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Context Recap / MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E23InspirationManifestation

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1[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mlp_s4e23_inspirationmanifestation_524.jpg]]
2[[caption-width-right:350:[[BadNewsInAGoodWay Don't worry]], ''[[NightmareFuel Rarity's going to make you look fabulous]]!'']]
3
4->'''Rarity:''' I'm so excited! ''I'm so excited!''\
5'''Spike:''' I'm so scared.
6
7->Written by Corey Powell and Meghan [=McCarthy=]
8
9The Ponyville Foal and Filly Fair is almost underway, and Rarity is making a puppet stand with Spike's help. However, her elaborate booth is unappreciated by Claude the puppeteer, who needs a much more practical setup. Distraught, Rarity drowns her sorrows in ice cream. Seeking to help, Spike and Owlowiscious search the Castle of the Two Sisters for a spellbook that might be of use, eventually stumbling upon a hidden tome that claims to give an inspiration manifestation. Rarity recites the spell, and is granted the power to manifest her ideas, but with the warning that only true words can free her from its power. Rarity and Spike track down Claude, showing him a much better version of a puppet theater, which he accepts. Spike attempts to return the book, but Rarity decides to keep it, citing its use for her talent.
10
11The next day, Spike goes to Carousel Boutique, which explodes outward with dresses. Rarity has been up all night under the spell's influence, creating more dresses. She intends to use the Inspiration Manifestation to beautify Ponyville, but decides not to let anyone know she's the one responsible while making Spike promise not to tell. She also refuses to ask permission to change everypony's things or to even consider that they might not like what she's done. Rarity constantly badgers Spike for compliments, and Spike constantly heaps praise on her redesigns, despite being apprehensive about their changes, with Owlowiscious watching over Spike with a stern glare. As her changes increase in scale, to the point where Twilight and all of Ponyville think there's some kind of villain on the loose, Spike realizes he needs to stop her though he fears it'll mean the end of his friendship with her.
12
13Spike hatches a plan to steal the book from Rarity, but even when he succeeds -- and ''eats'' the book -- its magic continues to control her. Since Rarity intends to beautify all of Equestria, Spike finally puts his foot down and admits that her changes aren't making things better, and he should have told her sooner. This is what finally breaks the Inspiration Manifestation, and Rarity returns to normal. Spike apologizes for not telling the truth sooner, to which Rarity replies that he should never be afraid to tell her the truth, because they're friends.
14
15Back at the library, Spike writes in the Mane Six's journal that a true friend won't be angry if you tell them the truth, because they know you care about them.
16->''Today I learned how important it is to be honest with your friends when they're doing something that you don't think is right. A true friend knows that you're speaking up because you care about them.''
17
18Twilight enters, visibly frazzled, having had to clean up all of the dark magic Rarity was using. She scolds Spike for taking a book from the old castle's library...to which Spike replies that Twilight looks awful. He's just being a good friend by telling her the truth, right?
19----
20!!Tropes:
21
22* AddedAlliterativeAppeal:
23** "Can't you see how distraught, disappointed, and downtrodden I still am?"
24** "Foal and Filly Fair".
25* AddictiveMagic: The spellbook effectively serves as this for Rarity. Under its influence, she stops eating, grows increasingly manic in her behavior, and is only free of it when Spike finally stops enabling her and makes her realize how harmful it is.
26* AffectionateNickname: Rarity calls Spike "precious scales".
27* AllThereInTheScript: The puppeteer pony Claude's name isn't mentioned in this episode, but it is revealed in the end credits.
28* AlternateIdentityAmnesia: When the Inspiration Manifestation spell breaks, Rarity can't recall her actions prior.
29* AnAesop: Being a good friend means being honest to them as well.
30* ArtifactOfDoom: The spell was inscribed on a stone tablet-like book covered in spikes and kept in a dark cave and guarded with a barred and locked gate. The spell itself also slowly corrupts the user.
31* ArtisticLicenseAnimalCare: Only [[FridgeHorror intensifies the horror of the spell]]. Rarity's ice cream binge had to have given her massive horse colic, yet ''she didn't even notice''!
