MY LITTLE PONY: EQUESTRIA GIRLS—SPRING BREAKDOWN

Written by Nick Confalone

Produced by Angela Belyea

Story editing by Nick Confalone

Directed by Ishi Rudell

Co-directed by Katrina Hadley

Transcribed by Alan Back (ajback@yahoo.com)

Note:                This transcript is based on the original airing of this special on Discovery Family,

                which ran 44 minutes. It was later released in six segments on YouTube, each

                with its own title card; one is shown at the beginning of the Discovery Family

                airing as well.

                An extended version of the song in Act Two is included at the end of this

                transcript.

OPENING THEME

Act One

(Opening shot: fade to black from the title card, then in to the sun shining in a cheery daytime sky almost totally free of clouds. Two seagulls swoop into view for a moment before veering away, and the camera pans/tilts down to a frame a gaily painted cruise ship in a long overhead shot. A stage has been set up on the main deck up near the prow, with a seashell-shaped backdrop. The craft sounds a bellowing blast from its horn as the gulls descend toward it.)

(Cut to a close-up of Rarity reading and taking it easy on a lounge chair. She is wearing a white sundress decorated with a pattern of sparkling violet gems, a pale yellow sash encircles her waist, and her eyes are protected by tinted lenses set in jeweled frames whose color matches the sash. She wears her hair in a ponytail, jeweled violet sandals, and the stone from her magical pendant at her neckline. One hand is occupied with her book, the other with a drink in a hollowed coconut shell, and a travel bag and bottle of suntan lotion rests on the deck within easy reach. One of the gulls perches on an adjacent empty chair, drawing a smile—but the tranquility is shattered by the sight of Pinkie Pie pulling herself into view in the foreground. Seen from the hips up, she is wearing a sleeveless pink sundress with darker polka dots and has gathered her hair into two short, fat pigtails at the base of her neck.)

Pinkie: (shaking camera) SPRING BREAAAAK!!

(Only on the end of this does she tip her head down to the horizontal, showing off a pair of heart-shaped sunglasses. The force of her yell leaves Rarity’s own shades half-capsized, and she peels out fast enough to scare the gull away. Pan quickly to another stretch of the deck occupied by various other passengers on this cruise, many in swimwear and/or students at Canterlot High School. A white-uniformed attendant makes her way among the crowd to offer drinks as the camera roves past the gathering to an onboard swimming pool, on whose diving board Micro Chips is working up his nerve to try a leap. However, the sudden emergence of Pinkie from the water scares him into losing his balance and toppling in with an ungainly splash.)

Pinkie: Spring break!

(Cut to Bulk Biceps at the prow, dressed in a cap, shorts, and sleeveless tunic styled as a sailor’s uniform. He gazes out over the waves, one hand raised to shade his eyes, and is only slightly surprised to find Pinkie popping up behind him and stretching his arms out to either side.)

Pinkie: SPRIIIING BREAAAAAAAK!!

(As she voices her glee thusly, he grins and the camera zooms out quickly to a long shot of the vessel majestically slicing through the surf. Wipe to an overhead shot of the pool area—near the stern, as it turns out—and an elevated lounge deck adjacent to it. Pinkie is hunched intently over a serving counter staffed by a crew member, and all the other Rainbooms save Rainbow Dash have gathered at the railing that overlooks the pool. Zoom in slowly and cut to a closer shot, panning slowly through the crowd and its accompanying buzz of conversation. More of Pinkie’s outfit can now be seen: cupcake-shaped fanny pack shifted to ride on one hip, dark pink trim on the hem of her dress, blue sandals with stacked heels, the stone from her pendant set in the blue bow on her hair band. Rarity, having disposed of her book and drink and righted her eyewear, briefly holds up her cell phone to take a “selfie” photo of herself as Twilight Sparkle and Sunset Shimmer talk at the rail and Twilight shows off a brochure. Twilight: dress in purple and deep pink, with stars of each color appearing on the panels of the other, blue-violet sandals with built-up soles. Sunset: sparkly magenta dress with her cutie mark on the front and a beaded belt, sandals with brown straps and black soles, dark gray ribbon at her throat. Rainbow makes her way toward the group: blue capri pants, sleeveless rainbow-striped top tied off to leave her midriff partly exposed, white/magenta baseball cap sporting a cloud against a trio of red/yellow/green stripes, flip-flops with red/yellow straps and blue soles, one wristband striped in two shades of blue, hair in a ponytail. Hers is the only face showing any unease. Above it all, the sky has advanced a fair bit toward sundown.)

(Cut to the rail, where a green-faced Applejack is clearly in the grip of a bout of seasickness despite Fluttershy’s effort to comfort her. Both are seen from the waist up in this shot. The farmer has donned a sleeveless red sundress with pale green trim, decorated with flowers at the hem, and has traded her hat for a green hair band. As for the animal lover: sleeveless, white one-shoulder top patterned with butterflies and leaves and trimmed in pale green lace, butterfly brooch at the covered shoulder, blue-green shorts.)

Twilight: (reading from brochure) “Welcome aboard the Lux Deluxe, where you’ll set sail for a full week of luxurious luxuriating on our most deluxe luxury liner.”

(This shot is close enough to pick out the lighter pink sash on her dress, the stone from her pendant in a purple star-shaped hair clip over one temple, and the details of Sunset’s belt—red/yellow beads secured by a clasp set with her own magic stone. Rainbow has mounted hers on her wristband. As Twilight reads, Pinkie acquires a beverage from the serving counter and proceeds to chug it down. Fluttershy turns her attention from Applejack, clearly showing the butterflies on her shorts, as the blonde’s cheeks bulge.)

Fluttershy: Ooh! Sounds…luxurious! (Pinkie crosses to Twilight, carrying an armload of fresh drinks.)

Twilight: Did you see there’s a petting zoo on board?

Pinkie: Mmmm! Smoothies! (She passes one to Rainbow.)

Twilight: And an all-you-can-eat dessert buffet you can… (losing steam) …eat all you…can eat…at? (Pinkie lets off an ecstatic scream.)

Pinkie: Twilight, this cruise has everything, and a moving floor!

(Cut to an extreme close-up of the planks beneath her feet, which heave briefly up and down to the creaking of the ship, then cut to Applejack. Now her pendant’s stone can be seen mounted on her hair band, whose green tint very nearly matches the one suffusing her face. After a moment’s intense struggle, she forces her gut to behave itself and slumps over the rail with a weary groan.)

Applejack: I think I may have forgotten to pack my sea legs.

(Zoom out to frame Pinkie now alongside. The perky teen offers one of the many libations she still carries, but the mere sight of it causes Applejack to clap hands to mouth as her gorge bubbles up anew. Twilight and Sunset throw worried glances her way, but smiles quickly come over both faces to brighten the mood a bit.)

Sunset: Thank you for organizing this trip, Twilight.

Rainbow: (to Twilight, smiling) I gotta hand it to you. (gesturing broadly) You really have an eye for climactic battle settings.

Fluttershy, Pinkie, Rarity: Eh? / Huh? (Sunset holds her tongue and gives Rainbow a funny look.)

Rainbow: Imagine, going head to head with a sea monster by the pool!

(The screen fades to white and clears to present a hastily doodled vision of just such a creature rising up from the deeps to menace a bevy of screaming, fleeing passengers at this spot. The action advances in a series of quick freeze frames. It roars and belches a stream of smoke toward the deck, raising further ruckus.)

Rainbow: (voice over) Ka-chow! Evil Equestrian magic blows up the diving board! (She vocalizes a blast; now the ship starts to sink as life-jacketed passengers float in the water.) The boat’s sinking! Everyone’s screaming!

(Zoom in on the upraised prow on the end of this, then fade to white and in to the blue teen with the overactive imagination. Behind her, the other girls are scared at least three-fourths out of their wits.)

Rainbow: And then we save the day!

(Only now does she turn to see just how badly her narrative has rattled the six. This shot picks out the hair clip Fluttershy wears, set with her pendant’s stone. Puzzled/irritated looks pass from one set of eyes to another during the long pause before Fluttershy speaks up.)

Fluttershy: Oh! Is the sea monster okay in this story?

Rainbow: Better than okay. (She slurps down her drink…) She’s our friend now.

(…and, grinning like a loon, plops the glass onto the tray of a passing crew member without so much as a glance in that direction. This earns her a slightly dirty look.)

Rainbow: (pumping a fist) Best spring break ever!

(Her amped-up enthusiasm softens by notches as she takes in the skeptical reactions on the others’ faces. Fluttershy and Rarity have now obtained their own liquid refreshment.)

Sunset: Or we could do…not that.

(Pan slowly across the group, the other listeners except Applejack voicing reactions along this line. Pinkie is now working on a fresh smoothie, and Applejack’s face is back to normal. The blue fist drops as Rainbow grimaces.)

Twilight: (crossing to her, touching an arm) I was hoping we could do something without having to battle Equestrian magic for a change? (Cut to Applejack on the start of the next line.)

Applejack: We couldn’t even spend the day at Equestria World without creatin’ a calamity.

Rainbow: Which we then un-calaminated like literal awesome superheroes!

(Referring to the group’s adventure in “Rollercoaster of Friendship,” but with one error: the amusement park that served as its main setting was named Equestria Land. Twilight shoots her a slightly hairy eyeball before the camera cuts to frame all seven from head to toe for the first time. Fluttershy wears pink sandals with high heels, Applejack pale green ones with flat soles. There follows a long, tense silence, which is broken by Rarity’s airy, casual sigh.)

Rarity: (patting Twilight’s shoulder) Twilight, this is a most deservéd respite. (hugging her, passing her a drink) We’re all very thankful for the chance to relax and do absolutely nothing.

(She props her sunglasses on her forehead as Fluttershy/Pinkie/Sunset concur; cut to a close-up of Twilight’s beaming face and pan to Rainbow’s incredulous one, which shifts to sullenness accented by a crossing of the arms. The buzzing of a phone sparks a surprised yelp from Rarity, and she pulls hers from a pocket and taps at the screen. Fluttershy and Pinkie have put away their drinks by this point. Zoom in on the fashion-conscious girl.)

Rarity: Oh! (Scream and hyperventilate.)

Rainbow: What is it? Evil magic?

Rarity: A GPS alert! We’re in international waters!

(The ace athlete pulls in a long, stunned gasp, only to shift into complete bewilderment.)

Rainbow: What does that mean?

Rarity: (giddily, singsong) Tax-free shopping!

(She races off with a wild giggle, the other five dispersing in a scatter of conversation and leaving a put-out Rainbow to stalk away. Twilight has parked her smoothie on the serving counter. Dissolve to a close-up of a tray of sweets on a table; a hand reaches to take one, and a longer shot frames those fingers as belonging to one of two female passengers engaged in a bit of chit-chat. They are standing inside a dining room whose many tables are loaded with all manner of sugary delectables—the all-you-can-eat dessert buffet listed in Twilight’s brochure. The far wall consists of floor-to-ceiling windows. As guests help themselves to the spread, the camera pans to a pair of closed double doors, which are flung open to frame Pinkie standing just outside in a corridor. She has shed her sunglasses.)

Pinkie: Ooooh! (Cut/pan from one offering to another; she continues o.s.) Honey walnut crisp…candy-coated cupcakes…banana sorbet delight…

(Zoom out to frame several tables as a long gasp is heard from her general direction. One platter has a domed cover and is marked with a card bearing a picture of a cake; she leans into view near this.)

Pinkie: …Triple-Choco-Berry-Blasted Butter Biscuit Bundt Cake?!? (Enraptured squeal; she reaches to the cover’s handle.) I’ve waited my whole life to taste a cake like this!

(Five pink fingers lift it away, only to reveal a whole lot of nothing beneath. The camera zooms in slowly on her face, tilting slightly to frame her at a half-drunken angle as her expression melts into one of horrified disappointment and the lights dim for a moment. Just as quickly, the illumination level and the camera angle return to normal in a longer shot.)

Pinkie: NOOOOOOOOO!!

(And here comes Puffed Pastry, a female chef in white jacket/toque and carrying a new covered platter. She speaks in a heavy, gravelly French accent.)

Puffed: Excusez-moi, mademoiselle. (uncovering dish; it bears a freshly baked, steaming cake) How about one fresh from the oven?

(Once Pinkie’s mental transmission slips back into gear, she utters a huge gasp and beams from ear to ear, her eyes shining like a pair of lighthouses. Puffed throws her a smug smile and holds up a spatula in her free hand, the camera zooming in to catch a glint of light off the metal, and poises it to lift a slice away.)

Rainbow: (charging across at magic speed, tackling her) Heeeee-yah! (The cake goes flying.)

Pinkie: CAKE OVERBOARRRRD!!

(On the end of this, cut to a fellow elsewhere in the dining room, who looks up from his phone just in time to find himself in its growing shadow The dessert comes down squarely on his head, splattering him with gooey deliciousness from the shoulders up and drawing a round of shocked gasps from the patrons. Rainbow and Puffed have wound up in a heap near the far end, the latter giving a yell of disbelief.)

[Animation goof: Rainbow’s wristband is gone until the end of this buffet sequence.]

Puffed: My gâteau!

(She makes a half-choked sound of mingled frustration and fury, and her snarling face goes bright red as the camera zooms in and Rainbow backs o.s. with an embarrassed grin and chuckle. A teakettle sings at full voice in the woman’s head for a few agonizingly long seconds, after which the camera cuts to the corridor, just outside the now-closed doors. These are bashed open from within by the force with which Puffed ejects Pinkie and Rainbow bodily from the buffet. Her face has returned to its normal hue, and the two yelling girls manage to stay on their feet for two or three yards before toppling face-first to the carpet. Without a word, the chef dusts off her hands and pulls the doors shut with a resounding slam. As Pinkie and Rainbow sit up, the latter offers a weak chuckle.)

Rainbow: You saw it. (Pinkie fixes her with a hard glare.) She had a…uh…spatula! So…you’re welcome.

(Wipe to a slow pan across an area outfitted as a petting zoo. Animals and passengers alike are having a peaceful time of it, and Fluttershy makes her way to an enclosure in which a baby goat is clambering up onto a tree branch.)

Fluttershy: A goat on a boat?

(Giggling, she lifts it down and cradles it for a moment before setting it on the floor.)

Fluttershy: Now I’ve seen everything.

(A new noise draws her attention to a hutch populated by a number of small gray rabbits. She crouches down to pet one on the head; close-up of it.)

Fluttershy: (from o.s.) Aren’t you just the softest thing? (It squeaks happily; cut to frame both.) You have forty-two grandchildren? (Squeak.) Wow, Mr. Bouncy, that is impressive! I’d love to meet them.

(Mr. Bouncy makes a “come out and say hello” gesture to the other inhabitants of the hutch, but before they can do as suggested, Rainbow blurs into view.)

Rainbow: Not today!

(Fluttershy can only yelp as she is yanked back and to her feet, while the speedster strikes a fighting stance and gestures toward the rabbits as if to say, “Bring it on.” Mr. Bouncy just shrugs confusedly toward his descendants, who are equally at a loss.)

Rainbow: Sure, he seems cute and cuddly now, but have you ever seen what a magic-infused evil rabbit can do?

(Humans and animals are equally unsettled by this bizarre query.)

Fluttershy: Um…eat carrots?

Rainbow: Yeah. (pointing at Mr. Bouncy) Evil carrots!

(Within seconds, every single critter in the place has bolted for cover and taken all the fun out of the petting zoo. Fluttershy drops her eyes and rubs one temple with an irked hand. Dissolve to a close-up of Applejack making her way slowly and queasily along the length of the deck, one hand pressed to her gut and the other keeping contact with the nearest wall for support. Her face goes green upon getting a whiff of the treats being enjoyed by a couple of passersby, and a brief lurch stops her cold and brings her perilously close to losing her lunch where she stands. As she moves across to lean over the rail, Rainbow steps into view from around a corner and jogs over.)

Rainbow: What’s up, AJ?

(The blonde can only manage a series of grunts through her distended cheeks and tight-locked lips as she tries her best to act casual.)

Rainbow: You can’t talk? (More grunts and a “no” gesture.) Evil magic stole your voice? (More of the same; now Rainbow grabs her and shakes.) Out, evil spirits, out!

(Close-up of the afflicted teen on the end of this, the sloshing of her stomach contents coming through loud and clear now. Pulling herself free, she exerts a Herculean effort and finally manages to compose herself. The triumph is short-lived, though; her digestive system roils anew, sending her back to the rail so she can blow chunks into the ocean. Rainbow cringes as seagulls wheel down to see if there might be anything salvageable in the mess.)

Rainbow: (sheepishly, scratching back of head) Or you’re seasick. (Weak chuckle; then a new, fearful idea hits.) Because of evil magic?

(Applejack’s only response is to scrub the back of one hand across her own mouth and give Rainbow the king daddy of all venomous looks. Her face has cleared now.)

Rainbow: Or not. (Embarrassed chuckle.)

(Wipe to an overhead shot of the pool, zooming in slowly as Rainbow descends the steps leading down to it from the lounge, and cut to her. She stops and runs an eye over the area before addressing the crowd at large.)

Rainbow: HAS ANYONE SEEN BAD MAGIC ON BOARD?

(The festive mood comes to a screeching halt, quizzical eyes turning her way and puzzled voices murmuring among themselves, and the camera pans quickly from one knot of onlookers to another. The last of these is a trio of boys seated at a table, one of whom is Flash Sentry; he nods, stands, and points to a nearby set of closed double doors. Rainbow gasps excitedly at having found a lead, adjusts her cap, and strides across the deck to check it out. Cut to just inside the doors as she pulls one open and puts her head in to scope out the joint; her eyes pop very wide, and the camera swivels quickly to frame another closed door directly ahead at the end of a corridor. She takes a step toward this, mouth curving into a determined smile; cut to the area on its other side—dimly lit and filled with sparkly purple mist. The door swings open to frame Rainbow’s silhouette at the threshold; upon tentatively easing in just a fraction, she is greeted by the sight of a hazy auditorium whose seats are mostly empty. The mist is thickest near the stage, and a close-up of one stretch of seats discloses a few elderly spectators snoozing peacefully. Rainbow gasps in fright and advances toward the stage, on which the vague outline of a top-hatted female figure can now be seen.)

Figure: (echoing weirdly) Prepare yourself!

Rainbow: (bracing for a fight) I’m ready for anything!

(She gets a malicious giggle in reply before the view snaps to black.)

Act Two

(Opening shot: fade in to the face-off in the auditorium.)

Figure: (echoing) Prepare yourself…

(The fog slowly clears to reveal the speaker fully as Trixie, dressed in the performance outfit she wore for the “Street Magic with Trixie!” short. The echo fades from her voice as she continues.)

Trixie: …for the Great and Powerful Trixie of the High Seas! Two shows daily. Tip your waitresses. (Cut to Rainbow, her mind blown.)

Rainbow: Wasn’t ready for that.

(She walks toward the camera, the view fading to black at her approach and then snapping to a longer shot of the stage; she stops a few yards away in the aisle.)

Trixie: Why, hello, Rainbow Dash. (removing hat; Rainbow steps up onstage) If you’re hoping for a glimpse of the ultimate power in the universe, you’ll have to wait until tonight.

Rainbow: Nah, just looking for bad magic.

Trixie: (needled, donning hat) Sorry to disappoint you, but the bad magic of others always follows the amazing magic of moi.

Rainbow: What do you mean?

Trixie: (scoffing, crossing to her) I’m talking about the old grandpas in the audience who see my show and then try to impress their kids with a disappearing-quarter trick on their way home.

(During this line, cut to the two oldsters previously seen in the seats. They are now awake, and one shows off a coin, squeezes his hands together around it, and spreads them wide in an attempt to show that it has vanished. Instead, the coin squirts away and clinks on the floor—David Copperfield he is not. Both men start looking for the money as the camera cuts back to Rainbow, who starts to have a brainstorm.)

Rainbow: Their magic only shows up in response to your magic. Huh. You’re a genius!

Trixie: (dismissively) Well, obviously. (lifting a string of handkerchiefs tied together corner-to-corner) Now, do you mind helping me shove this ten-foot handkerchief down my sleeve?

(Rainbow’s jog for the exit, and the sound of the opening/closing door that drifts back, answer that one clearly enough—so the illusionist begins to wrangle the prop on her own. Dissolve to a busy gift shop; Rarity walks in, checking her phone, and stops upon getting an eyeful of the variegated items up for sale. Grinning widely, she stashes the device and twirls over to a full-length mirror with an article of clothing held up to her chest in order to see how it might look on her. There follows a series of five flashes of white, each of which clears to show her modeling a different combination of accessories, then a run past the sales counter to drop off a shopping bag with a rather bored crew member on cashier duty who is filing her nails. Other items are quickly snatched up—a squeaky starfish, a baseball cap—and two more bags are deposited on the counter in Rarity’s next pass. A keychain, shirt, and dress go next, after which the camera cuts to an extreme close-up of Rarity’s shining eye and zooms out. She is peering into a small glass case displaying immaculately cleaned seashells, and a cut to the counter frames one being wrapped and boxed. It and a fourth bag appear on the counter, quickly followed by two more boxes, the starfish, and one last tiny bag. Finally the cashier rings up the lot, bringing Rarity to a smile when she sees the total. She is now carrying a small purse—one last acquisition, perhaps.)

Rarity: Nine-ninety-nine! (laughing) My savvy shopping smarts strike again! (She produces a bill.) Here’s ten.

(The impassive cashier takes the bill, adds it to her register drawer, and flips a penny back across the counter as change. Rarity tries to catch it, only to see it slide free of her grip time after time. It finally clatters to the floor in close-up; she bends to pick it up, but a crew member’s tanned hand gets in an instant before hers so that her fingers touch those of this new figure. Zoom out to frame it as Ragamuffin, a male not much older than she, with short, tousled blond hair, one brown wristband, and sprinkles of freckles under the outside corners of his bright green eyes. Rarity pulls her hand away as he winks and bites down on the penny, as if confirming it to be genuine. He speaks with a broad Cockney accent.)

Ragamuffin: By golly! That’s real copper, it is! (His perspective of her and the coin.) Bloomin’ delightful!

(Following a moment’s stunned silence on the fashionista’s part, the camera cuts back to him as he stands up.)

Ragamuffin: Uh, penny for your thoughts, miss?

Rarity: (stammering demurely) Oh, you can’t afford my thoughts.

Ragamuffin: (chuckling) Quite right. (helping her up) Lovable scamp like meself.  (winking) Ol’ Ragamuffin, that’s me name, innit? (He notices her multiple purchases.) Uh, need a hand?

Rarity: (handing bags to him) Oh…Ragamuffin? I’m Rarity.         

Ragamuffin: (puzzled, sounding it out) Uh…R-R-Ra-ri-’ee? (Sheepish grunt.)

