watch, eventually gathering a large crowd and accomplishing the Midsummer Theater Revival's main goal -- bringing the community together and engendering a spirit of friendship.

After the play is over, two ponies confide in Rarity and Applejack that they now understand how much difference even a little effort can make. Rarity comes to realize that Twilight was not summoned precisely ''because'' her magic would simply zap the problem away, which would mean the Manehatten ponies would never have seen the value of small efforts. The moment of insight causes Rarity and Applejack's cutie marks glow, meaning they've solved their friendship problem. Applejack is eager to head home, but Rarity can't resist stopping one more "crime against fashion" on their way back.

** Rarity hangs off a lamp post immediately upon arriving in Manehattan and says the first line of "Generosity", calling back to "Rarity Takes Manehattan".

* ThereAreNoCoincidences: The coincidence of them doing so is {{lampshade}}d by Coco after Rarity and Applejack find her flyer. Rarity believes it's fate.

* DeusExitMachina: Once again, The Map leaves Twilight Sparkle out, this time, it's {{Lampshaded}}, then {{Justified|Trope}} once they realize that the ease in which she could have fixed thing would prevent them from teaching the Maps intended Aesop.

** Twilight again being left out of traveling to a desired destination for a friendship problem. She even {{lampshade}}s that the map seems to do this to her a lot.

A bored Twilight Sparkle is suddenly summoned to the central chamber of her castle, where the large crystal map is summoning Rarity and Applejack to Manehattan to solve a friendship problem. Rarity is overjoyed to be going back to the big city again, but Applejack is curious as to why it called her, seeing as how the big city is out of her element. When the two of them arrive, Applejack is constantly interrupted and stymied by the rude and hurried behavior of the Manehattan ponies. While Rarity tries buying random ponies hats and helping them with fashion, it soon becomes clear that Rarity and Applejack have no idea why they were summoned.

Rarity sets up a friendship booth to try and attract somepony with a friendship problem, but it's no use. While there, a flyer blows into Rarity's face, advertising the Midsummer Theater Revival, headed by none other than Coco Pommel. Rarity and Applejack meet with Coco, who tells the two of them all about the Midsummer Theater Revival. It was headed by a generous pony named Charity Kindheart, who provided a space that a lot of the community came to for plays, refreshments, and a sense of friendship. But that all ended when Charity moved away to be closer to her grandfillies, and there's far too much work for Coco to do on her own. Rarity and Applejack eagerly offer to help Coco, but they can't seem to find any volunteers to help them do it. They agree to take on the tasks by themselves, but are soon shocked to see the state of disrepair that the stage has fallen into. Applejack sets to repairing the stage, but only gets so far before the actors in Coco's upcoming play arrive. As soon as one of them steps on the stage, it collapses into a heap.

Coco laments that they won't be able to put on the Midsummer Theater Revival anymore, while Rarity and Applejack openly wonder why the map didn't simply call Twilight to Manehattan with them, since there's no doubt Twilight could have just used her magic to fix the stage. Regardless, Applejack pledges to move forward, with a much smaller stage, presented to a passing street. The Midsummer Theater Revival's play goes on, telling the story of Charity Kindheart traveling to Manehattan to become a clothing designer, but ending up in the theater. As the play is performed, passing ponies stop to watch, eventually gathering a large crowd, effectively making the Midsummer Theater Revival a complete success.

After the play is over, one of the ponies who turned down Rarity and Applejack's offer to volunteer says that he thought that, in this day and age, the only way to help anypony was to make a giant contribution, but he now sees that you can make a difference even if it's a small one. That's when an idea strikes Rarity: the reason that they were called as opposed to Twilight is because that using Twilight's magic to simply zap the problem away wouldn't have caused the community around the theater to see that they can help in small ways. Rarity and Applejack's cutie marks glow, meaning they've solved their friendship problem. Applejack is eager to head home, but Rarity can't resist stopping one more "crime against fashion" on their way back.

* BrickJoke: Rarity goes off to solve another fashion-related FelonyMisdemeanor at the episode's end.