32* ArtisticLicenseBiology: Robins make their nests out in the open and not in hollowed out trees and therefore don't use birdhouses. Robins also do not eat birdseed so would have no interest in the rather copious amount of it Fluttershy provides. How Fluttershy could not know this despite basically being an expert on animals is anyone's guess.
33* AwesomeButImpractical:
34** The puppet stage Rarity initially made may have been aesthetically appealing and elaborate, but it was rejected by Claude the puppet-master due to being difficult to move around and being too cramped on the inside for him and his puppets.
35** The spell causes Rarity to make nothing but that. She paves the streets with gold, blinding all the ponies and fancies up a child's birthday party.
36* BalloonBelly: Subverted. In spite of all the ice cream Rarity eats in the midst of her depression, she doesn't gain any visible weight.
37* BeautyIsNeverTarnished: Rarity looks very good for someone who's spent the day crying and devouring ice cream, and only very slightly below her usual standards. Of course, this being Rarity, she immediately fixes her mane to its usual pristine state when she perks up.
38* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: Wishing for a spell that will make one's imagination come to life might cause them to want to inflict it upon the town.
39* BeQuietNudge: Rarity slams into Spike rather hard to prevent him from revealing the existence of the spell.
40* BrutalHonesty: What ultimately breaks the spell over Rarity when Spike finally tells her that her "improvements" aren't making things better for anypony. He also tells Twilight she looks awful at the end after she's spent the entire day cleaning up Rarity's mess.
41* TheCameo:
42** Among the other pairings noted in ContinuityNod, Vinyl and Bulk Biceps are at the fair.
43** Rarity's upgrade to the mariachi band for the filly's party includes Octavia and two orchestra members who played at the [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E26TheBestNightEver Grand Galloping Gala]].
44* CantTakeCriticism: When Claude lambasts Rarity's gorgeous-looking but impractical puppet theater, she suffers a meltdown. When being corrupted by the Inspiration Manifestation spell, this is taken up to eleven.
45* CaptainOblivious: Spike doesn't see anything at all wrong with the idea of using a spell from an ancient tome with spikes coming out of it that he was only able to obtain by ''breaking into the room it was kept''. He's later similarly oblivious to the room crumbling as he walks away with his prize.
46* ChewingTheScenery: You can almost imagine Tabitha St. Germain desperately trying to hold back the maniacal laughter in her rant at the end, especially with the [[ForDoomTheBellTolls ominous bells]] chiming in the background.
47-->'''Rarity:''' ...until there isn't an inch of Equestria that hasn't been ''utterly transformed by'' '''''[[PunctuatedForEmphasis my! creative! GENIUS!]]'''''
48* CityOfGold: Rarity paves all the streets in town with gold, Which ends up blinding a lot of ponies due to the sun's reflection.
49* ClownCarBase: While Rarity's "improvements" on the birdhouse make it double in size, the interior is so big that the robin gets lost and it includes a shoe closet and multiple stairwells.
50* CoincidentalDodge: After taking the Inspiration Manifestation tome from its resting place, Spike blithely walks away while entirely unaware of the room falling apart around him, and only dodges falling chunks of masonry and avoids falling from the rapidly-collapsing staircase through simple coincidence.
51* CompanionCube: DownplayedTrope. Rarity considers the book to be an actual person, which Spike admits is pretty creepy. That said, she's never seen to try and interact with it, nor is she all that upset when the book is destroyed. (Though that's mostly because she didn't need the book by that point.)
52* TheConscience: Owlowiscious serves as Spike's moral reminder throughout the episode, guilting him about his complacency until he finally confronts Rarity.
53* ContinuityNod:
54** Spike mentions Owlowiscious' bow tie that Rarity made for him in ''[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E24OwlsWellThatEndsWell Owl's Well That Ends Well]]''.
55** During the prologue, various pony families are seen together setting up the fair, including [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E22HurricaneFluttershy Thunderlane and Rumble]], [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E11FamilyAppreciationDay Diamond Tiara and Filthy Rich]], [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E5SisterhoovesSocial Sweetie and her (and Rarity's) parents (without their vacation clothes), and Dinky and Amethyst Star]].
