History Recap / MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS8E10TheBreakUpBreakdown

* NiceHat: At the "emergency guy's night," Discord gives Big Mac a fedora. He also gives one to Spike after Spike insists on it.

* AbsenteeActor: None of the Mane Six appear in this episode. This is also the first to only feature Spike, who mentions Fluttershy (and almost mentions Rarity before getting cut off).

* FrivolousSummoning: Spike and Big [=MacIntosh=] summon Discord, an all-powerful RealityWarper - just so he can cook a pie Big Mac is making for his girlfriend faster. Needless to say, Discord is not amused at being summoned for such a trivial matter.

When Big Mac returns to the barn, upset and angry, he lashes out at Sweetie Belle when she tries to calm him down, but comes to his senses, and realizes he reacted too fast. As they talk, Discord gets an idea and vanishes. The CMC and Spike help convince Big Mac to hear out what Sugar Belle has to say, and he races off to find her. Outside of town, a heartbroken Sugar Belle is pulling a wagon of supplies back to her village when the wheel breaks. As she tries to clean up, Big Mac arrives and apologizes for what he said earlier. Sugar Belle accepts his apology, and tells him what she was planning on telling him: that he no longer has to be visit since she will be coming to Ponyville to take cooking lessons from Mrs. Cake for a few days each week, and had concerns about her cousin watching the store for her, exactly as Spike had said. Pleased to know she'll be around more, Big Mac fixes her wagon, and learns she never got the pie he made. He tells Sugar Belle that he has a surprise waiting for her back at the barn as he pulls her back towards town.

** Don't assume; communicate with your friends, and everything will work itself out. Sugar Belle [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] this at the end.

* PoorCommunicationKills: Both the main and secondary plots of the episode (Big Mac & Sugar Belle and the CMC's) could have been easily rectified if somepony had realized the crossed signals and explained the situation before things got out of hoof.

* {{Teleportation}}: Discord, as usual, uses his RealityWarper power to move around, and he teleports a lot in this episode. He also brings Big Mac and Spike with him several times, causing Spike to crash once from the too-sudden change of scenery. Spike asks Discord to warn him when he keeps doing that afterwards.

* KickTheDog: Discord tempts Big Mac to do this with Sugar Belle by breaking up with her before she does.

* VengeanceFeelsEmpty: This comes into play after Big Mac breaks up with Sugar Belle on the basis of "getting back at her." Instantly, he feels horrible at what he said to Sweetie Belle, especially when seeing all the other happy couples reminds him of what he gave up.

** The colts the CMC ask about Sweetie Belle's secret admirer are, in order, Pipsqueak, Button Mash, and Snips and Snails.

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Discord. Despite scoffing at the idea of love, and showing little sympathy to Big Mac's romantic woes, he is genuinely angry at Sugar Belle for "breaking up" with Big Mac, and ultimately sabotages her cart so the two can reconcile.