(He has applied a glottal stop in place of the T-sound in her name, a common feature of Cockney speech.)

Rarity: No, no, no, no, no. Rari-ty.

Ragamuffin: Ra-ri-’ee? (Long pause.)

Rarity: (slightly deflated) Close enough.

(Dissolve to a long shot of the stage set up near the prow and zoom in slowly. All of the Rainbooms except for Rainbow and Rarity are here, Applejack has fetched up by an amplifier, Twilight paces nervously without the brochure she was studying in Act One, and the other three are looking over their instruments. A pan across the stage clearly frames Applejack’s gastrointestinal distress and the general air of worry shared among the other four girls. Sunset plucks a string on her guitar; Fluttershy taps her tambourine; Pinkie sits slumped over her drum kit, now wearing her sunglasses again.)

Twilight: Hmmm… (An inspiration hits; she turns to the others with a slightly forced smile.) Look at us! Getting ready to play at a pool party! Who knows what hijinks will ensue, am I right? Maybe I’ll fall in the pool fully clothed, and everyone will laugh!

(She laughs gamely as the camera cuts to Fluttershy and Pinkie, neither of whom shows even a flicker of joining in her mirth. Pinkie points up her own deep blue funk by letting her head thump down on her bass drum, and Twilight’s attempt to lift spirits peters out.)

Twilight: Are you not having fun?

Pinkie: (sighing) My whole life, I’ve been taught that you could only berry-blast a butter biscuit on a Bundt cake with two layers of chocolate. But this afternoon, I saw the truth. The buffet has a Triple-Choco-Berry-Blasted Butter Biscuit Bundt Cake.

Twilight: How was it?

Pinkie: (shrilly, viciously) I don’t know, ’cause Rainbow Dash got me banned from the buffet!

Twilight: What?!

Fluttershy: She also scared the animals in the petting zoo, and now they don’t want pets. (whispering, as Applejack stands up with a green face) It’s just a zoo.

Applejack: (weakly) She sure wasn’t helpin’ me not get sick off the side of the boat.

Twilight: But…you’re still having fun…right?

Fluttershy: (trying to sound convincing) Oh, of course!

Pinkie: (sourly, raising a drumstick) Yeah!

(And here goes Applejack’s stomach all over again, sending her sprinting offstage to let one fly over the rail.)

Twilight: (crushed) I’m sorry, everyone.

(Sunset un-slings her guitar, sets it down, and crosses to lay a consoling hand on the bookworm’s shoulder.)

Sunset: It’s not your fault. (They trade a small smile.)

Rainbow: (running up) Hey, hey, hey! (climbing onto stage) Sorry I’m late. So listen. I got an idea for our show tonight. We unleash some awesomeness on the crowd. I’m talking rainbow lasers.

Sunset: (puzzled) Is that a thing?

Rainbow: (laughing) Yeah. When we—

Pinkie: Do you mean when we turn into ponies, or do you mean—

Rainbow: No, th-the other thing!

Sunset: I always called that “pony up.”

Rainbow: (scoffing) The rainbow lasers!

Fluttershy: I don’t think that’s a thing.

Rainbow: It will be after we do it tonight! (raising a fist) Who’s with me?

(She is met with dead silence, and her enthusiasm ebbs as Sunset crosses to her.)

Sunset: Rainbow Dash, can I talk to you for a second?

(Dissolve to a slow pan across the stage, with these two standing together at a distance from the others for a private conversation, then cut to a close-up of them. Sunset lets out a long sigh and takes some seconds to collect herself before speaking.)

Sunset: Twilight worked really hard to plan this trip for all of us, and…oh, how can I say this without being mean?

Rainbow: (groaning) Just say it! I can take it.

Sunset: You’re ruining it for everyone!

Rainbow: (floored) Ouch! Your words just punched my feelings.

Sunset: You said you could take it! Just…stop looking for a problem when there isn’t one. How’s that?

(Rainbow ponders this advice sourly, but is soon distracted by a giggle from the o.s. Rarity. Sure enough, here comes the shopping expert onto the stage, Ragamuffin in tow with her voluminous purchases.)

Rarity: (removing sunglasses) Hello, darlings.

Twilight: Where have you been?

Ragamuffin: (setting his load down; Applejack returns) ’Avin’ a little chat with ol’ Ragamuffin, she was.

(General funny looks from the rest of the gang, except for a nauseated Applejack—her face clear—and a smiling Rainbow.)

Ragamuffin: (dusting off hands, saluting) All right, all right. Thanks for everything, Rari’ee.

(Rarity sighs blissfully, a blush tingeing her cheeks pink. Her shades now rest above her forehead.)

Ragamuffin: (vigorously shaking Applejack’s hand) Good luck for all the music and whatnot. (Her face goes green; hands clap to mouth; he departs waving.) Cheers!

(The blond bassist bugs out in the opposite direction to find a convenient rail over which to give her lunch the heave-ho. Rarity returns the wave with a soft sigh.)

Rarity: It’s like he fell out of a historical romance novel.

Fluttershy: (to Twilight/Pinkie/Rainbow/Sunset) Is that how romance sounds?

(The stares she gets could best be translated as “Your guess is as good as mine.” Cut to a long shot of the ship, the sky darkening first to twilight and then overcast night as it pushes ahead. Lights wink on in the portholes and in strings that line the deck as thunder rumbles in the distance. On deck, tables are being moved and refreshments set out in the area near the stage. Ragamuffin and another crew member set a speaker in place, and Ragamuffin throws a thumbs-up to Rarity, who claps her approval; she no longer carries her purse. A microphone is slotted into its stand by Rainbow, and in short order all the Rainbooms are onstage with instruments at the ready. They have changed into new dresses for this gig, both Pinkie and Rarity have put away their sunglasses. A portion of Rainbow’s hair has been braided and wound around her head, but the rest is still in its ponytail; in addition, she has ditched her baseball cap. Some have attached their pendant stones to new accessories.)

Light electric guitar/synthesizer/percussion melody, fast 4 (A flat major)

(Spots and beams of light shine from the stage backdrop, and someone in the crowd begins to snap fingers in time. In short order, eyes and ears are focusing on the stage.) 

Rainbow:                Get in the groove, you bring your dancing shoes

                        I’ll bring the attitude, you bring the crew so we can move

(Stars are projected onto the deck, one surrounding Flash’s feet. He and other spectators raise their arms in celebration, while Bulk tears open the tunic of his sailor-style outfit.)

                        Light up the floor, turn up the bass

                        Yeah, let me see that smile on your face

(She glances over to Applejack, who manages to drum up a shaky smile despite her momentarily virescent cheeks.)

Bass guitar, tambourine, full percussion in

(Now the crowd really starts to get into a party mood, cheering and dancing.)

Rainbooms:                Come on and go with the flow, gonna steal the show, yeah

Twilight:                Let me show you how it goes

Sunset: Repeat after me!

Rainbooms:                ’Cause it’s all, all, all, all good

                        I feel abso-absolutely amazing

(Sunset winks at Flash, who blushes and beams.)

                        ’Cause it’s all, all, all, all good

                        I feel abso-absolutely amazing

(Rainbow starts into a guitar solo.)

Rainbow: (to others) Rainbow lasers!

(The others trade bewildered and somewhat miffed looks, but decide to humor her. The six-stringer’s pony ears emerge from behind her coiled braid, followed by her entire body rising clear of the stage in the magic aura that envelops her. The others gain their ears as well but remain in their places, six pairs of concerned eyes flicking up at Rainbow, whose wings manifest as she continues to play. None of the seven gain their tails. In a long shot of the ship, a wide-angle spectrum of light in the girls’ signature colors blasts toward the clouds.)

Song ends abruptly

(Back onstage, one bulb after another shatters in its socket on the backdrop. Rainbow can only boggle at the electrical failure, which quickly spreads to the lights lining the deck and spurs the crowd into screams of fright, and in seconds the entire ship has gone dead. No porthole lights, no deck lights, no sound system, no engines, nothing except for the anxious murmurs now rippling through the passengers. Rainbow settles to the deck, her ears/wings disappearing, and tosses her guitar aside with gusto. The others’ transformations have already reversed by this point.)

Rainbow: Oh, it’s about to go down!

Voice in crowd: The ship’s going down?

(Those four words touch off a full-scale freak-out.)

Rainbow: Not the ship! The ship’s not going down! (Scoff.) I meant evil! Stop screaming!

(She slumps on her feet, disgusted at their terrified reaction. Fade to black.)

Act Three

(Opening shot: fade in to a long overhead shot of the disabled ship, zooming in slowly, then cut to the deck. Crew members have stepped in to distribute armloads of flashlights and talk with passengers to keep them calm. Onstage, Pinkie has stepped out from behind her kit, and Applejack is fighting to rein in her gag reflex.)

Fluttershy: What happened to the lights?

Rarity: What happened to the engine?

Pinkie: Aw, I hate seeing a party get shut down before its time.

Applejack: The good news is, now that it’s dark, maybe my brain won’t know I’m on a boat.

(That theory lasts until a fresh wave of green-faced nausea hits—perhaps one second.)

Applejack: Oh, no. It heard me.

(She peels out, but gets herself under control and stops half-hunched at the edge of the stage.)

Twilight: (brightly) Let’s not let a little thing like total mechanical and electrical failure ruin our fun.

(Her chipper attitude fails to take root among her bandmates, but she is undeterred.)

Twilight: (running off) Leave it to me!

Rainbow: (to others) She’s wasting her time, because this is… (dramatically, pointing skyward) …Equestrian magic! (Sunset angrily yanks the arm down.)

Sunset: Stop!

Rainbow: You stop! We show off our magic, and literally ten seconds later the power blows? (Applejack trudges back.) We scared whatever’s out there, and it’s fighting back! We should split up and search the ship. Who’s with me?

(Not a one, judging from the averted eyes and lack of vocal response. A close-up of Rainbow and her confidently raised fist dissolves to one of her in a rather worse frame of mind, now walking and carrying an active flashlight. A longer shot puts her on a different section of the deck.)

Rainbow: (groaning, sullenly) That’s the last time I ask, “Who’s with me?”

(The camera tilts down through a “cutaway” view of the deck as the view fades to black. It stops on an engine room crowded with machinery and control panels. Twilight sits on the floor to inspect one stretch of the piping, her only illumination coming from the flashlights held by two of the three crew members standing behind her. She straightens up, exposing safety goggles in place of her usual glasses and the work gloves she has put on. From here on in, each girl will have put away her instrument when seen next.)

Twilight: I’m not trying to tell you how to do your job, but… (Airy giggle.) …may I?

(She accepts a proffered flashlight and sinks out of sight. Cut to an overhead shot of a barely-lit patch of floor amid the pipes and cables. She rolls into view, lying face-up on a mechanic’s dolly, and fumbles around with her free hand while playing the light here and there.)

Twilight: (snarling in frustration) What a mess! (She rolls out.) Did you even read the six-hundred-page online emergency handbook?

(Shrugs pass between two of the crew members—“is this kid for real?”—and she shakes her head disgustedly and slides back in for another go. Wipe to the darkened dessert buffet, through which a hunkered-down Pinkie tiptoes toward the table holding a fresh copy of the cake she had targeted in Act One.)

Pinkie: (straightening up before it) Time to raid the dessert buffet under the cover of darkness. (rubbing hands together eagerly) Triple-Choco-Berry-Blasted Butter Biscuit Bundt Cake, here I come.

(Puffed leans into view in the background.)

Puffed: Who said that?

Pinkie: No one! (She dives behind a table.) Shouldn’t you be upstairs? (The chef slams her hands on the surface.)

Puffed: Somebody has to guard the Bundt cakes! (Cut to Pinkie; she continues o.s.) Stay back! (brandishing spatula into view) I have a spatula!

(The dessert aficionado bolts as the Frenchwoman steps into view, the camera tilting up to frame her suspicious, narrowed eyes. Only after she has moved on does Pinkie straighten up into view, a tablecloth gathered around herself as a makeshift cloak. Satisfied that the coast is clear, she sinks away with a stifled snicker. Cut to Rarity walking along the corridor toward the closed entrance door to the auditorium in which Trixie was doing her magic show in Act One/Two. A fast thumping in a triplet rhythm asserts itself.)

Rarity: Hel-looooo? Ragamuffin?

(Muffled laughter and a jaunty melody can now be heard as well, the latter suggesting an Irish jig. Rarity fearfully steps up to the door and knocks.)

Rarity: Ragamuffin? Are you down here? I was just, uh… (Clear throat.) …in-in the neighborhood and, uh…

(She trails off, her curiosity having gotten the better of her. Cut to just inside the door, the music and voices coming through clearly now. Drums, violin, tin whistle, claps—it is a sure-enough jig—and she eases the door open for a look. What she sees causes her to throw it all the way back, her eyes popping wide.)

Rarity: Whaaat?

(Zoom out quickly to frame the front edge of the stage and a pair of white-clad feet dancing in perfect time. A few onlookers are providing the claps, and a head-on view tells the whole story. Four lanterns have been set on the stage to define the corners of a rectangle, platters and bowls of food are set at the edge—and the nimble legs are attached to none other than Ragamuffin, who dances with arms clasped behind his back.)

Rarity: Oh… (smiling dreamily) …who needs electricity when you have…the… (mumbling a bit) …whatever this is?

(The music ends as a wave of water splashes across the screen. It drains away to frame Rainbow gazing moodily out at the turbulent seas from a deck rail; she has put away her flashlight. Strong winds blow the multicolored tresses this way and that, and thunder booms as she lets out a vexed sigh—standing at the stern rail near the pool, as it turns out. An upward glance informs her that lightning has begun to strike dangerously close to the vessel, and a look back at the water presents her with flickers of light playing across the surface. These gradually coalesce form the twin lightning bolts that served as the emblem of the Storm King when he invaded Equestria—see the transcript of My Little Pony: The Movie for full details.)

Rainbow: Whoa. I knew it! (Zoom in on her.) Evil magic! You guys gotta see this!

(She blazes away from the rail. Cut to the engine room, where Twilight is still hard at work as the three crew members watch, then to a close-up of the young genius. One last grunt of exertion is followed by a smile.)

Twilight: (pulling out a plug on one end of a cord) All that’s left is to hold this lead wire in place while the auxiliary unit cycles— (Close-up of a socket; she continues o.s., plugging into it.) —and everything should be back to normal. (Cut to the crew members.) In three…two…one…

(Here comes Rainbow in a burst of speed.)

Rainbow: No time for that!

(Twilight is unceremoniously dragged out with a yell, hard enough to break the cord she was holding and send out a crackle of sparks. Before any of the crew members can react, Rainbow has her on her feet and is towing her out of the engine room at ludicrous speed. Smoke and sparks billow from the cubbyhole and fill the screen as the effects of the botched restart sequence spread throughout the engine room.)

(The view clears to yield a close-up of the cake of Pinkie’s dreams, still intact on the dessert buffet table and under the watchful eye of its pacing, spatula-armed Puffed. Pinkie, having shed the tablecloth she was wearing and ducked behind a table to do surveillance, fishes a wrapped candy out of her hair and charges it up with a bit of her magic. This is thrown into the clear, its tiny explosion drawing the chef’s attention away from the buffet. In a move almost faster than thought, Pinkie is on her feet and lifting the cake from its platter, hearts rising from her head. Just as she is about to sink her teeth into the mass of chocolaty goodness, Rainbow zips into the dining room and grabs her shoulders.)

Rainbow: No time for that!

(The girl with the insatiable sweet tooth is towed away with a screech, dropping the cake to splat forlornly on the carpet. The chef snarls at the wreckage, then catches sight of the two girls disappearing around a corner.)

Puffed: Banned for life!

(One eye twitches in a most worrisome manner before the view dissolves to the upper reaches of the auditorium and tilts down to the stage. Rarity and Ragamuffin are seated at its edge, everyone else having cleared out.)

Ragamuffin: (chuckling) Well, me pa worked in a coal mine, but I always wanted to dance. (sheepishly, scratching back of head) Huh. A fancy girl like you wouldn’t understand.

Rarity: Oh, no, actually, in the school production of Bedazzled, I played a coal miner’s daughter who danced in bedazzled magical boots from her Fairy Boot-Mother. (chuckling) So…

(A reference to the events in most of the “Choose Your Own Ending” shorts. He smiles at her…she smiles back, the camera zooming in slowly…the two lean gingerly toward one another, both feeling the attraction…and her cry of surprise hangs in the air as she is plowed away in Rainbow’s contrail.)

Rainbow: (now o.s.) No time for that!

(Ragamuffin’s eyes pop after the high-speed exit, his smile staying firmly in place. Wipe to the Rainbooms making their way past the pool and led by a flashlight-toting Rainbow. The other six are in a justifiably foul frame of mind, Twilight having shed her work gloves and traded goggles for spectacles, and AJ’s face is back to its usual color. The thunder and lightning that dominated Rainbow’s last visit to this area have subsided.)

Rainbow: I promise this is more important than all of your things.

(She runs ahead, ignoring their disgruntled mumblings, and stops at the stern rail in close-up. The flashlight is gone.)

Rainbow: (dramatically, gesturing past it) Behold—evil magic!

(Zoom out to frame the other six now standing behind her and murmuring confusedly. Once she catches on, she leans over the rail for a better look and is absolutely thunderstruck by whatever she sees.)

Rainbow: Wh— (Impatient sigh.) —huh?

(A longer shot points out that the water beyond the rail is back to its normally choppy self, with no trace of supernatural emblems whatsoever.)

Rainbow: The whole ocean was glowing a minute ago! I-It went “whoosh-whoosh-whoosh” w-with little ribbon thingies!

Twilight: (coldly) Do you know which sorcerer can conjure up the greatest magic of all? (Rainbow turns to her.) Mother Nature.

Rainbow: What?

Twilight: What you saw was probably nothing more than an innate phosphorescent biochemical property of common algae.

Rainbow: Whaaaaat? I-If that’s what you think, then let’s get in lifeboats and I’ll prove it! (pointing over rail) The magic came from that way. We sail out and find the source.

Twilight: And then?

Rainbow: Then it’s go time!

Twilight: Which means?

Rainbow: We take no prisoners!

Twilight: (dryly) Where would we take them?

Rainbow: Who?

Twilight: The prisoners! That’s kidnapping! Are you even listening to yourself?

Rainbow: (snarling, pointing at Twilight) You don’t want me to be right because you’re scared to be a superhero!

Twilight: (shoving hand away) We’re not superheroes!

Rainbow: (sputtering, sarcastically) Oh, oh, excuse me! We’re just ordinary girls who have saved the world from complete destruction multiple times!

Twilight: Uh, yes.

Rainbow: Keep telling yourself that. But the rest of us aren’t in denial. (pacing past Twilight) Right, everyone? Let’s get to those boats and do what we do best! (raising both fists) Who’s with me?

(The others’ lack of eye contact and sotto-voce grumblings tell it all, and the would-be adventure seeker lowers her arms with a groan.)

Rainbow: Okay. That’s the last time I say that.

(As she walks past them, Twilight is the only one whose face softens, as if wondering whether her reaction was a bit too harsh. Dissolve to a long shot of the stern and pan a short distance to starboard; the lightning that had earlier quieted down begins again, shaking the entire craft as the camera cuts to the dining room. Everyone here has put on a life jacket; the same will be true of all other passengers from here on out unless otherwise noted. Cut to one table at which Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rarity are sitting with trays of food; Applejack moans woozily and lays her greening face on her forearms, the only one of the three to forgo a meal. Rarity pats her gently on the back before the camera pans to a glum Twilight sitting alone at one end. She listlessly picks at the omelet on her plate with her fork while Sunset brings over a tray of her own and sits across from her. All five have changed into the outfits they wore leading up to the concert, but Rarity is not wearing her sunglasses.)

Twilight: I wasn’t very nice to Rainbow Dash last night.

Sunset: No one’s blaming you for wanting to give us a normal spring break. (Cut to Twilight on the end of this, then back to her.) We’d be having one if it weren’t for me. I brought magic to this world in the first place.

Twilight: I wouldn’t trade you for anything in the world—in any world.

(She reaches across the table to lay a hand on Sunset’s.)

Sunset: (smiling) Aw…same here. (standing up, returning the gesture) How about we make sure Rainbow Dash knows that too?

(The violet face mirrors the smile on the yellow-orange one. Cut to just outside the dining room’s closed doors, Pinkie sitting in a dejected little huddle against the wall off to one side. These open to let Twilight and Sunset emerge, their old fire returning, and swing shut again. The frizzy-haired dynamo sighs to herself, brokenhearted over not being allowed to join her friends inside, but brightens with a gasp upon seeing a tray held out to her by Fluttershy. The offering earns a silverware-rattling hug, which in turn elicits a soft giggle from the yellow girl. Pinkie wears her original outfit under her life jacket and, like Rarity, has put away her tinted lenses.)

(Cut to Twilight and Sunset walking the deck.)

Twilight: (voice raised) Rainbow Dash! Let’s have a do-over!

(Turning toward the rail, Sunset finds one of the rubber lifeboats missing from the suspension mounts that protrude from the hull.)

Sunset: You don’t think she went off into the storm, do you?

Twilight: (pulling out her phone) Oh. I’ll call her.

(A tap, and up comes a picture of a winking, smirking Rainbow, accompanied by ringing that gives way to the daredevil’s voice.)

Rainbow: (on phone) What up, nerds? It’s Rainbow Dash, having way too much fun being awesome to answer your call. (Zoom in on the thickening clouds, putting Twilight and Sunset out of view.) So leave a message, if you’re too old to text me.

(A voice mail greeting, then. Fade to black.)

Act Four

(Opening shot: fade in to a thick fog bank, which parts to frame the immobilized ship as the camera zooms in. The remaining six Rainbooms are standing near one end of the row of lifeboats, and a close-up of one shows the supplies being tossed in: towel, first aid kit, life preserver. Cut to the deck; Sunset has been loading up the gear. Fluttershy is holding Mr. Bouncy, the rabbit from the petting zoo.)

Twilight: You’re going after her?

Sunset: She wouldn’t even be out there if I hadn’t brought magic to this world in the first place. (Pause.) What about you? Are you in?

Twilight: Of course I’m in! A hundred percent on board!

(Which evidently means “on board the ship”—at least until Sunset gestures toward the rail.)

Sunset: Then get on board. (She puts a hand to Twilight’s shoulder.)

Twilight: I just said I… (It sinks in.) …“on board.”

(Trepidation spray-paints itself all over her face as she moves toward the boats. A labored huff from Applejack’s general vicinity; pan to her, face normal and hand to belly.)

Applejack: I’ll fix the engine while you’re gone. We’ll be ready to go before that storm hits us.

