Trivia / My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic S4 E7 "Bats!"

• Ascended Fanon:
  • Although no-one ever seriously proposed the theory that Fluttershy was a vampire, she was occasionally drawn as one in fanart before this. Since this episode aired, the amount of Vampshy fanart exploded.
  • In addition, "Bat-Ponies" in general have been a Fan Favorite for some time now (ever since they first appeared as Luna's guard-ponies in "Luna Eclipsed"), and Flutterbat's design is very similar to how they're generally depicted.^note  Except for her long tail. Luna's batpony guards have normal pony tails. Technically, Flutterbat is not a batpony but a vampire fruit batpony...
• Conclusion in Another Medium: The IDW comics arc "Night of the Living Apples" serves as a follow-up to this episode, wherein the Mane 6 discover that Flutterbat has only been repressed rather than completely removed, and Fluttershy has to wrestle with her newfound Superpowered Evil Side and convince her to help out against an army of sentient apples brought to life by a magic meteor. She eventually succeeds just before the arc's Darkest Hour, and calls in the vampire fruit bats to save the rest of the Mane 6 and help turn things around. The arc concludes with An Aesop that everyone can have a bad side, but it is knowing how to overcome it that is what makes a pony a better being.
• Word of God: On April 1, 2013 (April Fools' Day) Meghan McCarthy tweeted a bunch of fake season 4 episodes, including one called "Bats" (though implying it was like Cats the musical). It raises the question of how many of these tweets were truly fake and how many were subtle hints for the upcoming season.

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