56** [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E7Bats Vampire fruit bats]] can be seen flying at the ruins of the original castle of the Two Royal Sisters.
57* CreepyDoll: The puppeteer's puppets, or at least when he manipulates them to shun Rarity.
58* CrystalLandscape: As Rarity's aesthetic tastes usually run towards the gem-encrusted, her beautifying rampage through Ponyville ultimately ends up turning it into a town of crystal trees and houses and golden roads.
59* CurseEscapeClause: Telling the truth breaks the spell.
60* DinnerDeformation: The spell book creates a bulge in Spike's throat as he swallows it.
61* DisapprovingLook: Owlowiscious gives Spike several over the course of the episode.
62* DontTouchItYouIdiot: Owlowiscious' response to the stone spellbook in a secret chamber hanging over a pit with a SicklyGreenGlow emanating from the ceiling. [[GenreBlindness Spike grabs it without a second thought]].
63* DumbassHasAPoint: The spell book was left unguarded and defended only by a single lock, rather than, say, being moved to the secure archives in Canterlot, or at least having a barrier that could stand up to more than Spike's fire breath. By then, one would expect the dangerous artifacts to have been moved to a secure location. Spike was correct in saying that the book was basically unguarded.
64* EatTheEvidence: Spike does this when he finally gets a hold of the book again, hoping it'll break the spell. It doesn't.
65* EveryoneHasStandards: After being freed from the 'Inspiration Manifestation' spell, Rarity says that the changes that happened to Ponyville look terrifying. While she did make the changes while under the spell, it would appear that the normal Rarity knows when something fabulous goes too far.
66* EvilDetectingDog: Owlowiscious picks up that there's something wrong with the book right off the bat, and of course tries to dissuade Spike from taking it.
67* ExtremeOmnivore: Spike eats the whole book without ill effects.
68* EyeTwitch: As more of the tome's power takes hold, Rarity's eye begin twitching, and it gets worse the longer it goes on.
69* {{Facepalm}}: Owlowiscious simulates this with his [[FeatherFingers flight feathers]] when Spike reads the cover page of the book and says "I'm likin' the looks of this one!" Even more impressive in that he used one of his wings to do it while in mid-flight, and still remained airborne.
70* FacePlant: Happens to Spike when he tries walking in the bulky crystal armor Rarity puts him in.
71* FantasticAesop: As Twilight said, [[SchmuckBait "Never, ever, ever, EVER take another book out of the library at the castle without asking!"]] (Or three Princesses might have to spend their entire day cleaning up your mistake. [[AndThatsTerrible Shame on you.]]) It's even funnier when you realize he ''ate'' the book [[WhateverHappenedToTheMouse and Twilight doesn't even think it worth mentioning.]]
72* FascinatingEyebrow: Owlowiscious' design doesn't really allow for much of one, but he's definitely giving the same spirit in his look at Spike when Rarity starts going off the deep end.
73* FatBastard: The puppeteer that Rarity hires to build his theater. He chastises Rarity's job before she makes up for it and his weight is PlayedForLaughs as he tries to squeeze inside the first structure she built.
74* FeatherFingers: When Spike fails to tell Rarity how inappropriate the birdhouse makeover is, Owlowiscious folds his wings and feathers in a manner that resembles fists on his hips when giving Spike a [[DisapprovingLook disparaging glare]].
75* ForcedTransformation: A party clown gets turned into a waiter and a mariachi pony gets turned into Octavia!
76* FurryReminder:
77** Rarity's favorite ice cream flavor is vanilla oat swirl.
78** The brass instrument played by one of the Mariachi ponies is uncoiled so that the valves can be manipulated by the pony's hooves.
79* GRatedDrug: The spell Rarity casts makes Rarity incredibly dependent on it, refusing to let Spike take it away from her, and alters her mind, thus causing her to lose control of herself. Considering that, as stated below, there are references in the episode to both ''Literature/TheTommyknockers'' and [[Recap/SavedByTheBellS2E25JessiesSong a rather infamous episode of Saved by the Bell]], this is likely intentional.