(She groans groggily and totters on her feet, saved from keeling over only by Pinkie’s supporting arms.)

Sunset: But you’re seasick. Going below deck is the worst thing you could do. (Applejack muscles her gorge down.)

Applejack: Not worse than losin’ Rainbow Dash.

Pinkie: (saluting) I’ll help keep people calm! (under her breath) Get cake. (aloud) I mean, keep people calm! (Cut to Fluttershy.)

Fluttershy: And I’ll make sure there’s life jackets for everyone— (to Mr. Bouncy) —even grandchildren. (Zoom out to frame Applejack/Pinkie/Rarity.)

Rarity: (melodramatically) And I’ll inform the below-deck crew that even though we’re from two different worlds, one a lonely coal miner— (cradling Applejack’s chin) —the other a sophisticated beaut—

(The soliloquy grinds to a halt at a fresh lurch of Applejack’s gut.)

Rarity: (clearing throat, blushing) I mean…I’ll, uh, I’ll, uh, I’ll help Applejack.

(By now, Twilight is already over the side and in the lifeboat.)

Sunset: (climbing in; Twilight waves to others) We’ll find Rainbow Dash and be back as soon as possible. (to Twilight) Let’s go!

(The bespectacled girl quickly warms up her hands and telekinetically lowers the rig toward the water. Cut to a head-on close-up of the pair, Sunset keeping an intent lookout up front as Twilight guns the outboard motor. Water splashes around the bow, their hair streams wildly backward in the wind—but a longer shot reveals that their boat is still tethered to the ship’s rail by a rope. An over-shoulder glance apprises Sunset of this little boo-boo.)

Sunset: You forgot to untie the rope.

Twilight: (chagrined) Oh, yeah.

(A moment’s work, and she has undone and thrown off the line so the lifeboat can zoom away. The fog gradually clears before them to present a craggy island surrounded by treacherous outcroppings that extend well out from the shore. The two rescuers pilot the craft through the maelstrom, exchanging fearful glances at a lightning strike far too close for comfort, and find a safe course through the jagged rocks toward the beach. Twilight cuts the motor so that they drift to a stop on the sand, and Sunset shades her eyes for a brief look off to one side.)

Sunset: (pointing that direction) There! That’s her boat!

(She hops out and dashes away, tossing her life jacket back, and Twilight fumbles with the buckle securing hers. Sunset soon finds a second lifeboat and discarded jacket, but no evidence of Rainbow; after a quick scrutiny of the item, she lets it drop with a mildly disgusted glare.)

Sunset: (voice raised) Rainbow Dash! (Twilight catches up, her jacket gone.)

Twilight: Any sign of her?

(Sunset shakes her head; after a pensive moment, both pairs of eyes turn toward the heavily forested inland region.)

Twilight: You don’t think she…

(Cut to the dense foliage, amid which several pairs of glowing, unfriendly eyes open in the shadows.)

Twilight: (from o.s.) …went in there?

(Cut back to the pair, who chew this prospect over with clear unease. Their ponderings are cut short by a parrot squawk; cut to an overhead shot that frames this brightly colored bird regarding them from a tree branch.)

Sunset: Where’s Fluttershy when we need her? (It scratches itself a bit and squawks again.)

Parrot: I’m going in that jungle!

Sunset: (puzzled) “I’m going in that jungle”? (to Twilight) The parrot must be repeating what she said! Let’s go!

(The violet girl’s eyes flick between her and the jungle, the rest of her on the verge of total panic.)

Twilight: In there?

(Lightning crashes above the overgrown plant life and malevolent animal eyes, strong winds tear at the vines and fronds, and various beastly silhouettes within the shadows make their displeasure known in their own ways. Zoom in quickly to a close-up of Twilight.)

Twilight: (small voice) Anyone could’ve said that. (Squawk; cut to frame both and the parrot.)

Parrot: Or my name isn’t Rainbow Dash! (Another.)

Twilight: (groaning) Fine!

(Crossing the beach, they begin to push their way into the tropical tangle. Sunset, in the lead, eases a hanging vine up and out of her way as the pairs of eyes gleam from all angles; as Twilight does likewise, though, a bat flutters out of a recess to throw a scare into her. The violet scientist cries out and tries to wave it away, only to give up and flee after Sunset with a scream. Farther along, the red/gold-haired girl pushes a broad leaf out of her own way, letting it snap back just in time to strike Twilight across the face and bring up an annoyed little snarl. Sunset moves steadily along through the trackless terrain, but Twilight trips over a rock in her haste and pitches forward, throwing up a wash of mud that covers the screen. This drains away to frame her measuring at least half her height in a large puddle. She peels her face up with a pained moan, but is back on her feet and catching up to Sunset in fairly short order. The next time that Sunset moves a leaf, Twilight has the presence of mind to duck when it swings back into place; she smirks and giggles at it, only to walk directly into the path of a hanging spider. It ends up holding fast to her nose, prompting her to yell and run wildly ahead while trying to bat it away. A few steps later, she has rid herself of the arachnid and removed her glasses; these go back on with a groan as she closes the gap between herself and Sunset again.)

Rainbow: (from o.s.) HEEEEEEELP!!

(That yell freezes both explorers in their tracks for a moment, but they swiftly get their legs back in gear and plow ahead. Cut to another stretch of jungle.)

Rainbow: (from o.s.) HEEELP!!

(Pan/tilt down to ground level, showing her immersed to waist level in a pit of quicksand and liberally smeared with the stuff. Enough of her clothing is visible to establish that she, like the others, has taken time to change back into her pre-concert togs.)

Rainbow: HEEEEEEEELP!! (She strains briefly to pull free—no dice—and addresses herself bitterly.) Way to go, Rainbow Dash. You did it again. You had to go off on your own, didn’t you?

Sunset: (from o.s.) Rainbow Dash!

(The trapped teen looks toward the edge of the pit, the camera angle shifting ever so slightly to pick out Twilight and Sunset closing in fast.)

Rainbow: Oh, hey! (catching herself, chuckling casually) Uh…’sup? (Squelch.) Um, just taking a rest in here, you know. Finding evil magic is hard work.

Twilight: (pointedly) Did you find any?

Rainbow: (drawing an arc in the surface) Nah. Just quicksand. (A surprised noise from Sunset.)

Sunset: Don’t struggle! We’ll find something to pull you out. (She begins to search in the undergrowth.)

Rainbow: Struggle? (She does exactly that for a second.) Who’s struggling?

(Twilight responds with a fed-up little shake of her head and a soft grumble.)

Twilight: (walking off, under her breath) Typical Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow: (contritely) I-I’ve had a little time to think. (Blurp.) A lot of time, actually. And I spent most of it wishing I could make it up to you, because you were right

(A squawk; zoom out and pan to frame the parrot now perched on a low branch overhead.)

Parrot: Twilight’s wrong!

Rainbow: (really embarrassed) Anyone could’ve said that.

Parrot: (squawking) Or my name isn’t Rainbow Dash!

Rainbow: (to herself) Uh…gottas stop saying my name all the time.

(The jibe is not lost on its target, who has found a long, thin limb protruding from a tree trunk and breaks it loose with a contemptuous scoff. Zoom in slowly on the half-submerged jock.)

Rainbow: I was a little annoyed at first, but I’ll admit it. I ruined everyone’s spring break for nothing. There’s no magic out here. Nothing magical at all.

(On this last sentence, a broad shadow begins to loom over her from behind and the camera cuts back to solid ground. Sunset’s eyes widen in sudden fear, and she puts a hand out to stop Twilight’s approach with the limb. The purple peepers copy the blue-green ones, the wood falling from nerveless fingers and clattering to the jungle floor, and tentacles begin to creep toward her ankles from the lightless expanse.)

Rainbow: The only villain trying to ruin spring break… (slumping as best she can) …was me.

(A few drops of greenish fluid spatter down on the crown of her baseball cap, jolting her out of this bout of self-pity.)

Sunset: (small voice) And maybe that giant plant monster?

Rainbow: What giant plant monster?

Twilight: (pointing up across pit) That giant plant monster!

(A longer shot of the area frames the cause of her fear: a massive, viny growth topped by a set of growling jaws that call to mind a Venus flytrap after a serious fertilizer overdose. Sunset screams as the dripping maw lowers itself hungrily toward Rainbow, whose own lungs kick into high gear when it goes in for the final lunge. The teeth never make contact, stopped just short by Twilight’s magic.)

Rainbow: GET ME OUTTA HERE!!

Twilight: (straining) We’re trying!

(She extends her hold over the tendrils trying to snatch her and Sunset, while the former unicorn grabs up the discarded limb and drops to one knee at the edge of the pit, holding it out for Rainbow. It proves to be a few inches too short, despite the imperiled teen’s best effort to reach the free end.)

Rainbow: Try harder!

(So Sunset lowers her stance a bit more to close the gap; now Rainbow is able to wrap all her fingers around the limb. As Sunset tries with all her strength to reel her friend in, one of Twilight’s hands loses its power. She gasps in fright, seeing the great beast wrench itself completely free of her aura with a guttural roar, and its strike at the surface of the pit sends up splatters of quicksand and snaps the limb. Motes and beams of golden light flare up from the hit; Sunset throws aside the bit she still holds and kneels at the edge, one hand extended.)

Sunset: Take my hand! (Rainbow, now submerged to the chin, eyes her with a scoff.)

Rainbow: Take your hand?

(A few bubbles pop around her, releasing more gleams of light, and she blows at the surface as if trying to cool it off.)

Sunset: I’ve seen something like this before!

(Brushing some of the muck aside, she is rewarded with a swirling expanse of warm yellow energy just below the surface.)

Sunset: This is definitely Equestrian magic!

(Twilight gets her mojo working again, just in time to stop the great green behemoth from helping itself to an appetizer of Rainbow tartare. The vines think very little of the interruption, coiling in around her as she exerts every molecule of her being to keep them at bay.)

Twilight: (straining) I can’t hold it back much longer!

Sunset: (to Rainbow) I have a way out of this. Do you trust me?

Rainbow: Of course!

Sunset: (reaching toward Rainbow’s forehead) See you soon!

(One hard shove plunges the captive entirely into the pit, producing a gunk-choked scream.)

Twilight: (horrified) DID YOU JUST—

Sunset: I’ll explain later. We jump on three.

(The behemoth breaks Twilight’s hold again and uncorks a jungle-shaking roar of fury; the backlash throws her off balance, but Sunset is there to catch her.)

Sunset: (hastily, toppling backwards toward pit) One, two, three! (A growl drifts down as the action shifts to slow motion.)

Twilight: (half speed) NOOOOO!!

(They splash into the quicksand and are lost to sight. Normal speed resumes, a broad beam of yellow light surging up from the pit, and a long shot of the island shows it lancing up into the bruised and sullen storm clouds. It dissipates after a long blast, and the view fades to black.)

(Fade in to a very dimly lit expanse of natural rock wall. A roughly circular aperture filled with swirls of the incandescent power flares up briefly on this, disgorging a dribble of quicksand, and the camera pans/tilts down through this space to the sound of flowing water. Twilight’s eyes are the first to open, accompanied by the sound of Sunset heaving for breath. The next three lines reverberate slightly.)

Twilight: Where are we? (Rainbow opens her eyes.)

Rainbow: Not about to get eaten. Good enough for me. (Sunset follows suit.)

Sunset: It’s…more complicated than that.

(A unicorn’s horn flares up above the blue-green irises, powered by the red glow of her magic, and builds power to fully illuminate the area. All three are now ponies, standing near the base of a waterfall in a cavern—they have crossed over into Equestria. They have lost their clothes and pendant stones and are clean of the quicksand and plant residue. Twilight and Rainbow are exact copies of their pony counterparts, with two differences on the former’s part: she still wears her glasses and is a standard-issue, non-winged unicorn.)

Rainbow: (awestruck) Whoa…

(She tries an experimental flap of her wings; across the way, Twilight gasps and claps both front hooves to her cheeks, her brain locked solid out of sheer panic. Purple eyes contract to bloodshot pinpoints as a scream of mind-shattering terror rips free of her throat at last. Snap to black.)

Act Five

(Opening shot: fade in to a very long shot of Canterlot—the city in Equestria, that is—during the day and tilt down slowly to the sound of Twilight’s scream. Spooked birds scatter from the treetops in all directions before the camera cuts to a close-up of a pool of water that reflects the frantic face of the newly minted unicorn. She cries out again upon getting a good look at herself, then tacks on another scream just to drive the point home with a jackhammer.)

Twilight: (pulling at cheeks) PONY FAAACE!!

(Longer shot: she is now sitting on her haunches by the pool, and Sunset hurries over to her. The overgrown greenery behind them suggests that they are now in the Everfree Forest.)

Sunset: Twilight, you’re okay. This is supposed to happen.

(The bookish mare manages only stunned half-words as she takes in the not inconsiderable changes to her anatomy.)

Twilight: All my things are horse things!

Sunset: Around here we call them “pony things.”

Rainbow: (plummeting/swooping past) INCOMING!!

(The yelling, headlong flight carries her into a clump of bushes and ends with a thud and grunt of pain. Twilight cringes mightily, while Sunset puts a fed-up hoof to her face.)

Sunset: (to Twilight) That wasn’t quicksand back there. (levitating Rainbow out) The sand was covering a portal to Equestria.

(Once on the turf, the novice pegasus sullenly shakes her head clear and clean of debris.)

Sunset: I thought there was only one, from school to Celestia’s mirror, but…who knows how many there are and where they might lead?

(During this line, Rainbow tries and fails to nail down the basics of hovering, instead doing a backwards flip so that she lands flat on her back. Cut to a suddenly calm Twilight and Sunset.)

Twilight: Sorry, I wasn’t listening— (shrilly, grabbing Sunset) —BECAUSE WE’RE PONIES!! (Cut to frame Rainbow, now standing, on the next line.)

Rainbow: You know, Twilight, since I kinda messed things up on the boat, maybe this could be your vacation. (Back to Twilight and Sunset.)

Twilight: (smiling, calmly) Hm.

Rainbow: (from o.s.) We’re here— (Back to her.) —we’re ponies— (winking) —let’s have some fun!

(She rises to her hind legs, holding a front hoof out as if for a high five.)

Rainbow: Pony style!

(Not being used to this body, she loses her balance and lurches forward with a shout to get four on the floor again.)

Sunset: Uh, that’s not a thing we say.

Twilight: This would be a fantastic opportunity to study the physical laws of a novel dimension.

Sunset: Shouldn’t we be getting back?

Rainbow: It’s just a little rain. I’m sure our friends are fine.

(Cut to a long overhead shot of the stranded ship, a fork of lightning lancing into the water at close range. Screams drift up through the night; cut to Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Rarity on the deck. They scream and recoil from a spark that ricochets off the planks, barely missing their feet and leaving a large, smoking scorch mark. The next shot is of the engine room, where Applejack has taken Twilight’s place on the wheeled dolly to work on the underside of the equipment. Ragamuffin has joined the three stewards who were already assigned to this spot; all four are wearing safety goggles, and they work with hand tools and check the panels as puffs of smoke drift up from floor level. The apple expert straightens up, kitted out in her own goggles and work gloves and liberally smeared with oil, and wipes her forehead with a groan before picking up and activating a walkie-talkie. She is not jacketed.)

Applejack: Breaker, breaker four and a half, this is Red Delicious requestin’ a storm status update. Over.

(A blat of feedback from the device; cut to the trio on the deck. Rarity has the other handset.)

Rarity: Ahoy, uh, matey. This is Rarity. Please repeat…the words you said.

(Another flash across the sky sets them to squealing in fear and grabbing at one another. This one takes the form of the Storm King’s insignia before pouring itself into a jagged bolt that caroms crazily along the walkway, forcing the girls to hit the deck. Sandalwood, a short distance away, runs for it after nearly getting fried; now Rarity goes for the walkie again.)

Rarity: I’m beginning to wonder if—

(She screams upon nearly getting her head blown off by a new blast and reflexively loses her hold on the device, which goes flying over the rail and splashes into the ocean.)

Rarity: —this is no ordinary storm! (Long pause.)

Pinkie: I don’t think she heard you.

(Rarity just gives her a very funny look, but cuts it short when the next one comes within yards of deep-frying her face. All three girls scream and duck behind the rail.)

(Dissolve to a long overhead shot of Ponyville and zoom in slowly. It is a peaceful day, and a cut to one particular street points up just how ordinary that day is. The camera pans slightly to frame the corner of one house, from which the three visitors furtively peer down the block.)

Sunset: (whispering) We’d better keep a low profile. Follow my lead.

(She ducks out of sight, Rainbow hot on her heels; Twilight, though, takes a second to catch on and follow them. In a trice, they are peeking out from a shrub in front of one business, drawing the puzzled attention of a passing colt before they drop out of sight again. Just as quickly, they are galloping along an elevated bridge that connects this structure to the next one in line, then popping their heads up from two full barrels of apples minded by Big Macintosh. He does not spot them due to having his head turned elsewhere, but is very puzzled indeed to find some of the fruit tumbling onto the road and bouncing off his head—displaced by the mares’ sudden emergence. By the time he turns to run a puzzled eye over the barrels, they have bailed out and are hustling away.)

(Close-up of the three coming to a stop; Rainbow runs into Sunset from behind, prompting a neigh of combined irritation and surprise. Zoom out quickly to put Pony Rainbow in the fore a short distance away; she has her back to them and thus pays no mind, but the stallion with whom she is talking has a clear view of the doppelganger and is staring bug-eyed and openmouthed. The three retreat out of sight as he tries to point them out but faints, leaving one very baffled flyer alone. Finally she glances back over her shoulder toward the group’s former location, only to catch sight of Pony Applejack hauling a cart down the street. The two wave greeting to one another, neither spotting the trio hunched down among the supplies.)

(As Pony Applejack travels past the Castle of Friendship, Sunset climbs out of the cart and uses her magic to hoist Twilight and Rainbow clear and hide them in a bush. Having drawn a puzzled and mildly annoyed glare from Twinkleshine, she offers a big goofy grin and hastily backs up into the shrubbery so that all three are out of sight. An instant later, they peek out from the rooftop of a house closer to the royal residence, then duck away and pop up from a still-nearer bush. After hunkering down again, the whole thing rises on twelve hooves and gets walked toward the front door as mobile camouflage.)

(Cut to the throne room, its central map table bare, and pan slowly to one side where a tall ladder has been set up at the wall. Spike is standing at its peak to hang a painting, while Princess Twilight supervises from ground level and is lending her field to the effort. The little dragon struggles and heaves to follow her directions.)

[Note: The School of Friendship is not visible near the Castle in this sequence, and Spike does not have his wings. These two details suggest that this special takes place sometime between My Little Pony: The Movie and the start of Season 8.]

Princess Twilight: A little higher on the left…now on the right… (The doors behind her open, revealing mares and bush at the threshold.) …a little more…

(Turning away from the work, she notices Sunset among the leaves and voices a happy little gasp. Cut to the doorway.)

Princess Twilight: (from o.s.) Sunset Shimmer!

Sunset: (galloping in) Twilight!

(Twilight and Rainbow get their heads clear and trade a smile, knowing that they are in friendly territory. Up top, Princess Twilight’s magic fades from the painting—limp, deflated pony forms amid a surreal landscape of fruit slices and drinks—and Spike has to put every bit of his muscle into keeping it aloft. Sovereign and student-at-large race to each other.)

Princess Twilight: It’s wonderful to see you. (They embrace.) What are you doing here?

Sunset: It’s a long story.

Princess Twilight: (puzzled) Wait. How are you coming in the front door and not up from where I keep the mirror? (Huge gasp.) You found another portal between our worlds! (Twilight and Rainbow enter the throne room, free of the bush and brushing off leaves.)

Sunset: I guess it wasn’t that long.

Twilight: Oh, I like her!

Princess Twilight: Rainbow Dash!

Spike: Whoa! (He drops the painting.)

Princess Twilight: Other me! Good to see you both again. (concernedly) What about the others?

Sunset: Oh, they’re back home waiting for us, but they’re fine. (Twilight and Rainbow nod.) No reason to hurry back.

(The glare of lightning plays over the three commuters and subsides to show that he view has changed to a terrified Fluttershy aboard the ship. A life-jacketed pig sits next to her.)

Fluttershy: Oh, I hope they hurry back!

(Overhead shot of the area, zooming in: the lounge overlooking the pool. Pinkie runs up to her and Rarity, seated on couches and looking after both the pig and a similarly attired sheep—two refugees from the petting zoo. Close-up of the new arrival.)

Pinkie: Applejack said to tell you she’s about to reconnect the engine and we might feel a little jolt.

Fluttershy: Oh! When?

Pinkie: Eh, she didn’t say.

(All is quiet for a moment until the ship instantly buzzes up to a patently unsafe speed. The sheer acceleration prompts a yell from all three, dumps Pinkie on her rump, and nearly hurls Fluttershy and Rarity off the couches. Pan quickly ahead of them and cut to a long profile shot of the speeding vessel, a babel of screams drifting across the unfriendly sea. In the engine room, Applejack pulls her head out of the enclosure where she has been working.)

Applejack: I can’t slow it down! (Lightning strike; she holds up her walkie-talkie.) And we just lost steering!

(A jolt causes her to drop it, and the ship continues its uncontrolled charge. Cut to a close-up of a merry Spike in the throne room of the Castle.)

Spike: And that’s the last time I ever went to a dragon wedding!

(Zoom out to frame him standing on the map table. Seated around it, his boss and the visitors laugh heartily at the conclusion of this yarn as he takes his small seat. Princess Twilight is on her own throne, while Sunset has commandeered Pony Applejack’s.)

Princess Twilight: (to the trio) Oh, you have to try Ms. Cake’s [sic] chocolate fondue. It takes twenty minutes, though.

(Cut to Twilight/Rainbow on their side of the table—in Pony Pinkie’s and Pony Rarity’s places, respectively.)

Twilight: Eh, we have all the time in the world.

(Cut to Pinkie, running madly along the deck with hands to head.)

Pinkie: WE’RE RUNNING OUT OF TIME!!

(She catches up to Fluttershy and Rarity near the pool, the latter holding the pig.)

Pinkie: (grabbing Fluttershy’s shoulders) Watch out for rocks! (The deck tips backward; they go sliding and Fluttershy and Rarity scream.) WATCH OUT FOR EVERYTHING!!

(She adds her own scared-out-of-her-wits vocal part when the camera shifts to the starboard rail, riding along with the ship toward the island. This scream hangs in the air as the view cuts to Sunset and Rainbow in the throne room, whose table is now littered with souvenirs from the Equestria contingent’s past adventures. An intrigued Rainbow toys with a torch used in the Equestria Games, but Sunset turns her head as if trying to perceive the source of the phantom sound.)

Sunset: Did you hear that? It sounded like Pinkie Pie yelling.

