History Recap / MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS8E14AMatterOfPrincipals

--> Written by Nicole Dubac

As the Mane 6 depart, Starlight and Spike find Discord is there too. Discord is upset that Twilight didn't ask him to help run the school, but before he can take over, Starlight asserts she's going to follow the lists that Twilight left, as she doesn't want to let Twilight down. Discord seems to accept this, but Spike knows that Discord will likely cause a ruckus. The next day, they find Discord has hired temporary staff, all ill-fit for their teaching duties, such as Iron Will for friendship lessons. Starlight reprimands Discord, tells him to leave her alone, and replaces his hires with competent ponies. However, Discord still manages to cause disruption in the classes with his chaos. Starlight approaches Discord, but he refutes to recognize Starlight as the headmare, leading Starlight to hit him with powerful magic that appears to completed disintegrate him, but in reality only banishing him from the school.

* TheCameo: Cozy Glow makes a nonspeaking appearance during the opening scene in Twilight's class.

* JerkassHasAPoint: During the season premier, Chancellor Neighsay brought up the possibility of Twilight and her friends being called away on a quest and leaving the school without an effective teaching staff, which ended up happening in this episode.

As the Mane 6 depart, Starlight and Spike find Discord is there too. Discord is upset that Twilight didn't ask him to help run the school, but before he can take over, Starlight asserts she's going to follow the lists that Twilight left, as she doesn't want to let Twilight down. Discord seems to accept this, but Spike knows that Discord will likely cause a ruckus. The next day, they find Discord has hired temporary staff, all ill-fit for their teaching duties, such as Iron Will for friendship lessons. Starlight reprimands Discord, tells him to leave her alone, and replaces his hires with competent ponies. However, Discord still manages to cause disruption in the classes with his chaos. Starlight approaches Discord, but he refutes to recognize Starlight as the headmare, leading Starlight to hit him with powerful magic that appears to completed disintegrate him.

When Twilight Sparkle leaves Starlight in charge of the School of Friendship, Discord is frustrated he wasn't picked for the job, and he does his best to make Starlight's new role impossible.

* SnipeHunt: [[spoiler:What the Mane Six's "Cutie Map mission" turns out to be.]]

* JerkassBall: Discord holds it firmly once again for the entire episode. He lures the Mane Six away on a bogus map mission, makes Starlight as miserable as possible while she tries to run the school, and practically tortures the students with his antics. All because he felt left out due to not being invited to the school's grand opening.

* TookALevelInJerkass: Cranky Doodle Donkey is suddenly viewing others as at his beck and call.

!!This episode contains examples of the following tropes:
* ZeroPercentApprovalRating: None of the students are excited when Starlight offers Discord a job at the school as vice headmare.
* BigNo: After Starlight offers Discord position of vice headmare, Yona shouts one out while the other students voice their own objections.

*** As a reference to the same episode, Spike refuses to run the school because "being a princess through Twilight was hard enough."
** Starlight mentions she and Discord are old "saving Equestria buddies," referencing "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS6E26ToWhereAndBackAgainPart2 To Where and Back Again]]."

* EasilyForgiven: After spending the entire episode wreaking havoc around the Friendship School and endangering the students at several points, and even sending the Mane 6 on a bogus Friendship Map quest, he reveals he did all this because he felt left out for not being a part of the School. Starlight then apologizes to him and offers him a job.

* CallBack: One of the "substitute teachers" Discord gets is [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS5E10PrincessSpike a dragonsneeze tree]]. Just like before, it makes a dragon uncontrollably breathe fire when Smolder can't help herself but sneeze in its presence.

* {{Bookworm}}: Ocellus because the objects at the beginning of the episode as artifacts since she read ahead in the textbook. She later checks her book for clues during the Spell-venger Hunt.

* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: Played with. Starlight's banishment spell only affects Discord's body, not his spirit nor his powers themselves; naturally, it's LoopholeAbuse time.

* GreenEyedMonster: Discord is upset that he wasn't picked as temporary principal and sets out to drive Starlight crazy.

* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: Played with. Starlight's temporary banishment spell only affects Discord's body, not his spirit nor his powers themselves; naturally, it's LoopholeAbuse time.

* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: Played with. Starlight's banishment spell only affects Discord's body, not his spirit nor his powers themselves; naturally, it's LoopholeAbuse time.

* ShoutOut: Discord at one point appears among the students in a outfit based on the ''Series/ThirtyRock'' meme involving Creator/SteveBuscemi appearing to try to look cool among school kids.

* DualMeaningTitle: Explicitly "Principals" in the title, but "[[EveryoneHasStandards principles]]" is clearly implied.

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* NotHelpingYourCase: Actively and intentionally making the acting principal's job harder doesn't help Discord's argument that he should have been acting principal instead.

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* AesopAmnesia: Discord [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS6E18DungeonsAndDiscords looked down upon Spike and Big Mac]], who he considered beneath him, and now he's looking down at Starlight Glimmer who he considers unworthy of being principal.