80* GenderBender: Possibly, depending on whether Rarity ''replaced'' that mariachi pony with Octavia, or ''turned him into her''. [[WhatHappenedToTheMouse The episode doesn't really explain what happened there.]]
81* GenreBlindness: Spike apparently hasn't learned from the [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E6PowerPonies enchanted comic that was really was enchanted]] that something that ''sounds'' innocuous might be much more dangerous.
82* GlowingEyesOfDoom: Whenever Rarity uses the magic found in the Inspiration Manifestation spellbook, her eyes glow a sickly green color and she becomes more and more obsessed with making everything pretty.
83* GoodEyesEvilEyes: When Rarity is succumbing to the influence of the spell, her eyes glow freakish green, and the usually enormous irises shrink. When Spike is showering her with kind words of praise and support, her eyes return to their normal limpid pools of blue.
84* HardTruthAesop: While being supportive of your friends is good, if that particular friend starts doing something morally wrong, you might want to put that support into question.
85* HeartbreakAndIceCream: Non-romantic example. Rarity makes a puppet theater for Ponyville's Fall Foal and Filly Festival, but the harsh rejection she receives when her design proves unsuitable drives her to pig out on chocolates and vanilla-oat swirl ice cream, complete with "om nom nom" sounds.
86* HeroOfAnotherStory: Twilight goes through a lot of offscreen trouble to clean up Rarity's mess. She eventually had to call in backup from Luna and Cadance, and it's made clear that the whole ordeal caused a great amount of stress.
87%%* HonestAdvisor: Owlowiscious.
88* HypnotizeTheCaptive: Rarity accidentally hypnotizes herself when reading from the 'Inspiration Manifestation' book.
89* IronicEchoCut: Rarity tells Spike that the puppeteer will appreciate the work she did on the theater she designed. Then, it cuts directly to the puppeteer criticizing her theater.
90* {{Irony}}: Pinkie Pie gets a taste of her own medicine when the party she organizes gets hijacked by a well-meaning individual who nonetheless imposes her vision of what the party should be over the sensibilities of its intended attendants by making a kiddy party a high class shindig, [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E26TheBestNightEver as opposed to]] [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E9SweetAndElite the other way around.]]
91* JerkassHasAPoint: While Claude the puppeteer could have been nicer about his criticism towards the puppet theater Rarity built, ample stage space and mobility are far more important for a traveling puppeteer than how shiny it looks.
92* LaserGuidedAmnesia: Once released from the Inspiration Manifestation curse, Rarity's mind is wiped clean of what transpired when she was under its control.
93* LoveMakesYouDumb: Spike's desire to help Rarity cause him to overlook the obvious signs of how dangerous the spellbook is. He then doesn't tell Rarity or anyone else she's gone mad with power because he's afraid that Rarity won't consider him a friend anymore.
94* LuckBasedSearchTechnique: Spike finds the lever that opens the BookcasePassage completely by accident; he doesn't even know the passage is there until it opens.
95* MadArtist: Practically every "improvement" Rarity does after a certain point is at least potentially harmful to somepony, but she either doesn't notice or doesn't care.
96* MagicalIncantation: The Inspiration Manifestation spell:
97-->''From in the head to out in the world, every thought to action.''\
98''Hold close this book, and through its spell you'll start a chain reaction.''\
99''Projecting forth whatever beauty you see.''\
100''Only when true words are spoken will you finally be set free.''
101* MeaningfulEcho: A dismayed Rarity repeats the word "Awful?" after Claude criticises her theatre, and again in the climax after Spike criticises ''her''. The latter heralds the breaking of the spell.
102* MessyHair: Twilight gets hit with this ''hard'' at the end of the episode after having to clean up after everything Rarity did to Ponyville while under the effects of the spell. She hasn't looked that disheveled since "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E3LessonZero Lesson Zero]]".
103* MrImagination: With the power of Inspiration Manifestation, Rarity has this, starting with what she did in Ponyville. Thankfully, the spell was removed before she could change all Equestria and the world with her creativity running amok.