(Rainbow puts her ears to the task, but gets only the faint sound of squeaking wheels. Zoom out quickly to frame Princess Twilight across from them as the closed throne room doors swing open to admit Pony Pinkie and the loaded snack cart she is pushing—the cause of the squeak. The bush that Twilight, Rainbow, and Sunset used for cover has been cleared away.)

Pony Pinkie: I was yelling, silly—standing at the front door yelling, “Fondue delivery!”

(She holds up a small bowl of melted chocolate on these last two words; only afterward does she take notice of Twilight and Rainbow.)

Pony Pinkie: Oh, hey, Rainbow Dash, pony with glasses who I don’t recognize. (sliding bowl across table) Here.

(Cut to the trio and the bowl.)

Pony Pinkie: (from o.s.) You have to try this.

(Three handles protrude from the surface. Sunset pulls one free with her magical hold, finding a coated marshmallow skewered on the other, and chows down. Rainbow flips another one free and gets it pinned between her front hooves.)

Pony Pinkie: (from o.s.) It’s a fresh batch!

(A bite leaves the sweet stuff smeared across Rainbow’s lips and brings a twinge of pain to the blue face. She sets her skewer down, and Sunset returns hers to the bowl on the next line.)

Rainbow: (grunting, sounding as if she has burned her tongue) Ow! Hot! Too hot! It needs to be like, twenty percent cooler.

(Twilight fires up her horn and maneuvers the last unused skewer toward herself, but actually getting marshmallow to mouth proves a bigger challenge than expected. First she nearly bites down on the shaft; next she pokes the treat against her cheek, then her glasses; finally—and very messily—she puts it on target and eats.)

Twilight: Mmmm! I love this!

(A lightning strike changes the view to a close-up of Rarity sliding across the deck on her belly, having let go of the pig.)

Rarity: I HATE THIS!!

(Zoom out quickly; she, Fluttershy, Pinkie, and the porker fetch up against the rails at the prow to the sound of yells and grunts. The three girls pull themselves up with some effort.)

Fluttershy: I can’t take much more of this!

Pinkie: (staring fearfully ahead) You might not have to!

(The ship is bearing down on the jagged outcroppings that surround the island; all three gasp at the impending peril.)

Pinkie: (pointing) Rock ho!

(The ship grazes one of them, sustaining a long gash in the hull, and they scream while fighting a losing battle to keep their footing. In the engine room, Applejack—now wearing a life jacket—and Ragamuffin are the only ones still on duty; she has cleaned the oil off herself, and she yells as the area goes into a funky cha-cha. The damage done, the ship begins to sink among the rocks; passengers in the corridors scream and flee before the inrush of water. In the auditorium, though, Trixie has taken the stage to do her magic show for a new audience. A vase stands on a small table next to her, and the paraphernalia from the impromptu jig jam session in Act Three has been cleared out.)

Trixie: Behold! The vase is now empty. The question is, can the Great and Powerful Trixie bring the water back?

(She wiggles her fingers intently over the container, but is genuinely surprised to hear a growing rumble. A quick mental gear change, and she is playing it off as part of the act—but showmanship goes out the window when the entire room shakes and water starts to pour in from the corridor. The spectators run screaming for their lives.)

Trixie: Oh, no. I’m too powerful. (running) I’M TOO POWERFUL!!

(Cut to Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Rarity gathering at the rail.)

Fluttershy: (gasping) We’re…sinking!

(Zoom out quickly to a long shot of the foundering ship as lightning rips the sky, then cut to an overhead shot of the four mares and one now-napping dragon in the throne room. Zoom in slowly; Pony Pinkie and the fondue equipment are gone, the doors are closed, and Twilight and Rainbow have cleaned themselves up. Rainbow’s voice will be back to normal when she speaks next.)

Princess Twilight: And that was the time I was rescued by my own pupil! (Giggle; close-up.) Which really gave me some perspective on the importance of mentoring.

Twilight: You ponies are like superheroes! (Rainbow throws her a calculating grin.)

Princess Twilight: Oh, we’re not superheroes.

Twilight: (slyly, but deflating little by little) Sure. Just ordinary ponies who save the world from complete destruction multiple times.

Rainbow: Sound familiar?

(The grin gets bigger and more insufferable, and Twilight cringes a bit at having resorted to using the words she dismissed so easily in the pair’s Act Three argument.)

Princess Twilight: Here’s a good one.

(She conjures up a long, slim parcel and sets it to floating vertically above the table. As she speaks, the camera zooms in slowly on it and she lets her field undo the wrappings to reveal the Staff of Sacanas—the artifact with which the Storm King had intended to rule the land.)

Princess Twilight: This is from our battle with the Storm King. He stole our magic and used it to create the most powerful storm in Equestria.

(Twilight and Sunset watch the show with visible appreciation, but Rainbow’s attention is focused on the discarded cloths—and the Storm King insignia plainly visible on one free end. In a close-up of this and slow zoom in, her mind’s eye briefly overlays the ocean and the glowing sigil she saw; on the end of the next line, the real thing flares pale blue and she gasps softly in recognition.)

Princess Twilight: (from o.s.) But luckily my friends and I were able to work together to drain his magic and seal his power…

(Cut to frame the entire table; she indicates the Staff.)

Princess Twilight: …into this.

Twilight, Sunset: (awed) Whoa… (Rainbow pulls the cloth-end to herself.)

Rainbow: (thoughtfully) That symbol looks familiar.

Princess Twilight: You’ve…seen this before?

Rainbow: (setting it down) It’s just… (Sigh.) …that symbol. It looks exactly like what I thought I saw in the water when we were back on the boat. But…we decided the magic glow was just Mother Nature.

Princess Twilight: (slightly rattled, floating cloth-end up) When you saw the thing that looked exactly like this thing, there wasn’t any thunder or lightning accompanying it… (Nervous chuckle.) …right?

Sunset: Uh, there was definitely thunder.

Twilight: Affirmative on the thunder. (Rainbow grimaces and says nothing.)

Princess Twilight: Okay.

(She lets the wrappings drop, vanishes the Staff, and flies to the others. On the next line, she lands alongside them and the camera zooms in to a close-up.)

Princess Twilight: (increasingly unnerved) Nopony freak out, but I think maybe there’s a chance when we destroyed the Storm King, we didn’t capture all his magic and maybe a bit found its way into your world. It might be turning into a giant magic storm and threatening your friends as we speak! NOPONY FREAK OUT!! (One eye twitches alarmingly; Sunset stands up on her seat.)

Sunset: Our friends! (Twilight follows suit.)

Twilight: We have to go back! (Rainbow ditto, more calmly.)

Rainbow: Ladies…

(A couple of leisurely flaps bring her to the center of the table, where she settles into a confident stance.)

Rainbow: …it’s hero time!

(Snap to black.)

Act Six

(Opening shot: snap to the helpless ship, caught on the rocks and battered by the relentless onslaught of wind-driven water. The engine room begins to flood, sending its three crew members scrambling for an exit; Applejack has already cleared out. The door leading to the auditorium flies open so the audience members can keep ahead of the torrent gushing after them. Near the pool, Flash has seized a stair banister to hold his place on the tilting deck and ends up in the perfect position to grab the arm of a woman sliding past. The whole area is now awash, towels and furniture drifting lazily this way and that. Cut to Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Rarity at the prow.)

Fluttershy: We’re sinking!

Pinkie: TO THE LIFEBOATS!!

(Lightning tears through the clouds; close-up of one suspended boat as it is struck and drops off its hooks, reduced to a charred and smoking derelict. A longer shot reveals that every remaining craft has suffered the same fate and is being swallowed up by the waves.)

Pinkie: And there go the lifeboats. (scared) That was a very specific lightning strike.

(Which is promptly followed by a real boomer…and another…and another. Passengers shuck and jive in every conceivable direction to avoid the bolts now lancing into the deck. A midair flare of light resolves into the Storm King’s emblem, sending a jolt of fear through all who see it even though they know nothing of its origin. Cut to the shore of the island; Twilight, Rainbow, and Sunset emerge from the jungle as humans, their clothing and pendant stones restored, and get a good look at the offshore mayhem. Twilight is carrying the Staff.)

Rainbow: No time to lose! Let’s do this!

Twilight: (holding Staff with crystal end up) Everybody grab on!

Sunset: Right.

(Yellow-orange fingers wrap around the gnarled wood beneath the violet ones, light blue above, and the crystal flares to life and emits a broad beam of golden light into the sky. Crackling tendrils of dark power are drawn to it from the clouds, dragging the tyrant’s mark with them, and the threatening thunderheads above the ship begin to clear in favor of a tranquil afternoon sky. Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Rarity step to the rail for a better view of the action on the island, where the three dimension-jumpers are maintaining an iron grip on the Staff. Slowly but surely, the raging magic is pulled into the crystal, and the whole place goes quiet as the clouds break up here as well. Rainbow and Sunset let go, leaving Twilight holding the artifact.)

Twilight: Weather update—sunny.

Rainbow: With a chance of awesome.

Sunset: I can’t believe how easy that was.

Twilight: I think we all learned a valuable lesson today. (Distant screams from the sinking ship.)

Rainbow: (not noticing) I learned we don’t have to go looking for trouble. (A distress flare is launched, bursting in a shower of sparks.) We just have to be there for each other when it finds us.

Twilight: But I guess if you hadn’t run off, we wouldn’t have what we need to go back and save our friends.

Rainbow: All part of the plan.

(The parrot that tipped her rescuers off in Act Four voices a squawk to get their attention.)

Parrot: (gesturing out to sea with a wing) The ship is still sinking!

(It pulls the appendage in with another squawk; cut to an uncomprehending Twilight and Rainbow.)

Sunset: (from o.s., panicked) Guys! (Zoom out to frame her; she points ahead.) The ship is sinking!

(Cut to a long shot of it and zoom in quickly, the passengers’ screams coming through with great clarity now as it slowly descends.)

Twilight: Oh, no!

Sunset: (running toward shore) We gotta help them!

(Twilight plants the Staff upright in the sand and gets her feet in gear, leaving Rainbow to hear one last interjection from the bird. In perhaps one second flat, Twilight and Sunset have boarded one lifeboat and donned life jackets, and Twilight pulls the cord on the motor but is unable to get it to turn over.)

Twilight: It won’t start! (The stone on Rainbow’s wristband flares blue.)

Rainbow: It’s hero time!

(A tap, and her super speed kicks in. Sunset has taken over for Twilight in the fight against the recalcitrant motor; both get a big shock when the speed demon begins pushing them out to sea herself.)

Rainbow: Yeah!

(Water gushes over the screen, kicked up by their abrupt departure, and clears to show her providing the motive power for the trip. Applejack catches up to Fluttershy/Pinkie/Rarity on deck; she has done away with her work gloves and safety goggles and scrubbed off the oil stains, and Fluttershy cradles the sheep she and Rarity were looking after in Act Four. The ship shakes, rattles and rolls as the lifeboat and its three screaming passengers arc up over the rail and make the world’s worst landing. Relieved smiles come over every face, punctuated by a gasp from Pinkie; Twilight and Sunset have remained upright in the lifeboat, but the impact has thrown Rainbow forward so that her head is stuck under one of its plank seats.)

Twilight: (climbing out with Sunset) Are you guys okay? (Rainbow extricates herself, the other four run to them.)

Pinkie: Oh, you’re back!

(She demonstrates her joy by laying a crushing, squealing hug on the brainiac.)

Pinkie: (rapid fire) While you were gone, we fixed the boat, but then we crashed into a rock and we’re sinking, so… (Deep breath, then normal speed; she starts crying.) …WE RUINED YOUR SPRING BREAK!!

(She sobs heartily, but falls silent as Twilight pushes her back gently.)

Twilight: It’s not your fault. The storm was Equestrian magic. Rainbow Dash was right all along. (Cut to a slow pan across Applejack/Fluttershy/Pinkie/Rarity; she continues o.s.) Whatever the seven of us are facing, however our lives are changing— (Back to her.) —we’re going through it together. So let’s get everyone off this boat, like the superheroes we are.

(Her last words are delivered with an over-shoulder glance and conciliatory smile aimed at Rainbow, whose face says it all about how eagerly she accepts this unspoken apology. Twilight tips her a wink to seal it.)

Twilight: Who’s with me?

Other Rainbooms: WE ARE!!

Rainbow: (scoffing) See how easy that was?

Twilight: You thinking what I’m thinking?

Twilight, Rainbow: Pony up! / Rainbow lasers!

Sunset: I thought we were calling it—

Rainbow: No, we agreed on “r—”

Pinkie: LIGHT IT UP, LADIES!!

(The stone in her hair clip blazes white to fill the screen. Twilight takes Rainbow’s hand, clip and wristband building power, and Applejack/Fluttershy/Rarity link up. Pinkie and Sunset copy the gesture, after which the screen divides into seven vertical panels that each show one girl’s image sliding in alternately from top or bottom. Stones glow as they turn to present themselves in profile, cutie marks appearing on cheeks; fade to white, then in to a fullscreen view of the fully “ponied-up” team in the hero outfits they wore at the end of “Forgotten Friendship” and “Rollercoaster of Friendship.” They still have on their life jackets, and Fluttershy has kept hold of the sheep. Her mark fades from her face before she speaks.)

Fluttershy: I’ll get the animals! (She glides away; cut to Pinkie/Sunset, their marks vanishing.)

Sunset: AJ, Dash, Pinkie, and I will make sure the decks are cleared.

(These two get moving, followed by Applejack with an also-unmarked cheek. The same happens to Rainbow and Rarity when the camera cuts to them.)

Rainbow: Oh, yeah! (She flies off, revealing Twilight behind her with no facial mark.)

Rarity: I’ll make a new lifeboat.

Twilight: I’ll help!

(They dive away, a giant copy of her mark floating across the screen. Wipe behind it to the prow, where she has already arrived; Rarity comes in for a landing, conjures up several gems, and fashions them into a flat-bottomed boat. Once it is in the water, Twilight levitates one passenger over the side and down toward it. A swarm of butterflies flits up past the screen; behind them, wipe to Fluttershy outfitting a scared little goat with a life jacket. She is no longer holding the sheep. The goat is one in a long procession of animals, the last of which are Mr. Bouncy’s many grandchildren. He has already been fitted. A terror-stricken little squeak draws his attention to a toppled planter holding a palm tree; two of his kin are huddled down next to this and too scared to move. Mr. Bouncy chitters an entreaty to Fluttershy, who whimpers quietly at the danger; before she can even think about moving, though, Rainbow streaks in and carries the pair back to their grandfather. The three rabbits hug, the younger two scamper to the line, and Mr. Bouncy glances uncertainly up at the high-speed hero. This gives way to a smile as they tap a fist and paw together—“no hard feelings.” Mr. Bouncy rejoins the line, and Rainbow rockets away.)

(Cut to the lounge, now filled with unnerved passengers. Sunset lands among them.)

Sunset: Head for the lifeboat! (pointing) That way!

(They follow orders, except for a little girl some distance back who cries while squeezing a stuffed turtle doll as if it were a life preserver. The sound freezes Sunset in her tracks as she brings up the rear, and she kneels to the youngster with a gentle smile and takes hold of one arm. Her eyes go white, and a flash marks the onset of her telepathy-by-touch. In this flashback, the girl’s mother has taken her hand to lead her along the upward incline of the tilting deck. The turtle is under her other arm, but it slides free and plops on the boards; not wanting to leave it behind, she yanks away from her mother’s grip and hurries to recover it amid the tumult of the evacuation. By the time she has it back, however, her mother is nowhere in sight; she stands frozen with panic among the mad rush.)

(The flashback ends as Sunset removes her hand, her eyes returning to normal; she gathers the girl into her arms and lifts off. Down the way, the mother is pleading for help from a crew member, who suddenly smiles and points past her into the sky. Down comes Sunset to hand off the missing girl, who joyfully runs into the woman’s embrace. A hail of apples tumbles past the screen; behind them, wipe to a corridor filled with ankle-deep water. Applejack sloshes along, but stops short at the sound of pounding from behind a closed door. An ear to the wood confirms that her mind is not playing tricks on her; she backs off a few steps.)

Applejack: (voice raised) Stand back!

(Ten orange-tan fingers wrap around opposite edges of the doorframe and begin to pull, the veneer and paneling cracking under the sheer force of her exertion. A man and his young daughter are on the other side of the door, in a half-swamped cabin. The door is ripped off its hinges and thrown aside, and the two wade out into the corridor, prompted by Applejack’s smile and beckoning wave.)

(A mass of balloons now passes the camera. Behind these, wipe to the dining room, now full of water to tabletop level. Standing smack in the middle is Puffed, who grunts and heaves but is unable to move from her spot. The doors are flung open to admit Pinkie.)

Puffed: I thought I told you never to come in here!

Pinkie: (smiling grimly) Good thing I’m a slow learner. (She splashes in; the Frenchwoman relents.)

Puffed: I am trapped. My foot is stuck.

(The pink hero beams and offers a yellow-gloved hand, which the Frenchwoman takes with a small smile after a moment’s indecision—but the added muscle is still not enough to get her loose. Pinkie does a quick bit of thinking, then snaps her fingers as an idea comes to her; taking a deep breath, she pinches her nose shut and plunges into the water. Cut to a close-up of her, eyes widening in surprise, and zoom out to put Puffed’s legs in the fore. One foot has become caught in a table centerpiece and the…)

Pinkie: (bubbly) Triple-Choco-Berry-Blasted Butter Biscuit Bundt Cake!

(She wastes no time in chomping into the sodden dessert. A thick cluster of bubbles rises past the camera, the view wiping behind them to a set of closed doors. These are thrown open from the other side to frame Pinkie and Puffed, who wade out of the dining room side by side—the rescue-by-gastronomic-silliness has worked like a charm. Pale blue gems rain past the camera to change the scene to a shot of the ship and its new, now-full lifeboat. All the Rainbooms have boarded except for Rainbow, who hovers to keep watch as Twilight floats the last few passengers down to safety.)

Pinkie: (calling up to Rainbow) Is that everyone?

Rainbow: All clear!

Applejack: (giving a thumbs-up) Okay, let’s shove off!

(The girl with the multicolored hair darts down and puts her speed to work in propelling the lifeboat toward the island, sparing one last regretful glance toward the ship before it slips below the water for good. Dissolve to a close-up of a young goat happily wagging its tail from atop the side of the crystal vessel. It gathers its nerve and jumps down; cut to the beach, where the lifeboat has run aground, and pan to follow it across the sand. The passengers, crew, and Rainbooms are all in one piece and talking among themselves; the Rainbooms have powered down and are back in their original outfits and accessories, and everyone has shed their life jackets. Fluttershy has stripped them off all the animals except for this goat, which leaps into her arms for a nuzzle and sets her to giggling.)

(Elsewhere, the downhearted Puffed is sitting by herself on a log to brood over how her career could have gone so far off the rails. Pinkie sits alongside, digs a cupcake out of her hair, and presents it as a peace offering—only for the chef to remove her toque just long enough to produce one of her own. The treats are tapped against each other in a silent toast. On the beach, Ragamuffin strides up behind Rarity as she and Applejack stack up the life jackets.)

Ragamuffin: Well, I s’pose this is goodbye.

Rarity: Take care of yourself. (Close-up of Ragamuffin.)

Ragamuffin: You too, Rari’ee. (He turns to leave…)

Rarity: (from o.s.) Ragamuffin… (…and stops; cut to frame both.) …don’t let anyone tell you you can’t be a dancer. (exaggerated Southern accent) For all coal turns to diamonds!

(She is channeling Selfie Soot, the character she portrayed in the Canterlot High production of Bedazzled.)

Ragamuffin: (no accent whatsoever) That’s the best advice I’ve ever heard! (He walks off.)

Rarity: Thank y—wait. What?

(So he was faking a Cockney accent the whole time—and she fell for it hook, line, and sinker. Applejack walks up to put a chummy arm across her utterly confounded friend’s shoulders. Twilight gazes out at the rocks as the seven gather on the sand, Pinkie having dispatched her cupcake.)

Fluttershy: So…now what?

Sunset: I might have a way home— (glancing at Staff, still planted upright) —but it’s kinda weird.

(Wipe to an extreme close-up of a picture frame, seen from behind, as it is lifted in a magic aura. The bottom edge rises far enough to frame Princess Twilight and Spike in the throne room of the Castle, once again trying to get that surreal painting properly hung with a combination of ladder, brawn, and horn-power. Behind them, the central table has been cleared of all the mementos of mayhem past.)

Princess Twilight: A little more on the left. (Close-up of the painting being tilted; she continues o.s.) A little more… (It stops, level.) …perfect!

(Tilt down slightly to the little guy, who turns away and wipes his forehead as she cuts her spell.)

Spike: Phew!

(The artwork chooses this moment to come free of its mooring and crash to the floor; he slumps atop the ladder with a “why me?” groan as Princess Twilight glances across the room. She turns away, surprise instantly registering on her face, and finds a very large number of very tired ponies standing/hovering/collapsing at the doorway. All of the Rainbooms have taken advantage of the portal hidden under the quicksand, as have quite a few of their classmates, and Sunset’s dopey smile is all it takes to fill in the details of her plan—come to Equestria via that route, then use the magic mirror in the Castle to return to the Canterlot High campus.)

Sunset: (singsong) We’re baaaack!

(Cut directly to the closing credits.) 

“All Good” (Extended Version)

Light electric guitar/synthesizer/percussion melody, fast 4 (A flat major)

Rainbow:                Get in the groove, you bring your dancing shoes

                        I’ll bring the attitude, you bring the crew so we can move

                        Light up the floor, turn up the bass

                        Yeah, let me see that smile on your face

Bass guitar, tambourine, full percussion in

Rainbooms:                Come on and go with the flow, gonna steal the show, yeah

Twilight:                Let me show you how it goes

Sunset: Repeat after me!

Rainbooms:                ’Cause it’s all, all, all, all good

                        I feel abso-absolutely amazing

                        ’Cause it’s all, all, all, all good

                        I feel abso-absolutely amazing

(shouted)                 Hey!

(sung)                        Throw your hands up higher, turn up the amplifier

                        Watch me, I’m on fire, fire

                        ’Cause it’s all, all, all, all good

                        I feel abso-absolutely amazing

Guitar solo, followed by a drop back to light percussion and synth chords only

Rainbow:                ’Cause it’s all, all, all, all good

                        I feel abso-absolutely amazing

Rainbooms:                ’Cause it’s all, all, all, all good

                        I feel abso-absolutely amazing

Full instrumentation in, backed by guitar riffs

                        ’Cause it’s all, all, all, all good

                        I feel abso-absolutely amazing

                        ’Cause it’s all, all, all, all good

                        I feel abso-absolutely amazing

(shouted)                 Hey!

