Original air date: October 16th, 1992
Miss Hackney announces to the class that they're going to learn about history and mechanics today. She begins by introducing them to a pulley, but then she becomes dizzy, so Starlight is given a recording of today's lesson and put in charge of teaching the class while Miss Hackney recuperates. The classroom falls into disarray immediately after the teacher leaves, much to Starlight's annoyance. When getting help from Bright Eyes and Sweetheart fails, Starlight storms out of the room saying she's going to report the class to Miss Hackney, but instead, her reflection in the bathroom mirror advises her to make class fun, which she does by taking everybody on a field trip.
Outside, Starlight introduces the others to Pony Rock, which the first pony settlers were standing atop when they discovered Ponyland. When the tape mentions Pinto Cave, the others run over to it while Starlight keeps listening to the tape long enough to hear that it's off-limits to the public as it hasn't been fully explored, forcing her to chase after them.
No one listens to Starlight when she tells them they shouldn't be in there, and after some exploring, they end up falling down a hole. They find pieces of old machinery littered around, which they decide to take back to show Miss Hackney. Unfortunately, the sloped piece of rock leading upward and back out is too slippery to climb. Starlight listens to the tape and realizes they need to use the machinery available to get out. They wrap a rope around a wagon wheel, anchor it into some rock, and hang it from the ceiling, thus building a pulley. While the other end of the rope is tied around Clover, everyone else pulls it in order to get her up the slope. The process is repeated until Ace is the only one left. Being the best athlete in school allows him to climb up without assistance, but the pulley breaks. Fortunately, Starlight is able to grab him before he can fall back down. Everyone promptly leaves for the schoolhouse.
Later, Miss Hackney comes back and gives Starlight an apple as thanks for being the substitute teacher.
"An Apple For Starlight" provides examples of:
- Apple for Teacher: Inverted; when Miss Hackney, the teacher, comes back, she gives Starlight, one of her students, an apple.
- An Aesop:
- Learning enriches your mind and broadens your career prospects.
- Education should be fun and engaging whenever possible, as it ends up being more effective that way.
- And Your Reward Is Edible: When Miss Hackney returns, she gives Starlight an apple.
- Anti-Advice:Starlight: As the teacher and the pony in charge of your safety, I don't think it's a good idea to go in there.
Ace: Great, let's go! (everyone runs past Starlight) - Artistic License – Education: If the teacher fell ill, a student would not be the one taking over, responsible as they may be.
- Be Yourself: The advice Starlight's reflection in the bathroom mirror gives her is that she'll have more success by just being herself, compared to trying to be Miss Hackney.
- By the Lights of Their Eyes: Happens when Patch's flashlight goes out in the depths of Pinto Cave.
- Chekhov's Classroom: Today's lesson concerns historical machinery, and seems to focus primarily on the pulley. When the students later get trapped in a cave, they escape by building a pulley out of discarded machinery parts.
- Class Trip: Starlight takes the others on one for the purpose of teaching history.
- Comically Missing the Point: Melody takes out a cassette player to put some music on. Starlight gets annoyed with her, and Melody responds not by turning off the boombox, but by plugging in headphones and listening to the music through those.
- Conforming OOC Moment: Sweetheart, Starlight, and Bright Eyes are all amongst the ponies laughing when Teddy throws a paper airplane at Miss Hackney, even though Sweetheart is supposed to be kind and the other two are supposed to take an interest in learning. Bright Eyes is also chattering with her classmates after Miss Hackney leaves. Sweetheart then laughs when Teddy throws another one at Bon Bon, who lowers her book to reveal she's eating a chocolate bar and has chocolate smeared around her mouth. It's especially odd because Starlight later enlists Sweetheart's and Bright Eyes' assistance in teaching.
- Crazy-Prepared: Turns out Miss Hackney records all of her lessons on tape and keeps them in her desk ready for use should she fall ill.
- "Everybody Laughs" Ending: The episode ends with everyone in the class laughing, with Miss Hackney none the wiser as to the events that had transpired earlier.
- Exactly What It Says on the Tin: Shortly before the end of the episode, Miss Hackney pulls out an apple for Starlight.
- Free-Range Children: When Miss Hackney falls ill, the entire class is left to their own devices, which of course they use as an opportunity to go on a field trip to an off-limits cave.
- Hollywood Darkness: Clover remarks on how dark it's getting in the cave even though it's perfectly well-lit inside for some reason.
- The Man in the Mirror Talks Back: When the class won't listen to her, Starlight retreats to the bathroom and speaks to her reflection in the mirror. Her reflection suggests she should just stay true to herself instead of trying to act like Miss Hackney.
- Save the Jerk: Ace, being the only one left at the bottom of the cave, has to climb back up the wall himself. The pulley breaks, but Starlight is able to grab him by the hooves and pull him back up all the way.
- The Snack Is More Interesting:
- Bon Bon munches on a chocolate bar during class, much to the amusement of the other students.
- Later, once everyone is safe and sound, the first thing Bon Bon wants to do afterward is eat.
- The Tape Knew You Would Say That: The tape Miss Hackney recorded has her asking Melody a question, then telling her to stop listening to music, which is precisely what Melody happens to be doing at the given time.
- You Are Fat: When the tape Miss Hackney recorded asks Bon Bon how to lift a 100-pound sack of flour four feet in the air using a pulley, Teddy calls out, "Oh, I know! Bon Bon would eat it!"
- You Are in Command Now: Miss Hackney falls ill and places Starlight in charge of the classroom until Miss Hackney returns.