104* MundaneUtility: Unicorn magic is great for puppeteering.
105* MythologyGag: Once again, we see Rainbow Dash dressed in style.
106* NightmareFace: Rarity under the spell's influence, as shown in the page image.
107* NonStandardCharacterDesign: The puppeteer has an overweight appearance as opposed to the other stallions in the series.
108* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: The puppeteer's voice is based on Creator/WCFields. The pony is credited as "Claude" which is what the "C" stands for in Fields' name.
109* NoOntologicalInertia: Subverted twice.
110** Spike tries to invoke this by eating the spellbook. This accomplishes nothing, as Rarity retains her powers and corrupted behavior. It takes a CurseEscapeClause to set Rarity right again.
111** Even after the book is destroyed and the spell breaks, the changes to Ponyville still remain. It takes ''three'' princesses all day to reverse everything.
112* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: We don't get to see Luna and Cadance join Twilight to restore Ponyville; we only hear Twilight saying that it happened.
113* OnlySaneMan: Owlowiscious is this to Spike, since he knows not to use spells from a book hidden in a secret ominous cave.
114* OverlyNarrowSuperlative: Rarity tells Spike that he's her favorite dragon. Let's be honest, though, it's not like the competition's very strong.
115* PlayingWithFire: Spike uses his fire breath to melt a lock. It's probably the first time that Spike uses this ability to destroy something on purpose.
116* PoorCommunicationKills: Most of the problems would have been avoided if Spike had been honest with Rarity when she started going over the top with the magical changes. And before that, the whole issue could be avoided in the first place if the puppeteer had told Rarity the precise requirements for his theater.
117* {{Portmanteau}}: "I'm thinking we go by chariot! Or as everyone will soon be calling them, ''Rariot!"''
118* RealityWarper: Inspiration Manifestation is a SpellBook that contains a spell allowing its owner to alter things to match their imagined version of it. Spike gives it to Rarity so she can use it to [[MundaneUtility fix her puppet theater]], which the puppeteer she built it for was disappointed in, but [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity she quickly goes mad]] from the spell's power, planning to alter all of Equestria to match her idea of beauty (which basically means turning everything into a golden, gem-incrusted version of itself).
119* RealityWarpingIsNotAToy: As Spike learns a bit too late, the desire to exercise this power takes hold of the pony, and they can't help but use it.
120* RomanticismVersusEnlightenment: The Inspiration Manifestation spell is waaaaaay on the side of romanticism, turning anyone that casts it into a VisionaryVillain. It [[AwesomeButImpractical slurps up any practicality in the vicinity and and transforms it in favor of flashy style.]] Think of [[ThisIndexIsHighlyImprobable any trope with the word "Improbable" in its title,]] and you have anything this spell makes.
121* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething: The Princesses seem to be at Equestria's beck and call to solve big magical problems: Twilight gets called to rescue two ponies from the crystallized gazebo, and Princesses Cadence and Luna assist her in fixing Rarity's messes in Ponyville later on.
122* RuleOfThree: Spike's description of Rarity's first puppet theater, [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] with Spike counting to three on his claw afterward.
123-->'''Spike''': So that puppeteer didn't like your exquisitely crafted best puppet theater in the history of puppet theaters puppet theater.
124* SanitySlippage: The more Rarity uses the book's power, the more deranged she becomes.
125* SayingSoundEffectsOutLoud: In addition to actual chewing noises when scarfing down the ice cream, Rarity can be heard sounding out "nom nom nom".
126* SealedEvilInACan: The tome was hidden away and locked behind a caged door for a reason. But Spike fails to notice any of this.
127* ShoutOut:
128** The sequence when Spike takes the book from the pedestal is played out very similarly as to when [[WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}} Aladdin takes the Genie's lamp from the Cave of Wonders]].
129** Another one occurs when Rarity exclaims that she's so excited. Spike's response? "[[Series/SavedByTheBell I'm so scared.]]"
130** Rarity's insistence on keeping the book brings to mind a certain [[Literature/TheLordOfTheRings character obsessed with a ring.]]