(sung)                        Throw your hands up higher, turn up the amplifier

                        Watch me, I’m on fire, fire

                        ’Cause it’s all, all, all, all good

                        I feel abso-absolutely amazing

End of last line is sung a cappella, after which the song ends

MY LITTLE PONY: EQUESTRIA GIRLS

Digital Series—Volume Three

Production credits for all shorts are as follows:

Produced by Angela Belyea, Colleen McAllister

Directed by Ishi Rudell, Katrina Hadley

(Writing credits are listed on each individual transcript)

Transcribed by Alan Back (ajback@yahoo.com)

Note:                Background song lyrics are in square brackets; any marked with an exclamation

point are shouted rather than sung.

“Reboxing with Spike!”                                        Written by Gillian M. Berrow

(Opening shot: fade to black from the title card, then in to an extreme close-up of Spike reaching toward the camera and adjusting it. He is sitting on the bed in Twilight Sparkle’s room at home, and a sealed carton rests off to one side on the mattress. A bone features prominently on the logo emblazoned across the cardboard, suggesting pet supplies. Once Spike has the camera just so, he backs away a few steps.)

Spike: Hey, paw pals! Welcome to this month’s Fancy Fetch Unboxing with Spike.

(The title is delivered in voice over, the camera cutting to a close-up of one suavely smiling pooch and a paw-marked box that opens on its own so a bone can float up. After he tips a wink, the view returns to him on the bed.)

Spike: I love pampering myself, and of course putting it on the Internet for you, my fans, first.

(So this is an online video, then. He squishes his cheeks on the start of this line and adds a wink to end it. As he continues, a graphic briefly appears in midair by his head, showing his own face topped by a halo and alongside a pound sign.)

Spike: Hashtag “puppy self-care.” I decided to splurge a little this month and get the deluxe package.

(Teeth nip onto the corner of the carton so he can drag it toward the center of the bed. Cut to close-ups of it from various angles.)

Spike: (voice over) Let’s get a better shot.

(The graphic, minus the pound sign, materializes at screen center and zooms toward the camera as the view fades to black. Snap immediately to a close-up of the now-open carton, filled with an assortment of dog toys and goodies.)

Spike: (voice over, awestruck) Whoa! (pointing to a sack) Look at this!

(Zoom in quickly on it, then cut to him lifting it out and using his teeth to extract a gem-studded Frisbee.)

Spike: (voice over) Fabulous Fido’s Fabergé Flying Disc. (He sets it down and addresses the camera.) Of course, you can’t actually throw it. (holding it up) Far too delicate.

(A tender kiss to the surface is met with four jewels flicking into view above it; these disappear as he puts the bauble aside and begins rooting around in the carton.)

Spike: Hm…what other gems do we have here? (Eyes pop.) Oh!

(What he produces this time is a tricked-out purple slipper covering a paw.)

Spike: Slippers to make your paws feel plush!

(He cuddles it to a cheek. Cut to a slow pan across his form—sprawled on his belly, wearing a full set of four as satisfaction oozes from every square inch of his face.)

Spike: (voice over) They’re encrusted with locally sourced amethysts.

(Five gems pop into view for a moment before the camera cuts back to him digging around some more, having shed the slippers. Cut to a closer shot of his face on each of the next three words, ending with an extreme close-up.)

Spike: (giddily) Oh, my goodness! (Longer shot; he laughs.) This is why I started vlogging in the first place! I’ve been waiting for a sniff like this.

(A bit of drool escapes his lips; close-up of the items, zooming in slightly. Front and center is a worn, dirty, greenish sock that begins to glow with a heavenly light. A pair of wings pops in around it, and the screen quickly tiles itself with jewels before the view returns to Spike holding it proudly—and the wisps of malodorous vapor that have begun to rise from the fabric.)

Spike: It’s a classic white ankle sock. (Close-up of it and him; slow pan.) Cotton-nylon blend, two hundred wears deep, never washed. This ain’t no dry-wick. This baby is as absorbent as they get!

(He takes a lungful of the funk and backs out of view.)

Spike: (from o.s., contentedly) Ahhhh…

(Back to the indulging puppy, whose reverie comes to an abrupt end at the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps.)

Spike: Huh?

Twilight: (from hallway, testily) Spike!

(He turns to face the room’s open door, rising to his hind legs and clasping his front paws innocently behind his back, as she enters holding a receipt.)

Twilight: Did you spend two hundred dollars on a box with a dirty sock in it? (She fixes him with a glare.)

Spike: (laughing nervously) Can’t put a price on “hashtag ‘puppy self-care’ ”?

(A brief blip of sound and light fills the screen; when it clears, the carton has been sloppily repacked and taped shut and Twilight is gone.)

Spike: (deflating slightly) And now for my new show—Reboxing and Returning Stuff.

(Fade to black.)

“DIY with Applejack”                                                Written by Laura Beck

Note:                Throughout this short, all lines marked with one asterisk (*) are spoken by a

                character holding the camera.

(Opening shot: fade to black from the title card, then snap to a close-up of Applejack standing in a room with a bare wood floor. The walls are unadorned, inset with alcoves directly behind her and to both sides. Visible in the bottom right corner of the screen is an icon consisting of a wooden apple in a matching frame—like Spike, she is making an online video. Her image is slightly fuzzy at first, but comes into focus before she begins to speak.)

Applejack: On today’s DIY with Applejack— (holding up a hammer) —we’re gonna build my friend Rarity a dream dressin’ room, in just seventy-three easy steps.

(The image jitters briefly, followed by a quick swivel that frames an extreme close-up of the fashionista’s features, her cheeks all but mashed against the lens. Evidently she drew camera-operator duty for this endeavor. The apple icon remains on the screen.)

Rarity: Hello, darlings. I can’t wait for my fabulous new dressing room and—

(A loud, impatient throat-clearing from Applejack’s direction brings her up short.)

Rarity: (blushing) Oh. Sorry. (Laugh.) Promise I won’t make another peep.

(The camera swivels back to the hands-on teen, who has put away the hammer.)

Applejack: Let’s get started!

(Snap to black, a flicker of static blinking across the screen, then immediately to a brief, shaky zoom out from her standing among a clump of trees on the Sweet Apple Acres grounds during the day. The apple icon is gone from the screen now. She has donned a hard hat in place of her usual one, safety goggles, and work gloves and is leaning against an axe whose head rests in the grass. The tool is lifted into a two-handed grip.)

Applejack: First, you need wood. So for step one, I’m gonna cut down one of my trees.

(Here comes the swing—but the following words startle her into slamming on the brakes just before the blade can make contact with the trunk.)

* Rarity: Ooh, just a dash of peep. How many trees are we going to need?

(Mildly vexed at the interruption, the farmer pulls the axe back for another go. The entire image freezes just short of a hit, a “pause” symbol within a circle superimposing itself on the screen. Now the camera backs up to put the entire scene within the viewing window of a computer World Wide Web site, complete with running time display, volume control, and progress bar. A mouse cursor clicks on the slider control affixed to this last and drags it to the right, instantly advancing the video through a series of still shots. Standing over the now-felled tree and wiping her brow…carrying a plank…measuring the height of one alcove in the room…using a power sander on the top of a crate…sawing a plank…and the cursor clicks to resume the playback as she is sanding it.)

Applejack: (slightly tinny) Step eight. (Zoom in until the viewing window fills the screen again; normal audio resumes.) Gettin’ rid of splinters.

(The shift in the sound quality reflects a transition from watching the video online to being on the scene again.)

Applejack: Now you have to give each square foot of the surface thirty clockwise strokes with the buffer—

* Rarity: Thirty! (Applejack shuts it down.) Darling, that seems a bit excessive.

Applejack: (needled) Yes, thirty. (smiling, restarting) And then you have to double-check those strokes by… (Shut down again.) …aw, shoot! I lost count. Well, I have to cut down a new tree. (She walks out.)

* Rarity: (yawning; camera wobbles slightly) This is positively electrifying.

(Snap to staticky black, then in to Applejack holding a paint roller. She is no longer wearing her work gear and has put on her cowboy hat again. Behind her, a door has been fitted up and decorated, a splotch of paint marks the wall above this, and a fringe of fabric trim hangs from the upper edge of the wall alcove to her right. Lumber and rolls of fabric are scattered about, through which Rarity’s cat Opalescence enters the workspace.)

Applejack: Step twenty-nine—paintin’ your room. (lifting a can of paint) I chose this practical brown color—

(The fussy feline chooses this moment to voice her opinion in a loud hiss. The camera focus shifts briefly to her and back, throwing a mild scare into Applejack, then swings briefly from side to side as if Rarity is shaking her head. A “you’ve got to be kidding me” look comes over the freckled face, followed by a quick snap to black and in to the room again. Now Opal is much more content, while Applejack has stitched on a slightly forced grin as she holds up her roller and a different can.) 

Applejack: Step twenty-nine-point-five—paintin’ your room with this, uh, very bright purple.

(A pale hand reaches into view to give her a big thumbs-up, after which the view undergoes a “diamond wipe” to frame Applejack regarding one back corner of the room. That is, the new image expands from the center of the screen and takes on a diamond shape as it grows until the transition is complete. The walls have been fully painted in the Rarity-approved shade.)

Applejack: (tossing roller into a can) Step forty-two—adding tufted button walls.

(Close-up of a patch of floor, fabric being unrolled to cover it.)

Applejack: (from o.s., reaching briefly into view to measure) You’re gonna want to be careful, measurin’ the satin at least twice…

(As she says this, Opal darts in to work the textile over with her claws and shoot the camera a slightly dirty look. There follows a split-second blip of black, which clears to show the floor again bare; as a new length of fabric is rolled out, the mouse cursor appears and clicks to pause the video. As before, the view zooms out to frame the entire computer screen and the slider on the progress bar is dragged right to skip ahead. Stills flash by of Applejack repeatedly measuring again, first with a tape measure and then with additional tools, followed by a close-up of her face, mouth open to speak and index finger raised to drive home a point. Zoom in until the viewing window fills the screen again; the cursor clicks to resume the playback, then drops out of sight.)

Applejack: Now that you’ve measured five times— (hefting a pair of hedge clippers) —we can begin to cut the samples.

(A less-than-amused throat-clearing from behind the camera stops her cold, and after a staticky flash of black, the blonde smiles sheepishly while holding up a pair of scissors more suited to the task at hand. Her test snips are frozen by a click of the cursor, which drags the progress bar slider ahead to frame her standing at the trimmed alcove. Stacks of fabric swatches fill both hands and litter the floor; she regards these with no small degree of confusion as the mouse and controls drop away.)

Applejack: We just have to figure out which of the sixty-two samples work best.

(These words are punctuated by a yawn from Rarity and a slow droop of the camera until it frames the booted feed and a napping Opal. At the sound of Applejack’s annoyed throat-clearing, though, she snaps awake with a little yelp and trains the lens ahead once more.)

Applejack: Now the real fun begins!

* Rarity: (sourly) Oh, now the real fun begins. (Camera starts to tilt and fall again.) I’ve been having so much fun the whole time. (Weary sigh.)

Applejack: Rarity! (now o.s; a yawn from Rarity) Wake up!

(The camera is now pointing into the pale girl’s own shadow, which grows to fill and black out the screen to the sound of a hearty thud—she has carried it to the floor while passing out from sheer boredom and exhaustion. On the start of the next line, the view fades in to an extreme close-up of Applejack’s hand, which pulls away from the lens to expose the finished room. Racks for shoes and accessories fill the alcove at the far wall; the trimmed one now holds a bed in which Rarity and Opal are sleeping peacefully; across from it; a third niche houses a vanity counter and mirror. Furniture and carpets are present in the appropriate opulent style, including a chandelier hanging over the low central table, and all the materials and tools have been cleared away. The camera is now in Applejack’s hands.)

* Applejack: Step seventy-three— (The apple icon appears at bottom right.) —the big reveal!

(Opal meows grumpily at the disturbance, the camera panning slightly to frame the bed and its occupants.)

* Applejack: (softly) Oh, yeah. Good night, you two.

(The cat settles back down to sleep before the view cuts directly to the closing credits.)

“The Craft of Cookies”                                                Written by Laura Beck

(Opening shot: fade to black from the title card, then in to Pinkie Pie standing at a kitchen counter. She is wearing a pink-frilled white apron over her usual clothing, decorated with a blue sash and three hearts—one large and pale blue, the others small and pink—and her magical pendant is not around her neck. On the counter are her stuffed alligator Gummy and Rainbow Dash’s pet tortoise Tank, both sporting white chef’s toques; daytime sky is visible through the window behind Pinkie. Zoom in slowly.)

Pinkie: Welcome to The Craft of Cookies with me, Pinkie Pie!

(She puts her hands together with thumbs/fingers curved to form a heart, and two bright pink ones pop briefly into view to flank her grinning visage—an online video in progress.)

Pinkie: In just one class, you too can become a certified cookie master!

(Close-up of Tank on the end of this, the wrinkled green face ever-so-slowly creasing into a smile. She leans down into view with a happy little gasp.)

Pinkie: Let’s get started.

(Big squeaky grin; double thumbs-up, accompanied by three gold stars winking into view around them both for a moment. From here, cut to a series of close-ups of cabinets being opened and ingredients being snatched up.)

Pinkie: (from o.s.) Yum! Ooh! Yes, please! Tasty! You’re gonna be delicious!

(On the end of this, she leans into view next to Tank for just long enough to deposit the lot on the counter. She stands over a mixing bowl as the leathery head stretches toward a particular container.)

Pinkie: Now, step two—making cookies!

(The sweet stuff is plucked out of reach, leaving his beak to clack shut on nothing but air. Close-ups of ingredients being measured up and added to the bowl.)

Pinkie: (voice over) Cup of sugar…tablespoon of baking powder…dash of vanilla…pinch of salt. And for our final ingredient…

(Tank once again extends his head to get in range of the mix during this line, but is unceremoniously picked up and held over it as Pinkie finishes.)

Pinkie: …two Tank kisses!

(She plants two big smooches on his cheek, a pink heart materializing and dropping into the dough after each one to turn it that color, and gets a dab on a finger for a taste test.)

Pinkie: Mmmm! (Gasp.) Cotton candy! This is ta-a-a-asty!

(She leans down over Gummy and affects a slightly altered voice to “speak” for the toy.)

Pinkie: (as Gummy) You’ve really outdone yourself, Pinkie! (own voice) Aw, thanks, Gummy! (rooting around in her hair) Now for the not-so-secret ingredient…

(The follicular foraging yields a bowl piled high with morsels of…)

Pinkie: …CHOCOLATE!!

(This is set down on the counter, prompting Tank to begin reaching his jaws eagerly toward it, and Pinkie pops one bit into her mouth.)

Pinkie: Mmmm! (She takes another.) Mmmm!

(The height of the chocolate begins to drop with remarkable speed as she wolfs it down; close-up of Gummy.)

Pinkie: (from o.s., as it) Don’t eat all the chips!

(All three again; after swallowing her latest mouthful, she begins to look more than a bit ill.)

Pinkie: (own voice, queasily) Whoa…my tum-tum! (Cut to Tank, head nearly in the bowl; she continues o.s.) I didn’t think there was such a thing as too much chocolate.

(The shelled critter’s snapping beak again gets a whole lot of nothing when she pulls the bowl out of reach. He grumbles to himself; her cheeks go an unappetizing shade of green as she burps her discomfort. Her face quickly resumes its usual shade of pink, though, and her gut settles as she dumps the remaining chocolate chips into the bowl of dough and sets to mixing them in.)

Pinkie: Now, to bake our creations!

(A cookie sheet is laid out and two balls of dough are transferred onto it, after which ten more pop into place on their own to form three rows of four. Pinkie loads the sheet into the oven and closes the door; cut to her, Gummy, and Tank sitting on a row of stools. The baking time quickly ticks down on a floating graphic of a kitchen timer.)

Pinkie: (pulling a cupcake from her hair) Mmm-mmm-mmm!

(The timer rings and disappears before she can bite down on it.)

Pinkie: (gasping, tossing it over shoulder) They’re ready!

(The treat splats down across Tank’s carapace, but the mess is positioned just right to leave him completely unable to snag even a particle; even extending his tongue to full length does him no good. His face falls as two oven-mitted pink hands bring out the cookie sheet, whose dough has become a dozen sparkly goodies, and Pinkie’s eyes become twinkling red hearts for a moment once she gets a lungful of the aroma. The blue irises pop wide in surprise after they have returned to normal; she turns to direct a sly over-shoulder glance toward Gummy, who is back on the counter.)

Pinkie: What’s that, Gummy? You think I’ve just invented the perfect cookie? (cheerfully self-deprecating) Awww… (Close-up; she addresses the camera and digs in her hair.) And now, for the final and best part…

(She has shed her oven mitts at this point, and the camera zooms out as she extracts a shaker can of…)

Pinkie: …SPRINKLES!!

(This shot puts Gummy, a cleaned-up Tank, and the cookies all on the counter. The baked goods get a load dumped over them, which detonates in a burst of magenta smoke; when the view clears, the cookies are now piled on a plate and framed in a close-up and slow pan amid bright yellow flecks of light.)

Pinkie: (voice over) Et voilà! Two dozen ultra-scrumptious cookies—

(The kitchen again; the blast has splattered dough all over her, Gummy, and most of the room and flipped Tank upside down. She is holding up the plate.)

Pinkie: —for a sophisticated snack time. (setting it down) Until next time on The Craft of Cookies— (pulling a cookie from her hair, picking up Tank) —this is Pinkie Pie, bidding you a sweet evening and a most delicious morrow.

(His mood instantly brightens when she holds it close so he can chomp down and get the sugary happiness he has been chasing this entire time. “Iris out” to black, the aperture pausing briefly to frame his blissful face before closing altogether.)

“Street Magic with Trixie!”                                                Written by Laura Beck

(Opening shot: fade to black from the title card, then snap to Trixie standing on the sidewalk outside the Carousel Boutique. She has switched her everyday outfit for a deep blue dress and matching top hat, the latter sporting a yellow band and blue-violet feathers. Over the dress is a formal coat, lighter in hue, whose tails reach down to the hem. Both its trim and the epaulets at the shoulders match the hatband, and the sleeves are bedecked with pale yellow stars. Blue-violet stockings reach up past her knees, and she wears blue high-heeled shoes set with lighter bows marked by yellow stars. Resting on the concrete around her are five items: a bouquet of roses, a deck of playing cards, an upended black top hat, a wand, and a box all set up on a table for the “saw a person in half” trick. Spike’s head protrudes from one end.)

Trixie: (sweeping hat off, donning it again) Today, the Great and Powerful Trixie is here to blow your feeble minds with some serious magic.

(Cut to a long shot of her on the end of this, seen from across a busy street, then cut to Spike.)

Spike: (uneasily) Yeah…uh, Trixie, everyone believes that you’re great and powerful. (Zoom out quickly; Trixie now stands behind the box.) You don’t have to prove it!

Trixie: (lifting a sword) Don’t worry, I got this.

(She poises the blade halfway down its length, preparing to chop it in two.)

Spike: I’m worrying! I’m worrying!

Trixie: Magic, don’t fail me now. Abraca—

(The camera cuts briefly to a slowly thickening knot of baffled spectators during this line, then back to the young illusionist on its end as she brings the sword down. Before metal can touch wood, though, a sparkly aura brings it to a sudden halt. Trixie can only boggle at the feat, and her perplexity grows as the weapon is lifted away, taking her arms with it, and all her props except for the box float up from the sidewalk. Awed murmurs drift from the o.s. audience, the items following the movements of the sword as it shifts here and there.)

Trixie: (smiling) —dabra? Ah! (waving sword overhead; items spin in a circle around her) Ladies and gentlemen, feast your eyes on the Great and Powerful Trixie’s astounding power of telekinesis!

(The box rises and floats away unnoticed on the end of this, and the murmurs turn into full-blown cheers. Cut to the onlookers—with Twilight now standing at their rear and smiling to herself as one upraised, glowing index finger describes small circles. She smirks across the way, having decided to liven up the show and get her dog off the firing line with her powers, but Trixie catches on to exactly none of this.)

Trixie: You’re welcome. I am all-powerful.

(Her satisfied little giggle gives way to a look of surprise due to the camera flashes that begin to pop, but she strikes a confidently smiling pose with the sword before the view snaps to black.)

“Sic Skateboard”                                                Written by Gillian M. Berrow

(Opening shot: fade to black from the title card, then snap to Rainbow at a skateboard park during the day. Wearing knee/elbow pads and a purple helmet marked by multicolored lightning bolts to match the ones on her pants, she jumps her board onto a rail, rides it sideways from one end to the other, and hops off to roll through a few more turns and jumps. A handstand at the top rail of a half-pipe—one hand on the rail, the other on the board—and she cruises down to jump clear and catch the rig under one arm. The deck bears a design of a rainbow issuing from a cloud at the nose. Her words are directed toward the camera, marking this as an online video.)

Rainbow: Hey, everyone! I’m super-stoked because today is the day! This skateboard trick is gonna blow your mind!

(Each of these last three words is delivered from a different camera angle, the last in a zoom in from overhead with one blue index finger pointed emphatically toward the lens. From here, cut to her riding up one quarter-pipe, flipping over the rail at its top, and riding down an adjacent one.)

Rainbow: (voice over) It’s been a super-intense four weeks of training. Nothing but grinding, claw stretches, shredding—

(Close-up of each activity as she names it. “Grinding”: riding with the tail of her board tilted back to scrape the ground and throw off sparks. “Claw stretches”: with fingers interlaced and palms facing away from her body, she stretches her arms forward to pop and loosen the joints. “Shredding”: she rides while squatting down to let one set of fingertips graze the concrete. Finally the camera cuts to a close-up.)

Rainbow: —and shredded lettuce!

(She holds up a fistful of said produce, bites down, and chomps noisily. The next shot is of a group of younger skaters murmuring excitedly among themselves.)

Rainbow: (voice over) Some say it couldn’t be done—

(She blurs into view among them, drawing on the power of her pendant and no longer carrying her board or the remains of the lettuce.)

Rainbow: —but get ready, ’cause today you’re going to witness…the first-ever Tortoise Kicker Ramp Ollie!

(On the end of this, she points off to one side and the camera pans quickly in that direction to stop on Tank at the top of a ramp. He inches up to the edge, having been kitted out with his own board and safety gear, and cringes away from it in a panicked sweat upon getting an eyeful of the drop.)

Rainbow: Time to bust out of that shell, Tank.

(Finding his owner’s palm extended toward him, he touches the sole of one stumpy foot to it in a slow-motion high five and smiles at the encouragement. In a blink, Rainbow has whisked back toward the spectators.)

Rainbow: Let’s do this! (A calm nod from the tortoise; she addresses the group.) Wait ’til you guys see this!