131** The puppeteer, while voiced like Creator/WCFields, is dressed very much like Gene Wilder's [[Film/WillyWonkaAndTheChocolateFactory Willy Wonka]] down to the orange and purple color scheme.
132** The crystal armor Rarity gives Spike looks similar to the armor worn by the titular robot of the ''Franchise/MegaMan'' video games, or the Diamond Armor from ''{{VideoGame/Minecraft}}''.
133** The magically-augmented birdhouse has a [[Creator/HarlanEllison shoe closet]].
134** Let's see: something that increases your creativity, but at the same time increases your dependency (and involves a SicklyGreenGlow)? [[Literature/TheTommyknockers Where have I heard that before?]]\
135For an extra layer of DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything, the power of the titular Tommyknockers was a [[FantasticDrug metaphor]] for Creator/StephenKing's cocaine addiction. Considering the look on Rarity's face in the page image, this subtext was not lost on the animation department.
136* SicklyGreenGlow: Rarity's magic is changed to this color by the spell, and her eyes take on the same color.
137* SlasherSmile: Rarity has one when she shows off the dresses she made while under the influence of the spell.
138* SpikesOfVillainy: As if the book hidden behind a wall on a pedestal over a pit weren't suspicious enough, it has these on the cover.
139* SycophanticServant: The Inspiration Manifestation spell only works so long as Spike acts as this for Rarity.
140* ThisIsGonnaSuck: Owlowicious manages a non-verbal version with his aforementioned FacePalm after Spike retrieves the spell book.
141* TitleDrop: The spell Spike finds for Rarity is called Inspiration Manifestation.
142* TomeOfEldritchLore: The book that Spike finds with the spell to help Rarity is hidden in the old Everfree Castle, hidden by a secret wall, behind a locked gate, and on a rock stairway that immediately crumbles when the book is removed from the pedestal. It's made of stone and even has spikes sticking out of the cover. Spike seems to think it's safe.
143* TooUpsetToCreate: Rarity doesn't design a cart for a puppeteer properly and gets chastised for it. Spike finds her in the dress shop suffering HeartbreakAndIceCream, which prompts him to help her gain her spark back via a ominous looking book he finds in the Castle of the Two Sisters.
144* TookALevelInJerkass: Due to being corrupted by the inspiration manifestation curse, Rarity begins acting callous to how her spells over Ponyville inconvenience the citizens.
145* UngratefulBastard: While Claude's complaints against Rarity's first puppet theater aren't without merit, he could've at least shown a little gratitude for her efforts regardless.
146* UnsatisfiableCustomer: Rarity thinks Claude is this at first, until she ''is'' able to satisfy him.
147* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: Claude's criticism of Rarity's puppet theater is what leads to Spike finding the Inspiration Manifestation book and creating the chaos that follows afterwards.
148* WeCanRuleTogether: Rarity's speech to Spike at the height of her madness has her inviting him to join her in remaking all of Equestria. Despite how much Spike loves her, he doesn't go through with it.
149* WhatHappenedToTheMouse:
150** Exactly what ''did'' happen to the evil spell after it was driven out of Rarity, since the TomeOfEldritchLore was (presumably) destroyed? Assuming that breaking the spell didn't destroy it entirely, of course.
151** What of the transformed band, turned into background ponies we've seen before? Are there two Octavias out there, one of which doesn't know used to be a very different, very male pony?
152* WhatTheHellHero:
153** Owlowiscious toward Spike as Rarity begins running amok with the spell, and his insistence that everything's going fine.
154** Twilight also berates Spike at the end of the episode for taking the spellbook from the castle without asking permission.
155* WhosOnFirst: At first, Spike's conversations with Owlowiscious seem like a reprise of their first meeting but eventually he starts responding to what the owl is saying.
156* YourMakeupIsRunning: Zig-Zagged. Much like in "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E13SimpleWays Simple Ways]]", Rarity's mascara runs when she cries though this [[BeautyIsNeverTarnished doesn't leave any lasting smudges]].

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