(Pan quickly back to Tank, who raises a foot from his deck. The young skaters gasp excitedly…he begins to push off…two direct worried looks at each other, then toward him…Rainbow grins from ear to ear, eyes shining as a giddy little squeal finds its way out…sweat dribbles down the wizened green face…two skaters clutch fearfully at each other…and finally, in extreme close-up, gravity pulls Tank and the board over the edge. Almost at the same moment, the camera zooms out quickly to reveal that this ramp stands only up to about Rainbow’s waist. Tank goes airborne for a moment off the raised lip at the lower end, then plunks back onto solid ground and almost immediately comes to a stop. There follows a long, stunned silence, broken by the stripe-haired daredevil.)

Rainbow: Awesome! (Cheers from the others; she picks Tank up.) Don’t worry. I’ll add some sick special effects later.

(Her wink is followed by a brief flash of white and blip of sound, which give way to an extreme close-up of Tank lifting his head. The wrinkled features are set in stern concentration and thrown into relief by the sunlight glinting off his helmet. Next is a shot of him launching into the trick, the camera aimed at him from the ramp’s lower end. The descent is then seen from two additional angles, the second of which frames him rolling directly toward the camera. Fade to black, then snap immediately to a close-up of his wheels arcing through the air in slow motion, framed by glitter and an icon of a trailing fireball. This is followed by a normal-speed close-up of Tank and his board being held up by Rainbow’s hands and raised/dipped to simulate a dramatic trajectory—“sick special effects” on no budget, perhaps—and finally the takeoff and ending jump are seen again. Slow motion on the latter, one green foot lifted in triumph as icons fill the surrounding air—fireballs, stars, a thumbs-up, a dragon’s head breathing fire—then “iris out” to black, centered on his face.)

“Street Chic”                                                                Written by Laura Beck

(Opening shot: fade to black from the title card, then in to Rarity outside the Carousel Boutique. Two wheeled racks loaded with clothes stand within easy reach on the sidewalk, while a passing boy pulls up his jacket collar to shield as much of his face and neck as possible.)

Rarity: (twirling) Hello, darlings! Welcome to Street Chic with Rarity.

(Another online video, then. A scatter of fallen leaves blows past on a strong breeze—autumn has arrived, and with it the dropping temperatures that explain the boy’s jacket. The wind will reassert itself from time to time throughout the remainder of this short.)

Rarity: A show that keeps you ahead of the curve, so you’re always the first girl on your block to wear the most glittering and glamorous frocks in fashion.

(Two girls exit the shop during this line; now Rarity slips between the two racks.)

Rarity: This week, I am bringing you the latest in summer flair, so let’s get started!

(Here comes Applejack, sipping from a cup of hot tea and wearing a short orange scarf over her usual outfit as he only two concessions to the cold. The free ends are decorated with red apples.)

Rarity: (showing off Applejack for the camera) As you can see, Applejack has a simply scrumptious country style that really works for her. So I will just make some simple tweaks.

(Said tweaks are triggered by spinning the blonde in place, so fast that she loses hold of her cup and becomes a blur as a flare of white envelops her for a split-second. She is more than a little stunned to find her scarf gone, her shirt replaced by a sleeveless white top with the same red apple, and her skirt switched for a pair of rolled-up denim shorts. Shivers quickly set in as Rarity gasps in surprise and smiles.)

Rarity: Oh, sometimes I just shock myself with how good I am. (A jacket/scarf-clad teen passes.)

Applejack: (now shivering badly) Uh, don’t you think it’s a pinch chilly for this getup?

Rarity: (patting her shoulder) Nonsense! You look gorgeous, and oh so summer. (Close-up of Applejack, from the waist up.)

Applejack: (teeth chattering) C-c-c…cold…

(Now Fluttershy arrives on the scene, having topped her sundress with a fluffy scarf in white and pale violet, secured with a bright pink heart brooch. The honking of geese from somewhere overhead draws her attention.)

Fluttershy: (pointing upward) Oh!

(Tilt quickly up the sky, so completely filled with gloomy gray clouds that it is impossible to tell the time of day. A flock of these very birds is winging over the rooftops.)

Fluttershy: (from o.s.) They’re starting to head north for the winter!

(Back to street level, now framing her fully; the straps of her butterfly sandals have been removed, and she wears knee-length pink stockings with white trim and pink bows at their tops.)

Rarity: It may be fall, darling— (Applejack snatches a pair of pants from one rack and wraps herself in them like a shawl.) —but we in the fashion world are in summer mode. And now, so will you [sic].

(She works her mojo on Fluttershy as she did with Applejack, leaving the animal lover in a pale green sundress with white birds along the hem. The scarf is gone, and the stockings have been replaced by the sandal straps. The wearer of this new finery reacts by wrapping her arms around herself and shivering like mad as the wind whistles down the block.)

Rarity: (to camera) She’s sporty, she’s stylish—

(Rainbow strolls up, earphones socked in and connected to an MP3 player in her pocket. She pulls one free as Applejack tries to wave her off.)

Rarity: —and she needs a sensational summer look to dazzle all the other sports…people? (Clear throat; grip Rainbow’s shoulder.) Anyway…

(A third spin and flash, and the star athlete finds herself tricked out in a deep pink tank top, marked with a yellow lightning bolt and tied off at the waist. Her pants are now blue, unmarked and stopping below the knee, and she has been relieved of her tunes. The shivers start up almost immediately.)

Rarity: It’s elegant, yet still sporting. She’ll be bringing drama, along with the summer sun. (Close-up of Rainbow.)

Rainbow: (pointing upward) That doesn’t look like the sun to me. (Pan to Rarity.)

Rarity: Ignore the nature, Rainbow Dash. Summer chic is a state of mind. (to camera) We’ll see you next time on Street Chic with Rarity! Until then, don’t forget to strike a pose!

(The inviting hand that she stretches toward her friends is met with nothing but full-body shivers and clacking teeth. Only after she throws them a slightly panicked nod do they smile and follow her instruction—and an instant later, enough snow thunders down to blanket all four and the racks and bury them up to the waist. Winter has come with all the grace and subtlety of a twenty-car pileup on the freeway. Eight eyes blink confusedly through the frigid layers for a long, silent moment until Rainbow speaks up. The next two lines are slightly muffled by the snow.)

Rainbow: Uh, Rarity? You got anything for winter?

Rarity: (shivering) Remind me to do our photo shoots indoors from now on.

(Fade to black.)

“Game Stream”                                                        Written by Katie Chilson

(Opening shot: fade to black from the title card, then snap to a screenful of greenish symbols and glyphs streaming down like rain. An icon styled as a simplified picture of Sunset Shimmer’s head appears and offers a grinning wink, after which the view dissolves to her and Fluttershy sitting on the couch in the former’s room. Both are wearing headphones with attached microphones, the sort favored by online gaming enthusiasts, and Sunset is sporting the dress/jacket/tights ensemble she wore throughout Friendship Games. One notable change, though: instead of the short boots, she has put on a pair of black/orange sneakers with white toecaps and magenta stars on the tongues. An untidy pile of game titles rests between the two as she addresses the camera.)

Sunset: Welcome to Shimmercode, my game channel! I’ve decided to take a break from racking up crazy high scores to introduce my friend Fluttershy to gaming.

(An online video, then. The timid teen reacts with a bit of a jjolt when her name is said, but comes around to a small smile and fist pump.)

Fluttershy: Yay, games.

Sunset: Okay, Fluttershy, your pick. What’ll it be? (Fluttershy picks through the pile briefly, then lifts one with a smile.)

Fluttershy: Oh! The squirrel one!

(As she says this, a “picture-in-picture” image appears at bottom right, showing this particular rodent scattering varicolored nuts in all directions. This vanishes in time with Sunset’s slightly resigned yet humoring shrug.)

Sunset: Yeah, sure! (She takes the game, stands, and moves toward the camera.) I usually play more advanced games, but… (Kneel, fiddle with the o.s. game console; focus shifts to her.) …what my guest player picks, we play. (aside, smugly) This will be…easy. (Focus on Fluttershy again.)

Fluttershy: (clapping) Time to press some buttons! Whee!

(Her host returns to the couch with a pair of controllers and passes one over. Cut to their perspective of the room’s television set, whose screen comes to life with an image of the happy little squirrel and nuts going airborne. Fluttershy is holding her controller upside down. Daytime sky is visible through the window adjacent to the setup.)

Sunset: Here we go.

(A rain of nuts tumbles down over the view; behind these, wipe to a lower-resolution, vertically split screen—the game in progress. Each half shows a tree, one of whose branches supports a small house with a bucket hanging down, as well as an empty meter with space enough for six acorns. Icons for the two girls’ faces are on opposite sides of the dividing centerline, Sunset at left and Fluttershy at right. Both halves tilt quickly down to ground level, where a basket has been set by the base of the tree; a gray squirrel stands on Sunset’s side, a blue one on Fluttershy’s, and an acorn rests before each. The avatars and meters remain in view.)

(Cut back to the two girls; Sunset notices her guest’s incorrect grip on the controller and turns it over.)

Sunset: The gameplay here is actually very simple. (The screen; she continues o.s. as her avatar smiles.) Get your squirrel to climb the tree…

(Gray snatches its acorn and begins to scamper up the bark, only to slide back down after a few feet and anger Sunset.)

Sunset: (from o.s., vexed) …climb the tree…

(Gray tosses the nut up and tries for a bounce off its head and into the basket; the attempt falls short, leaving the animal dazed and Sunset even more peeved.)

Sunset: (from o.s., through gritted teeth) …climb the tree…

(Jumping does no good; back to the girls.)

Fluttershy: Like this?

(The screen, on which Sunset has shifted to sadness. Blue nimbly scales the trunk, the camera tilting up to follow it to the house. The acorn is thrown into the hanging bucket, filling one spot on Fluttershy’s meter and causing her to beam as rainbows lance among the leaves. The couch: she is now really enjoying herself, while Sunset has assumed a popeyed expression of shock, the controller in her hands all but forgotten.)

Sunset: Uh…yeah.

(The screen: as Gray keeps fumbling to hold its acorn, Blue hops up to grab a newly materialized peanut out of the air and climbs the tree.)

Fluttershy: (from o.s.) Huh? Oh!

(Into the bucket it goes, raising the meter another notch and bringing out more rainbows; she beams and Sunset seethes as Blue drops back to the turf.)

Fluttershy: (from o.s., giggling) Oh!

(The couch: the red/gold-haired gamer manically works her controls as her opposite number continues to cruise.)

Fluttershy: Oh!

(The screen: now Sunset has calmed down since Gray is actually keeping hold of its prize—that is, until a falling twig knocks squirrel and acorn alike off the tree. Gray sails gracelessly through the open space to smack face-first against the “camera lens” and slide down o.s., to Sunset’s considerable dismay. Blue, on the other hand, makes a pair of midair catches and scurries up to score them—rainbows and all. Delighted giggles and frustrated snarls accompany the exhibition, followed by a cut back to the couch—Fluttershy still having a grand time, Sunset bouncing up to stand on the cushions as if that might improve her chances.)

Fluttershy: Oh!

(The screen: Gray and the dropped acorn sit dejectedly by the infuriated Sunset’s tree, while Blue has made it up to the house in Fluttershy’s and dropped one more nut into the bucket to top off the meter, setting off yet another iridescent light show. Back to the couch: Fluttershy sitting cross-legged, Sunset on her feet and ready to blow every gasket she has.)

Sunset: What do you want from me?!? (running toward camera) Tell me what you need!

(The screen—both squirrels on the ground, Gray repeatedly running into its tree trunk as Blue easily dodges a hail of twigs. The couch: Fluttershy has shed her headset, and Sunset has hunched down into the cushions to voice her rage in a loud, muffled, groaning sob, which turns into a feral scream when she straightens up. The screen: Gray tosses its acorn up only to get hit on the noggin by it and knocked silly, while Blue avoids the falling twigs and climbs up. By the time it reaches the bucket, it has collected no fewer than three nuts—enough to fill Fluttershy’s meter a second time and set off the rainbows when they are dumped in. Sunset’s meter, meanwhile, has remained empty this entire time.)

Fluttershy: (from o.s.) Yippee!

(The rainbows fill her side of the screen, accompanied by Blue’s ecstatic visage. Sunset’s half, on the other hand, is filled by a wash of purple paint and Gray’s teary countenance. One winks, the other cries, and the camera returns to a very happy Fluttershy and an utterly gobsmacked Sunset on the couch. Fluttershy has donned her headset again, and she sets her controller aside.)

Fluttershy: Did I do it right?

Sunset: That was… (grinning widely) …amazing! (She hands over her own controller.) Can I watch you play it again?

(An enthusiastic nod from the yellow girl, and both have trained their attention straight ahead for the next go-round. Cut directly to the closing credits.)

“Best in Show: The Pre-Show”                                Written by Gillian M. Berrow

(Opening shot: fade to black from the title card, then snap to a long shot of the Canterlot High School gym. Most of the floor is covered with carpet or synthetic turf, on which various playthings appropriate for a pet show have been set up—seesaw, hoop, fences/walls to jump over, and so on. Several dogs sit/stand/lie here and there, a row of snack tables is set up to one side, and a few students occupy the bleachers opposite these. Lengths of bunting in assorted colors are strung in the rafters, the basketball goals have been swung up out of the way, and banners adorned with a logo of a gold crown superimposed on a blue paw print hang from walls, ceiling, and the stage at the far end of the room. Blue/yellow paw-shaped balloons have been added as a final touch, and the stage itself is set with a three-level medal podium. Zoom in slowly on Applejack and Fluttershy, standing in front of a table near the stage; the paw print appears and zooms up to the camera, the crown drawing itself in, before the screen fades to white.)

(Fade in to a close-up of the two girls, each holding a microphone. The logo appears on these and also in the bottom right corner of the screen—an online video in progress. Fluttershy huddles fearfully behind Applejack, a long sheet of paper gripped in her free hand as if wishing it could transport her away from this place.)

Applejack: (as Fluttershy keeps trying to hide completely) Howdy! And welcome to the first annual Canterlot Pet Show. (pulling her fully into view) Sure is great to be here, ain’t it?

Fluttershy: (woodenly, reading from sheet) Sure is, Applejack. Can’t wait to see all the wonderful contestants. (She cowers behind it.)

Applejack: (chuckling) All righty, then. You heard the lady. (walking away) Let’s meet ’em!

(Her most reluctant co-host scrambles to catch up, still keeping the paper up to block every square inch of her face she can. A moment later, they are walking past a long row of tables, where various teens are looking after their pets; one improbable addition to the group is Micro Chips, wrenching on a home-built robot. A wall of curtains forms the backdrop, through which the gym can be seen through a gap. Throughout the rest of this short, the view will wobble slightly from time to time, as if the camera were not being held entirely steady.)

Applejack: This is the backstage area, where the pets get fresh and spiffy before the competition. (Stop; Fluttershy runs into her.) Right, Fluttershy?

(The latter responds by backing out of view, only for the farmer to grab one yellow arm and reel her in with a slightly strained grin. The sheet of notes is now gone.)

Fluttershy: (faintly) Mmm-hmm. (Slow pan across the area; she continues o.s.) Fresh and spiffy.

(The camera motion brings Pinkie into view, playing with Gummy, as well as Flash Sentry with a small dog dressed in a sweater. He reacts with some surprise upon finding the lens trained on him.)

Applejack: (from o.s.) Well, look at this handsome feller! (Close-up; he grins/waves as both girls cross to him.) Tell us about your pooch. (Fluttershy leans down to hear it bark.)

Flash: Oh! The dog’s a Boston terrier named—

Fluttershy: (with new enthusiasm) Banana. (Four stunned eyes turn her way; she addresses the dog.) Anything else to share?

(Banana yips a bit more, prompting a soft giggle.)

Fluttershy: Banana’s favorite snack is bananas, he loves his banana toy, and his favorite pastime is—

(The powers of her magical pendant are coming in handy, no doubt. She is cut off by a different round of barking from o.s.)

Fluttershy: (darting away, as Flash pets Banana) Aww, what a cutie.

(Cut to a close-up of a very small, very fluffy dog cradled in Bulk Biceps’ brawny arms; it sounds off happily into the microphone Fluttershy has extended into view toward it. He has tied sushi-patterned kerchiefs around both its neck and his own for the occasion.)

Fluttershy: (from o.s.) Oh, really? (A bit more; zoom out to frame her.) She loves daytime TV, is a great listener, and— (Applejack hustles over to her.)

Applejack: Uh, I think the show’ll be startin’ soon, so we should wrap this up.

Fluttershy: I think we have time for one more quick interview.

(She hurries away on the end of this, not catching the look of mild bemusement on Applejack’s face. Cut to Apple Bloom, brush poised over the back of Applejack’s dog Winona.)

Applejack: (from o.s., flabbergasted) Winona? (Bark; she crosses to these two, already joined by Fluttershy.) What are you doin’ back here?  (Another one.)

Fluttershy: (giggling) Oh, Winona only said that she wanted to surprise you by competing today.

Applejack: Huh. Yee-haa! (hurrying off with Bloom/Winona) We gotta get ready to win that gold!

(Fluttershy is ever so slightly puzzled to find herself working without a partner as owners and pets begin to file past her and an electronic chime rings out. She is quick to smile and address the camera.)

Fluttershy: That’s the signal. It’s time to enjoy the cutest show in Canterlot!

(The blue paw print zooms up from the center of the screen and is crowned, just as at the beginning of this short. A flare of white fills the view, followed by a snap to the closing credits.)

“Best in Show: The Victory Lap”                                        Written by Katie Chilson

Note:                This short is a continuation of the preceding one.

(Opening shot: fade to black from the title card, then snap to a blurry close-up of Applejack and Fluttershy in the Canterlot High gym. They have equipped themselves with headset microphones to go with their handheld units. A quick equipment/hair adjustment, a grin from the freckled blonde, and the blue paw print of the Canterlot Pet Show’s logo zooms up to the camera and receives its gold crown. The completed logo shrinks down into the bottom right corner of the screen as the image comes into focus and Applejack dusts herself off before addressing the camera.)

Applejack: Giddyup! What a show! So many surprises, and one too many jugglin’ acts, if you ask me. And now for the victory lap. Here comes [sic] our participation winners!

(Comes now a steady procession of students carrying their pets; the former wave to the crowd, while a ribbon has been bestowed on each of the latter—including Gummy, being towed along the carpet by Pinkie on the end of a leash.)

Fluttershy: I have such a hard time reading that Gummy. (Close-up of the toy; she continues o.s.) He’s a pet of mystery.

(This assessment leaves Applejack at a momentary loss for words.)

Applejack: Next up, our third-place partners…

(Cut to a close-up of Micro, waving sheepishly and walking the circuit, and zoom out on the next line to frame his robot, which stands about as high as his waist and is wearing a green ribbon. The body is constructed from flexible hoses and various bits of hardware, including a toaster from which a nicely browned slice of bread pops up as a smiley-faced head.)

Applejack: (from o.s.) …Micro Chips and JVJ-Two-Four-Six-Oh-One!

(It bleeps happily and waves a pincer-tipped arm under this last, after which the camera cuts back to the two hosts.)

Applejack: (aside, hushed) Uh…hey,  Fluttershy. Does a robot count as a pet?

(The yellow girl just stares ahead, her mind temporarily locked solid—and the smiling piece of toast ejects itself and is promptly replaced by a burnt one decorated with a face on the verge of a full crying jag, marked by a spatter of dejected beeps from JVJ.)

Applejack: (forcing a smile) Uh…I mean, over to you, Fluttershy!

Fluttershy: Thank you, Applejack! JVJ-Two-Four-Six-Oh-One really wowed the judges with their super-shiny coat.

(Cut to Micro and his gleaming creation on the end of this, he patting its shoulder, then back to Applejack—her badly unsettled expression broadcasting one thought: “This is not what I signed up for.” In an instant, though, she is all business and back on the job.)

Applejack: Our second-place team sure knows how to put a game face on durin’ a tough competition. (Pan to Fluttershy.)

Fluttershy: Couldn’t agree more, Applejack.

(Cut to said team—Rainbow pulling Tank along on a skateboard via a rope tied to its nose and loving every bit of attention from the crowd. The tortoise is decked out in helmet and pads, and a red ribbon is affixed to his shell.)

Fluttershy: (from o.s.) And Tank kept his focus— (Rainbow stops and picks him up.) —despite the distraction of being totally in love.

(This last bit throws the soccer ace for a loop, and it takes her a second to realize that her wrinkled green buddy has started making goo-goo eyes at Bulk’s little dog.)

Fluttershy: (from o.s.) Bravo, Tank!

(Hearts burst upward from the fluffy canine’s head, prompting its owner to beam and Rainbow to recoil in sheer disbelief at the implausible attraction.)

Applejack: Huh…you sure do have the inside scoop, Fluttershy.

Fluttershy: Well, Tank is a very talkative tortoise.

Applejack: And our big winners!

(Cut to Bloom and a leashed, ribbon-less Winona. The redhead bends down to pet the pooch as Cranky Doodle trudges past, accompanied by an equally sour-faced dog dressed in a sweater that matches his.)

Applejack: (from o.s.) Huh. I don’t know about you, Fluttershy, but I can’t think of a more deservin’ duo. (Cut to Fluttershy.)

Fluttershy: Yes. Despite being in a horribly cranky mood during the personality round, Fluffersnuff really turned on the charm for the win.

(During this line, the camera cuts to a close-up of Cranky, pans/tilts down to his dog, then cuts back to her. Following a sotto-voce grumble from the animal, all three winning pets take their respective places on the stage’s medal podium, with their owners and a few other human/animal competitors off to both sides. Applejack and Fluttershy are now up here as well, Applejack pinning a blue ribbon on Fluffersnuff’s sweater.)

Fluttershy: You guys did great!

(Cheers erupt from the onlookers as the pup snags JVJ’s overcooked “head” in its teeth and begins to gnaw; a new, smiling replacement immediately pops up to the sound of electronic happiness. The show logo fades away from the bottom right corner of the screen, its paw print zooming up at center screen and being re-crowned; the background fades to black, and it does likewise a moment later.)

“Schedule Swap”                                                Written by Gillian M. Berrow

(Opening shot: fade to black from the title card, then snap to an overhead shot of Canterlot High during the day. Zoom in slowly and cut to Principal Celestia in her office, seated behind her desk and speaking into the intercom microphone she holds.)

Celestia: Welcome to another exciting school year at Canterlot High.

(Cut to a slow pan across an art studio, in which a toga-clad Bulk has struck a pose on a central podium. Around him is a circle of easels, some of which are being used by students paying various degrees of attention—or lack thereof—to sketch him. The camera motion brings a noticeably confused Applejack into view at the far side of the room.)

Celestia: (over intercom) As you settle into your new classes, please make sure everything’s in order.

Applejack: (angrily, standing up) Everything’s not in order! Where’s Pinkie Pie?

(Cut to a long shot of the stage in the gym and zoom in slowly. A single broad spotlight casts the only illumination, shining down on a group of students seated on mats in a circle. Fluttershy and Photo Finish are among their number, while another teen has risen to one knee as if to act out a scene—a drama class in progress. Cut to the two girls.)

Fluttershy: (to Photo) Um, isn’t Rarity in this class?

(A noncommittal shrug is the only reply she gets. From here, cut to a classroom occupied by variously attentive/excited/bored students, one of whom is a rather perplexed Twilight. Zoom in as a paper airplane loops lazily through the still air, then cut to a close-up of the budding genius. She runs a worried eye over the schedule printout lying before her.)

Twilight: But I thought Sunset Shimmer was in advanced physics with me. (The plane lodges in her hair; Sandalwood addresses her from the next desk back.)

Sandalwood: This is regular physics, dude. (Twilight shoots upright, the plane falling away.)

Twilight: What?!?

(She hustles for the door, schedule clutched tightly and a breath hitching in her throat. The start of the next line is heard over the intercom, but finishes normally once the camera cuts to Celestia in her office.)

Celestia: All final schedule changes must be made by the end of the day.

(She has barely enough time to set the microphone back on the desk before six girls—all of the Rainbooms save Sunset—burst in to wedge themselves in the doorway, all waving schedules and complaining at full voice. The logjam ends with them tumbling to the floor in a heap; Applejack is the first to rise, the others following suit as she speaks.)

Applejack: I was supposed to be in wood shop with Pinkie Pie, not frou-frou paintin’ time with nobody.

(An idea occurs to Celestia, prompting her to smile and begin taking notes.)

Fluttershy: (stroking hair nervously) I only signed up for drama to be with Rarity, but she wasn’t there—which was very dramatic, but for all the wrong reasons.

Celestia: (still jotting) Don’t worry. I’ll sort it out.

(A flurry of pale pink fingers on computer keys, and her printer cranks out one new schedule after another. These are held out to the group in a stack, bringing a cacophony of relieved chatter. Wipe to a close-up of Rarity standing in a wood shop classroom and studying hers incredulously; she has donned safety glasses, work gloves, and earmuffs. On the net line, zoom out to frame the entire space as the sound of power tools underscores her words; the other students, including Zephyr Breeze, are hard at it on assorted projects.)

Rarity: (groaning, propping glasses on forehead) This is the strangest math class I’ve ever been in.

(Close-up; Zephyr crosses to her, carrying a small wooden flute he has made.)

Zephyr: That’s ’cause it’s wood shop.

(The flurry of notes he plays is all the impetus she needs to cringe mightily and bug out. Cut to a pan through the home economics classroom, now the site of a long string of student-initiated culinary disasters, and stop on Rainbow slumped over a table. Her feet in a puddle of spilled batter, she pours something into the mixing bowl resting before her, straightens up, and pulls her befouled schedule partway out of it.)

Rainbow: Huh…Sunset should be in here.

(A furtive look around informs her that no teachers are watching, so she puts on a burst of super speed and clears out of the ravaged cooking space. Cut to a full classroom in which Pinkie is standing and working at a blackboard chalked thick with equations; Twilight enters, no longer carrying her schedule.)

Twilight: Pinkie Pie, have you seen Sunset? (peering closely at board, smiling, adjusting glasses) Wait. I didn’t know you were taking advanced physics.

Pinkie: Advanced physics? (Laugh.) Thank goodness! I thought they had ruined PE. (running out) Rainbow Dash, I’m on my way! (voice fading) DON’T CHOOSE TEAMS WITHOUT ME!!

(Physical education, that is—also known as gym class. Twilight utters an exasperated sigh and puts a hand to her face, having experienced the glory of a fresh bureaucratic foul-up. Cut to Celestia’s office, once again playing host to a half-dozen irritated teens clamoring for her to make sense of this craziness. This time, though, her smile has given way to a stern expression and she stands up from her chair, instantly silencing them. Rarity no longer wears her protective equipment from wood shop.)

Celestia: Girls, I think I can arrange for you all to have one class period together. (sitting) But this is the final change, okay?

(Mollified, the girls voice happy agreement, accompanied by a tip of Applejack’s hat. Wipe to the cafeteria during lunchtime and zoom in on the six eating at one table, the farmer sitting with her chair turned backwards.)

Applejack: Well, she wasn’t lyin’. (Close-up.) Lunch technically is a class period.

Pinkie: Best class to have together ever!

Rainbow: (amid laughs from the others) Sure is!

Fluttershy: Um, has anyone seen Sunset?

(Cut to Celestia at her office desk, typing on her computer. The heretofore-missing seventh Rainboom walks up, schedule in hand.)

Sunset: I think I’m supposed to have lunch this period?

(To which the harried principal responds with a weary sigh and a hand over her face. “Iris out” to black, centered on Sunset’s confused expression; the aperture pauses briefly so she can turn it toward the camera, then closes altogether.)

“Twilight Under the Stars”                                        Written by Gillian M. Berrow

(Opening shot: fade to black from the title card, then in to an extreme close-up of a fruit tray on a table. Twilight reaches into view to take a piece; on the start of the next line, cut to a longer shot of this area—one of the exhibit halls within the planetarium to which Timber Spruce took her in “Star Crossed.” She and Pinkie are at the table, helping themselves to fruit and cupcakes respectively, and a lively crowd has gathered for an event. Flash, Sunset, and Timber are talking among themselves amid the buzz of conversation, and everyone is kitted out in formal wear and dresses of various calibers. None of the three Rainbooms is wearing her pendant, and Pinkie has traded her usual blue bracelets for a pair of pale orange ones on each wrist.)

Twilight: Thank you so much for helping me with tonight’s Canterlot Celestial Society Member Social, Pinkie Pie.

Pinkie: (adding sprinkles to a cupcake) No trouble, space rubble. (Set it down.) Stars are like the glitter of the sky!

(A tiny poof of purple smoke drifts up—the result of her explosive-sweets ability—and Twilight’s good spirits instantly give way to a world-class case of nerves.)

Twilight: I’m so nervous! (pulling out a brochure) My favorite astrophysicist, Rosette Nebula, is here!

(Close-up of the paper on the end of this; prominently featured is a woman with pale blue-green skin, dark purple hair gathered into a bun, and medium green eyes behind black-framed spectacles. It is quickly pulled away from the camera.)

Twilight: She’s so smart, and cool, and probably very funny. (Wince.) Do you think she’ll like me?

Pinkie: (pulling Twilight close) Of course she will!

(There follows a general rush off to one side, prompting Twilight to gasp in surprise; pan quickly in that direction and stop on Rosette Nebula and the attendees flocking to her. The guest of honor is clad in an off-white turtleneck with a white collar, magenta skirt suit with lighter lapels, and dark purple high heels.)

Twilight: (from o.s.) There she is! (Close-up of the woman, autographing one fellow’s book.) Rosette Nebula! (Pan quickly back to Twilight and Pinkie.) I just have to meet her!

Pinkie: (winking) And I have to get this celestial celebration into orbit! (She drops out of sight, then pops up in extreme close-up.) WOO-HOO!! (shaking camera) SPACE PARTY!!

(When she plunges o.s. this time, the view wipes behind the top edge of her hair to a long shot of the hall. Zoom in slowly for a moment, then cut to Rosette chatting with a couple of women at the snack table. Twilight watches her from several feet back, frozen in silent panic with her lower lip caught in her teeth; here comes Pinkie, about to dig into a fresh cupcake, but she stops and smiles slyly upon seeing her friend’s unease. In a move almost too fast to follow with the naked eye, the party lover has ditched the dessert, whisked over, and pushed Twilight across the floor to stop just behind Rosette. The eminent scientist eats a morsel from her plate...Twilight relaxes and taps Rosette’s back for attention...and then two pink hands reach down to plop a balloon hat styled to resemble Gummy on the ponytailed head. The green eyes swivel to take in this bit of unorthodox millinery, and Rosette’s amused little grin is met by Twilight’s huge stupid one and furious blush. The girl backs away as a woman steps up to speak to Rosette and Pinkie stands up into view in the fore.)

Pinkie: (to herself) Hmmm…

(Elsewhere in the hall, a now-hatless Twilight catches sight of Rosette in conversation across the way, gathers her nerve, and goes into a slightly jerky approach. Pinkie nips in to watch her from behind, a fresh sneaky smile taking root on her face, and an instant later she has jumped onto the snack table to plant a…)

Pinkie: PARTY CANNON!!

(Twilight has no time to move before it goes off, caking her in confetti from top to toe and leaving her to blink the mess out of her eyes in close-up. Pinkie’s satisfied little hum is heard from o.s., followed by Rosette and the guests stepping away from the pair in a longer shot as Pinkie’s glee evaporates in the face of her blunder. Cut to the woman and three guests, laughing lightly as they move off to one side, and zoom in slowly on two figures near the planetarium’s statue of Starswirl the Bearded. Timber, standing, gives a cup of punch to a seated, cleaned-up, downhearted Twilight and pats her shoulder consolingly before walking off. Twilight sighs heavily in close-up, after which the camera tilts up quickly to Pinkie gazing concernedly down at her from the statue’s shoulder. The pink teen glances toward the sculpted face and thinks hard; after a moment, her eyes pop and a brightly glowing light bulb winks into being next to her head—a brainstorm has struck under the magenta curls. This vanishes as she whisks down with a shiny-eyed grin; cut to ground level, where the squeaky front wheels of a food cart pull into view and stop. The camera shifts to frame its cargo—a stack of plates and a large, two-tiered cake iced with white and dark blue to resemble a starry sky and topped with model suns and planets. Pinkie stands up into view in the fore.)

Pinkie: ATOMIC CHOCOLATE CAAAAKE!!

(Long shot of the hall on this last word, zooming out as eyes and feet turn her way, then cut to the cart as the guests eagerly help themselves. Pinkie carries two loaded plates over to Twilight and passes one over, earning a small smile of gratitude, and the latter takes a bite in close-up.)

Twilight: Mmm!

Older female voice: Did you know the smell of chocolate increases brain waves and contains—

(Zoom out quickly. The speaker is Rosette, who has a plate of her own and is addressing herself in Twilight’s general direction. Twilight is quick to stand and continue the sentence with gusto, paying no mind whatever to Pinkie standing behind her or Timber behind Rosette. The Camp Everfree counselor flips a grin and thumbs-up to Pinkie before backing out of view on the next line—evidently these two joined forces to bring Twilight out of her funk. Pinkie has disposed of her cake and plate.)

Twilight: —the neurotransmitter serotonin, which triggers relaxation and contentment. (She freezes up slightly upon realizing whose thought she has finished.)

Pinkie: (pushing her toward Rosette) Mmm, science-y.

Rosette: (shaking hands with Twilight) I’m Rosette Nebula.

Twilight: (smiling, relaxing) Oh! I’m Twilight Sparkle. It’s such an honor to meet you. (fading out, as the two walk off) Oh, I’m so interested to hear about your theories about—

Pinkie: (knowingly, to camera) Cake fixes everything.

(She winks as the view “irises out” to black, the aperture star-shaped and centered on her face.)

“Five Stars”                                        Written by Gillian M. Berrow, Kate Chilson

(Opening shot: fade to black from the title card, then in to the exterior of the 1950s diner where Pinkie works, as seen in “Coinky-Dink World” and “Pinkie Pie: Snack Psychic.” It is daytime, and the camera zooms in slowly before cutting to a slow pan across the busy interior. During the next line, stop on Pinkie and two of her coworkers standing behind the counter; she has her cell phone out and is watching it intently.)

Pinkie: (from o.s.) Best diner in Canterlot, ladies! Not a single bad review. Five-star rating on Screech!

Waitress 1: (picking up a plated pie slice) Let’s keep it up!

(Pinkie roller-skates to deliver it to a booth where Octavia is sitting and using her own phone.)

Pinkie: Super-happy with your flavor selection? (Octavia smiles and nods.) How about a review?

(Five white stars appear in front of the giddily grinning waitress and wink to gold one at a time, symbolizing a top-tier review of the experience.)

Pinkie: (savagely, lifting phone overhead) Yeah!

(The stars vanish, and she rolls across to a booth playing host to two Crystal Prep Academy students, one of whom is Fleur. The other one speaks up. Pinkie has now pocketed the device.)

Student: We’ll both have the club sandwich— (Pinkie darts away and instantly returns with two orders of this dish, one with fries and the other with salad.)

Pinkie: I thought you might.

(The food is served up, Fleur receiving the fries with hers. She speaks with a Valley Girl accent, rather than the cultured British one of her pony counterpart as heard in “Sweet and Elite.”)

Fleur: Wow, that was, like, so fast.

Pinkie: (pulling out phone) That’s what I like to hear! Care to Screech about it?

(Both patrons bring out their phones and tap at the screens, and as before, the five white stars appear and go gold; this time, Pinkie grins as her own baby blues change to match them. In the time it takes her to skate past the counter and high-five the other two waitresses, the stars and her phone are out of sight and her eyes are back to normal. Her next stop is to refill the coffee mug of an elderly, hard-faced woman with pale grayish-violet skin at a corner booth. The latter blows across the surface to cool it; cut to an extreme close-up of her lips as she lifts the mug. On the start of the next line, zoom out quickly to frame Pinkie leaning cheerfully down to her level.)

Pinkie: Can I get you anything else?

(The interruption freezes the mug just short of the target and startles its holder into almost sloshing the coffee into her own lap.)

Woman: (lifting a newspaper) Nah. Just gonna enjoy my paper.

Pinkie: (saluting) Okey-dokey-lokey!

(She is gone in a blink, and the woman sips from her mug and settles down to read—but Pinkie returns just as quickly, spooking her into another near-spill.)

Pinkie: Hope you’re enjoying your paper! (refilling mug) If you’re enjoying your service too, feel free to leave a Screech!

(The woman brings up her phone and taps away; here come the white stars, going gold one by one—but now the rightmost one remains unchanged. Watching the progression on her own screen, Pinkie reacts to the less-than-perfect score by voicing a shuddery sigh as her fluffy hair deflates into a lank magenta mass. Her spirits crushed, she wheels slowly back to the counter; the stars wink out, and the other waitresses gasp in shock upon seeing her downcast expression. She has stashed her phone again and put the coffeepot aside.)

Pinkie: We just got our first-ever four-star review! (sobbing, covering eyes) We’re doomed! (A full-bore crying jag follows.)

Waitress 2: Four stars doesn’t seem so bad.

Waitress 1: Gosh darn, it’s still a good review. Our streak was bound to end sometime. (Pinkie straightens up, fresh fire in her eyes.)

Pinkie: No! (showing them a full handful of fingers) We are a five-star diner! (Zoom in to a close-up.) I have to fix this!

(Back at the booth, she peeks up over the edge of the table, her hair restored, and stands up with a fresh mug. Extreme close-up of the woman’s face; the one she is drinking from is switched out for this one almost before she can react.)

Pinkie: (from o.s.) Just in case the first one gets cold!

(Zoom out slightly; a nasty look, an irked drink, and the customer goes back to catching up on the news of the day. Pinkie’s next trick is to lower herself from the ceiling, a rope tied around her waist.)

Pinkie: (pulling a plated pie slice from her hair) Complimentary piece of pie?

(The paper is swiftly rolled up and smacked against the treat, and Pinkie offers a sheepish grin and lets herself be reeled up, up and away. The woman has barely had time to unfurl the newsprint before an entire pie is held up to her from somewhere below table level. Up comes the overeager waitress, free of the suspending rope, to displace the paper.)

Pinkie: Complimentary whole pie?

(Another harsh glare as the pages are lifted to block her line of sight. A moment of intense thought on Pinkie’s part yields to a smile of fierce inspiration; within moments, she has put her skates into overdrive and begun to load the table with one culinary offering after another By the time she finishes, the spread consists of two pies, a stack of pancakes, a three-tiered cake, two extra mugs of coffee, Sunset’s magic journal, Bulk’s small dog—as seen in the “Best in Show” shorts and pulled from Pinkie’s hair—and a hopelessly flummoxed Twilight standing alongside the lot.)

(A dissolve frames the booth and its impassive occupant now sitting amid a proliferation of additional food, items, and party paraphernalia. Twilight is eating one of several cupcakes that have been dropped off.)

Twilight: Mmm! (She walks away; Pinkie whips over to the booth.)

Pinkie: Ugh! What am I doing wrong?!? (Pause; she becomes sullen.) Fine! (skating away; pan to follow) I’ll just leave you alone!

(She does not get more than a few feet away before her phone begins to vibrate in her pocket. Out it comes, the four-star review display appearing below her—but now that last star flicks from white to gold and she brightens with a huge gasp. She pivots back to the booth, the camera panning quickly back to the woman; she lowers her paper.)

Woman: (half-smiling) All I wanted was some peace and quiet.

(Her face goes slack as the camera zooms out to frame Pinkie now alongside with a coffeepot at the ready, and she is quick to roll up and brandish her paper. The perky teen takes the hint and slowly backpedals out of view with an innocent whistle, whereupon the woman smiles and reopens it to carry on with her perusal. Cut directly to the closing credits.)

“FOMO”                                        Written by Gillian M. Berrow, Kate Chilson

(Opening shot: fade to black from the title card, then in to a Canterlot High hallway during the school day. Rainbow closes her locker and starts into a magic-powered sprint that takes her past Rarity, who has a backpack slung up.)

Rarity: Oh! (Rainbow slams on the brakes.) Rainbow Dash! Would you like to come over after school today to—

Rainbow: Oh! Uh, that sounds really cool, but I can’t. I have, uh, plans.

Rarity: What sort of pla—

Rainbow: (rattled, rapid fire) Just chores and stuff! Gotta go!

(The ensuing high-speed peel-out leaves the fashionista properly perplexed. Cut to one of the school’s side doors, from which she emerges to the sound of an engine sputtering to life, and zoom out to frame the edge of the parking lot. Rainbow is sitting astride a sky-blue motorcycle striped in all the colors of her hair and has donned a helmet, and Twilight fastens one of her own in place while standing alongside.)

Twilight: I’ve always wanted to do this! It’s gonna be so much fun!

(She takes the seat behind Rainbow, and both laugh as the jock feeds gas to take them toward the street. Neither of them spares even a moment’s notice for the thunderstruck Rarity, who glowers mightily to herself and hurries after them. By the time she reaches the curb, though, they are zooming away.)

Rarity: (waving, calling back the way they departed) Taxi! TAXIII!!

(One pulls up in a screech of tires and she climbs in the back seat.)

Rarity: (to cabbie) Follow that motorbike!

(As she says this, she sets her backpack on the seat, fastens her seat belt, and points ahead. The cabbie pulls away in another shriek of rubber on pavement and a screen-filling cloud of exhaust fumes. This last drifts up and out of view, the image wiping behind it to a retail area somewhere in Canterlot. Rainbow’s motorcycle is parked at the curb, but neither rider is present. The taxi pulls up on the opposite side, and one rear window rolls down to frame Rarity—now wearing a purple scarf knotted over her hair, matching sunglasses, and a highly suspicious expression. The tinted lenses go up on the forehead, the seat belt comes off, and a pair of binoculars is brought into play. Cut to her perspective, panning to Twilight and Rainbow as they step out of a grocery store with several full shopping bags; both have shed their helmets. The view passes them, but swings back to follow their movement in time with a soft gasp from Rarity.)

Rarity: (softly) They’re shopping without me. (Back to her; another gasp and she lowers the lenses.) I’ve never felt so betrayed in all my life!

(Up they go; back to her perspective. Now Fluttershy and Sunset leave the store and join the pair, each hauling her own load of goods. Back to a flabbergasted Rarity as she lowers the binoculars again.)

Rarity: No!

Sunset: (to Twilight/Fluttershy/Rainbow) We’ll see you guys there!

(The four shoppers begin to disperse; cut to inside the taxi. Rarity, in close-up, pulls her head in and hunches down to avoid being seen by Fluttershy and Sunset as they pass.)

Sunset: (as Fluttershy giggles) ’ll have plenty of time to think about that.

(The style-conscious teen sits up and stares after them, struggling mightily to keep her composure.)

Rarity: (removing sunglasses, setting binoculars aside) I guess their plans don’t involve me. (buckling seat belt) Driver, take me home! (Zoom out to frame the cabbie on the start of the following.)

Cabbie: Uh, lady, I need an address.

(Rarity slumps in her seat, face clearly broadcasting her self-aimed disgust at having forgotten this rather important bit of protocol in using a taxi. Wipe to a stretch of road in a residential area; the vehicle pulls up and Rarity climbs out, carrying her backpack and no longer wearing the head scarf.)

Rarity: I guess I’ll just…be alone…by myself.

(She approaches a pair of front doors marked with blue gems that match the ones favors—this must be her home.)

Rarity: (increasingly overwrought, opening one door) While all my friends are having fun together.

(She topples backwards across the threshold. Cut to the interior of a dimly lit room, the camera placed just inside the closed door. It swings open to frame Rarity, no longer hauling the backpack.)

Rarity: Without… (The lights snap on.)

Other Rainbooms: (from o.s.) SURPRISE!!

(She is completely unprepared for both this and the gentle rain of confetti that begins to patter down around her. Zoom out quickly to frame the area as her bedroom, tricked out for a celebration and populated by the gang, Spike in Fluttershy’s lap, and Rarity’s cat Opalescence.)

Other Rainbooms: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, RARITY! (Close-up of Rarity.)

Rarity: Wha—? (Cut to the others on the next line.)

Rainbow: You didn’t think we’d let you spend your birthday alone, did you?

(The others’ furtive behavior is now explained—they needed to stay clear of her in order to plan out this soiree. They gather in around their friend, Pinkie plopping a party hat atop the elegant purple coiffure. Rarity, now wearing her backpack, stammers for quite a few moments before finding her way up to a smile and a coherent word.)

Rarity: Of course not, darling! (as Pinkie giggles) I knew you had something up your sleeve from the very beginning.

(As completely divorced as these words are from reality, the others humor her with a laugh and a group hug. A blush steals over the white cheeks, the mouth under them stretching into a tremulous smile, and the view fades to black.)

“I’m on a Yacht”                Music/Lyrics by John Jennings Boyd, Lisette Bustamante

Hip-hop synthesizer line with growing electronic percussion, fast 4 (B major)

Only lyrics marked with an asterisk (*) are sung; all others are delivered as a rap

(Opening shot: fade to black from the title card, then in to a long shot of the Lux Deluxe, the ship that served as the setting for the bulk of “Spring Breakdown,” pushing on through the ocean during the day. The camera shifts to frame it from various angles, finally rising past the bow to frame the deck in a long overhead shot. The figures of the Rainbooms can just be perceived at this distance; cut to a jittering close-up in time with a stuttering airhorn blast. They are wearing the vacation attire from the special and grooving to the beat.)

Rainboomss:                 Hey, hey

Sunset:                Check our new ride

The wind is blowing and we’re feeling real fly

                        Me and my girls are pumped up

Others:                That’s right

(Four dolphins wearing sunglasses leap from the sea.)

Rarity:                Gonna see some dolphins ’fore the end of the night (dolphins)

(Water drains over the view, changing it to a close-up of Applejack holding a tube of sunscreen.)

Rainbow:                Hold up, pass the sunscreen

                        Can’t nobody stop us from doing our thing

                        We flossing on ’em with our bling-bling

Fluttershy:                Pinkie Pie’s on deck, and it’s fire she’ll bring

(The others sing the last three words in time with Fluttershy.)

Double-time feel

(Pinkie tips her heart-shaped sunglasses down, a moment later, she has changed into her “Forgotten Friendship” swimsuit and back.)

Pinkie:                 We hotties on a yachtie, it’s a special kind of party

                        Setting sail so we can play because it’s anchors aweigh

(Fluttershy wiggles her bare toes while floating in the pool.)

                        We got floaty-woaties, beach toties, queens of the sea

                        We’re fabulous, phenomenal

* Rainbooms:                Don’t you agree?

Double-time feel ends

                        Hey, hey, hey, hands in the air

(Twilight and Sunset shake hips and hair, respectively.)

                        Oh, oh, oh, wind in our hair

                        We’re hopping on, so float along

                        ’Cause EG’s on this yacht

(Rarity enjoys a drink from a crew member’s tray, while Fluttershy dances with a knot of Canterlot High students.)

                        ’Ey, ’ey, sipping on lemonade

                        Shining bright, but we’re throwing no shade

(Pinkie, in swimsuit and shades, dangles her feet in the pool with Derpy Hooves and Lyra Heartstrings. In no time flat, though, she is back in her dress and has regrouped with the other six.)

                        Exclusively, we’re VIP

                        ’Cause EG’s on this yacht

(A flare of white washes over the screen and clears to present an overhead shot of Applejack, dozing on a beach towel spread out on the deck. Zoom in to a close-up that gives a clear view of the reddish tint on every exposed inch of skin—sunburn ahoy.)

Rainbooms:                Oh, no

Sunset:                The sun’s beating down

                        AJ fell asleep when no one was around

Pinkie:                What?

Sunset:                Now she’s got a burn and a serious frown

(She comes up smiling and tries a dance step, but winces at the pain.)

Applejack:                That won’t even stop me from really gettin’ down

(DJ P0N-3 mans the turntables that have been set up in the lounge overlooking the pool as students get down on it.)

Rainbooms:                Hey

Rainbow:                DJ, drop that beat

                        She knows what we need to make us move our feet

(Several jump into the pool.)

                        Diving in the pool to escape the heat

(The screen flares white and clears to show the dining room. The female chef who faced off against Pinkie lifts the cover off the tray she holds to reveal a live lobster with a bright blue-violet shell. Twilight and Pinkie are shocked at the sight, but Fluttershy is ecstatic.)

Rarity:                Now we’re getting hungry and it’s time to eat

Double-time feel

(The animal lover scoops the crustacean into a hug, bringing smiles to her friends’ faces while leaving the chef at a loss.)

Pinkie:                Lobster on a silver platter ’cause the cost don’t even matter

                        All expenses are paid, EG crew

Rainbooms:                Got it made

(A few students sail small boats past the bow as seagulls arc lazily overhead and the seven watch from the rail.)

Pinkie:                Little boats are drifting by, seagulls up in the sky

                        We’re a picture of perfection as we wave to them

* Rainbooms:                Hi

Double-time feel ends

(Twilight and Sunset show “jazz hands”; Fluttershy takes her new “pet” for a walk on the deck, earning cheers and a few pictures snapped on cell phones, and Twilight uses her own to get a shot of the septet.)

* Rainbooms:                Hey, hey, hey, hands in the air

                        Oh, oh, oh, wind in our hair

                        We’re hopping on, so float along

                        ’Cause EG’s on this yacht

(Sunset, about to enjoy a cold drink, shows great consternation at a gull helping itself.)

                        ’Ey, ’ey, sipping on lemonade

(A race in the pool: Twilight, Pinkie, and Rainbow paddle inflatable floats as onlookers cheer them on.)

                        Shining bright, but we’re throwing no shade

(Rarity blows a kiss; Twilight points excitedly over the rail at a pair of leaping, sunglasses-wearing dolphins. Slow motion for only the duration of their jump.)

                        Exclusively, we’re VIP

                        ’Cause EG’s on this yacht

Half-time feel

(Cut to a darkened stage and tilt down slowly. The figures of the girls and Spike can barely be made out in the dim light, and the backdrop is a large electronic sign displaying the heart-shaped pink horseshoe that has been used as part of the Equestria Girls logo since the franchise began. Pulses radiate outward over this item as the lights come up to frame the ensemble The girls wear their performance outfits from “Spring Breakdown,” while he has donned sunglasses, a baseball cap turned backwards, an unbuttoned vest, a collar with gold spikes and matching paw medallion, gold bracelets on one foreleg, and sneakers for the hind legs on which he is now standing.)

* Rainbooms:                We’re living our life like

                        This moment never ends

                        Sun shines on us so brightly

                        When we’re chilling with friends

Spike: (over previous, spoken normally) Worldwide, y’all! Equestria Girls crew! Keeping it hot on a yacht! (lowering shades) And it’s aaaaaaaaall good!

Half-time feel ends with a stuttering airhorn blast

* Rainbooms:                Hey, hey, hey, hands in the air

(Twilight shakes her hips; Fluttershy tosses her hair.)

                        Oh, oh, oh, wind in our hair

                        We’re hopping on, so float along

                        ’Cause EG’s on this yacht

Airhorn

(Spike takes a pull at a drink.)

                        ’Ey, ’ey, sipping on lemonade

                        Shining bright, but we’re throwing no shade

                        Exclusively, we’re VIP

(Long shot of the vessel, cruising on as the sun sets at the horizon and the girls watch at the rail.)

                        ’Cause EG’s on this yacht

Song ends

(Zoom out and fade to black.)

“Run to Break Free”        

Music/Lyrics by Jessica Vaughn, Jess Furman, Dan Whittemore

(Opening shot: fade to black from the title card, then in to a scatter of birds flying up past the roof of Canterlot High during the day. The camera cuts/pans here and there through the busy hallways as students go about their usual school-day business, and finally arrives at Rainbow, backpack slung up and stowing a volleyball in her locker. The moment she shuts the door and begins to walk away, her surroundings take on a bluish tinge and shift to blurry slow motion. She, however, retains her normal hues and speed. These effects last until further notice.)

Quiet electronic percussion/handclap line with occasional vocal accents, slow 4 (D flat major)

Rainbow:                I have so much more to say

                        But I live in slow motion, from moment to moment, hey

Synthesizer in

(She passes a collision between Snips and Trixie that has caused a deck of cards to spray from the latter’s hands, while Snails has let fly with a paper airplane.)

                        Holding back from day to day

                        The clock’s ticking slowly, but time cannot hold me down

Percussion builds

(She picks up her pace and pushes the front doors open.)

Rainbow:                Find myself in the rhythm of my feet [Hey!] Feel it in my heartbeat

(Stop; adjust one sneaker.)

                        The time is now and I won’t hold back, hold back [Hey!]

Handclaps out

(A burst of magic speed carries her off the steps and across the lawn, leaving a rainbow contrail behind herself as her image drifts lazily across the near-frozen tableau.)

Rainbow:                Gonna break free, yeah, I’m running

(Normal motion resumes for her; she weaves past a kid riding a bicycle on the sidewalk and disappears around a corner.)

                        Watch me, yeah, yeah, I’m running

(Finding a tractor-trailer squarely in her path at an intersection, she “ponies up” and hurls herself upward. She moves in slow motion until her feet hit the ground on the opposite side, then accelerates back to normal speed.)

                        I let it go in this moment, all roads open

                        Gonna break free, yeah, I’m running

                        I was born to break free

Percussion drops back; handclaps in

(Fade to white, then in to a different stretch of sidewalk and its near-frozen denizens. She whisks into view, hooks a lamppost with one hand, and spins to a stop among them. Her transformation has now reversed itself, and she brushes herself down before setting off at a leisurely pace.)

Rainbow:                 I choose my path, I choose my dreams

(Run a hand along a skateboarder’s helmet; throw a few punches at the air.)

                        My spirit’s a fighter, a passion igniter, yeah

Percussion builds; handclaps out

(Assorted calamities catch her attention: a boy about to lose the ice cream from the cone he holds, a cat-chasing dog that has caused Pinkie to trip and inadvertently hurl a tray of cupcakes toward a bike rider, Fluttershy stopping short and jerking back so that the coffee she carries is sloshing toward Twilight.)

                        All I need’s inside of me

                        A light shining brighter, a spark to a fire now

(The speedster kneels to check her laces, casually sets the ice cream back in place, and licks her finger to check the taste.)

Rainbow:                I find myself in the rhythm of my feet [Hey!] Feel it in my heartbeat

(She stands, removes her backpack to leave it hanging in the air, and limbers up.)

                        The time is now and I won’t hold back, hold back [Hey!] [No-o]

Vocal harmonies behind lyrics

(Off she goes across the street toward her friends, the multi-hued contrail marking her path. Gather up the cupcakes; tip Pinkie back to vertical and put the reloaded tray in her hands; pick up the dog and give it to a bystander; hand the cat off to Fluttershy; scoop the coffee back into its cup and settle it firmly in Twilight’s grip.)

Rainbow:                Gonna break free, yeah, I’m running [yeah]

                        Watch me, yeah, yeah, I’m running [I’ll really run away]

(She ponies up and zooms away as normal speed and color resume for everyone and everything else, leaving no trace of her presence except a rapidly fading contrail. All five are more than a little surprised to find that disaster has been averted on every front.)

                        I let it go in this moment, all roads open

                        Gonna break free, yeah, I’m running

                        I was born to break free

Song ends

(In time with her last word, she launches herself triumphantly into the sky to set off a Sonic Rainboom. Twilight, Fluttershy, and Pinkie smile and wave from the sidewalk as the view fades to black.)

“Camping Must Haves”        Written by Katie Chilson; story editing by Nick Confalone

(Opening shot: fade to black from the title card, then snap to a close-up of Applejack and Rarity sitting in the latter’s bedroom at home. Rarity reaches out to straighten the camera a bit—this is an online video in the making—and leans back in her chair once she has it to her liking. Applejack is not wearing her hat.)

Rarity: Hello, Internet darlings! It’s your music festival muses, Rarity and Applejack here— (Applejack flips a salute.) —presenting our camping must-haves.

(On these last three words, she touches her thumbs and forefingers together to form a triangle, then pulls them apart. A tent, heart, and pair of exclamation points appear between the splayed digits, then vanish in a sudden cut to the two with slightly altered postures.)

Applejack: Now you’re gonna be out in the hot sun all day long. (picking up a spray bottle from the floor) So be sure to bring plenty of sunscreen.

Rarity: Of course, your SPF won’t be complete without a chapeau.

(Sun protection factor, that is. The end of this line is delivered as a voice over when the camera cuts to her standing near the window and showing off a sun hat she has donned. In a trice, she is bounding back across the room with a rolled blanket under one arm and a parasol in the other hand, to Applejack’s considerable surprise.)

Rarity: (deploying both items) And it should match your parasol and your blanket, of course. (She darts o.s.)

Applejack: But you don’t really need all that.

Rarity: (from o.s.) And maybe a scarf.

(One is flung into view from her direction to tangle around the blond head; Applejack snatches it away and shoots her a dirty look.)

Applejack: (showing two fingers) I can think of two must-haves for makin’ an outhouse feel like an in-house.

(Close-up of two rolls of toilet paper and three bottles of green gel.)

Applejack: (from o.s.) Bring your own TP and plenty of hand sanitizer.

(A pale finger hooks the camera and drags it around to face Rarity, who shows off two bottled products in quick succession.)

Rarity: (voice over) Be sure to include one or two all-natural moisturizers.

(Cut to her, pointing out a few other beauty items stacked on a side table.)

Rarity: It never hurts to have a whole set. (She puts them on the floor by Applejack’s supplies.)

Applejack: (irked) You can’t go three days without ’em?

Rarity: (hustling back and forth, adding items to the pile) Oh, I’ll fit them in, darling. I’ll just tuck them in next to the cushioned seat cover, air-freshening candle set, and four-panel privacy screen.

(This last is unfolded to present an image of Opal, prompting Applejack to voice an irritated sigh and pivot herself and the camera away from her friend.)

Applejack: And finally— (rummaging under chair, hefting a rolled sleeping bag) —you’ll need a sleepin’ bag for a few hours of shut-eye. (Rarity leans into view, in extreme close-up.)

Rarity: (singsong) Plus pillows!

(Cut to her sitting on the couch over by one wall; she shows off each type as it is mentioned.)

Rarity: (voice over) Travel pillows, body pillows, accent pillows, throw pillows, bolster pillows—(Cut to Opal making herself comfortable on one.) —hypo-allergenic pillows… (Back to Applejack, now supremely fed up and no longer holding the sleeping bag.)

Applejack: And where are you plannin’ to put all them pillows?

(She is not a bit prepared to hear her opposite number grunting with exertion and dragging the room’s four-poster canopy bed inch by inch across the floor.)

Rarity:  (between grunts) Just… (After a few more heaves, she stops to catch her breath.)

Applejack: Excuse me! What happened to bringin’ only our must-haves?

Rarity: This is a one-of-a-kind bespoke four-poster bed. (grabbing one of its posts, sliding pitifully down) I absolutely must have it!

(Applejack manages to limit her exasperation to a pinch at the bridge of her nose.)

Applejack: (pivoting away, pulling camera along) Campin’s about makin’ do with what you got. It’s about breakin’ off a stick to roast marshmallows, or rustlin’ up pine needles for deodorant!

(Rarity stands on up the end of this tirade, then moves up to sit next to her and drape an arm across the T-shirted shoulders.)

Rarity: But, darling, we’re not camping.

Applejack: Huh?

(Now the fashionista’s fingers spin the camera to put them out of view and point out the window. Parked on the lawn is a motor home of some magnitude—white walls, purple roof, blue/gold trim.)

Rarity: (from o.s.) We’re glamping!

(A portmanteau of “glamour” and “camping,” that is. One side panel flips up; tree stumps fall out to create a circle of seats and a flattop grill table lands in their center. Skewers are next to fall, leaning against the edges so that the marshmallows spitted on their upper ends are in a perfect position to start toasting when the grill switches itself on. The vehicle’s horn plays a merry tune as multicolored lights play over the bodywork, after which Rarity whips the camera back to herself and Applejack. There follows a long silence, during which the farmer’s startled air shifts to one of smiling acceptance.)

Applejack: Well, I think I’m gonna like glaimpin’.

(Rarity winks. “Iris out” to black, the aperture shaped as a lozenge-cut gem and centered on her face. It pauses for a split second before closing entirely in a gleam of light.)

“Festival Filters”                       Written by Katie Chilson; story editing by Nick Confalone

(Opening shot: fade to black from the title card, then snap to a long shot of the Rainbooms congregating near a wall that runs around the perimeter of a grassy outdoor area during the day. They have switched their everyday outfits for more festive duds, and a couple of hairstyle tweaks are in evidence as well. Zoom in slowly as the other teens in the vicinity disperse and Sunset raises her phone to get a picture of the seven. After the digital shutter clicks, the view cuts to a close-up of Rarity and Sunset hunkering down over the screen, the other five spreading out.)

(These two shots pick out details of the girls’ new duds. Twilight: short-sleeved, deep pink shirt with white collar/cuffs and a circular logo in white and light blue; purple skirt and boots; darker purple tights; fanny pack turned sideways; the stone from her pendant mounted in a purple star-shaped hair clip. Applejack: white dress with flowered hem and red apple clip at the neckline; brown boots marked with red apples; sunglasses with transparent green apple-shaped lenses; brown hat edged with green puffs; short denim jacket with rolled-up sleeves and yellow fringe at the pockets. Fluttershy: long-sleeved, light blue dress trimmed in pale green lace and decorated with butterflies; beaded belt; white/pink/blue-violet sneakers with thick soles, blue laces, and ankle-length pink/white-striped socks; cluster of blue-violet flowers in her hair; pendant stone in a blue-winged butterfly clip on her dress. Pinkie: short-sleeved, balloon-marked blue dress with three layer blue/yellow/pink skirt cut high in front; tights with one yellow and one blue leg; yellow-laced pink sneakers similar to Fluttershy’s; short, fluffy yellow socks; small belt pouch; pendant stone at her neckline; part of her hair gathered into two loose bunches at the back of her head. Rainbow: white T-shirt with a red/orange/yellow rainbow across the chest; short jacket in varied shades of blue three-quarter-length sleeves; dark blue shorts with multicolored splotches around the hem of each leg; long rainbow-striped socks; dark blue sneakers; transparent green sun visor; hair in a ponytail. Rarity: short-sleeved bolero jacket in light blue fur; medium pink tights; sparkly dress in zigzag stripes of pink, blue-violet, blue, and blue-green, with a gold panel on the blouse decorated by a cluster of gems in assorted blues; light blue high heels with stacked soles, hair in a ponytail. Sunset: dark gray leather jacket with magenta trim and a yellow-orange chevron stripe on each sleeve; sparkly, dark magenta pants with her cutie mark down one leg and rolled-up cuffs; shirt shading from yellow-orange at the collar down to deeper orange at the waist and marked by a grid of red triangles; magenta/yellow-orange hiking boots; pendant stone serving as a belt buckle. Bracelets and wristbands of varied hue, style and quantity are in abundance among the seven.)

Rarity: Ooh! What filter are you going to use, darling?

Sunset: I was thinking about going “hashtag ‘no filter.’ ”

(Zoom out quickly to frame the entire group save Pinkie, who has already cleared out. Sunset finds herself on the receiving end of four stunned gasps, Applejack being the only one not to register any shock.)

Applejack: Uh, not to sound like Granny Smith, but… (Cut among the others; she continues o.s.) …why do y’all care so much about a filter? (Back to her.) All it does is make a new picture look…old.

(Rarity crosses to her, exposing a string of blue gems on a gold chain in her hair and a wristband set with her pendant’s stone.)

Rarity: (laughing, patting her shoulder) Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, sweetheart, no! (reaching out with free hand) They are so much more.

(Cut to Sunset on the end of this, a bit caught out as her phone is plucked away, then back to the pair.)

Rarity: (aiming it at herself and Rarity) You can model the latest trend with Shape Chic…

(Its screen projects a live image of them, and a tap frames each girl’s head in a different king-size gem. This angle picks out Applejack’s pendant stone in one of her own wristbands.)

Applejack: (dryly) I’d never wear a dodecahedron.

(Another tap switches them out for hearts before Fluttershy commandeers the phone.)

Fluttershy: (tapping, aiming it at herself) If you’re missing your friends… (Camera-eye view of her, a bed of grass/flowers superimposed on the bottom edge.) …try Flora-slash-Fauna. (Images of birds and a hamster pop into view around her.) Oh!

(She giggles merrily; now Rainbow snags the device with a laugh.)

Rainbow: Check it out!

(Now the screen presents a close-up of her face amid a scatter of musical instruments, spotlights, and cheering concertgoers. She holds the phone at arm’s length, throwing the bullhorns with her free hand as an unimpressed Applejack watches from the background.)

Rainbow: (laughing) We’re in a band!

Applejack: Uh, we do that already. (All six girls again; Fluttershy takes the phone.)

Fluttershy: Fisheye!

(Click; she and Twilight are captured with googly eyes overlaid on their own. Next Rarity holds it high, trained on herself and Sunset.)

Rarity: Bird’s Eyes!

(Now these two appear with large, shiny, pupil-less eyes in their respective colors as Sunset flashes a peace sign. Rainbow seizes it for a shot of herself, Twilight, and Applejack.)

Rainbow: Normal Hair!

(This picture starts off looking ordinary enough, but her bangs quickly replace those of the other two subjects.)

Rainbow: You guys look great!

(Twilight’s turn; she gets herself and Sunset in the viewfinder.)

Twilight: Watson!

(Both girls acquire mustaches in this photo, Twilight gaining a monocle and Sunset a bubble pipe; magnifying glasses swing back and forth at either side. Now Fluttershy steps in.)

Fluttershy: (tapping screen) Bigfoot Blurry in the Background!

(Twilight raises the phone and snaps, getting a shot of all three—and an indistinct, brownish humanoid shambling out of the undergrowth behind them. Zoom in on this to a freeze frame, accompanied by laughs and squeals from the girls, then cut to all but Pinkie and Rainbow gathered around the phone.)

Fluttershy: Looks just like him! (Rainbow shoulders her way through.)

Rainbow: (tapping screen) Po-neigh!

(The next shutter click gets them all in view, with the heads of their pony counterparts—in the style of an earlier generation of My Little Pony toys—overlaid on their own. All six recoil from the sight; the next two lines overlap, accompanied by a scoff of disgust from Rarity.)

Twilight: Hmmm…

Rainbow: (uneasily) Uh… (Pinkie chooses this moment to return to the group.)

Pinkie: Ooooh! (She brings up her own phone.) Party picture!

(Close-up of the screen, displaying a lounge tent liberally bedecked with decorations and treats for the festival-goers to enjoy. A party cannon is parked in front of the lot.)

Sunset: (from o.s.) This one is awesome! (Back to the seven.)

Fluttershy: That cake looks delicious!

Applejack: I’ll say. What’s this filter called, Pinkie Pie?

Pinkie: (puzzled, lowering phone) What filter?

(With the high-tech hardware out of their line of vision, all can now see that her camera has delivered an accurate representation of the area—right down to the cannon. Pinkie whisks over, points it skyward, and pulls a rope attached to the breech to set off a mighty blast of confetti and streamers. The other Rainbooms approach laughing as the view fades to black.)

“How to Backstage”                Written by Katie Chilson; story editing by Nick Confalone

(Opening shot: fade to black from the title card, then snap to a long overhead shot of Sunset on a covered outdoor stage and zoom in slowly. She is alone except for a security guard, and a couch stands near the entrance to the backstage area on one side. She is wearing the same outfit as in “Festival Filters,” establishing that both this short and that one are occurring at roughly the same time and place, and she kneels over a drone to make a few adjustments. Once done, she stands up and the device rises toward her eye level; cut to its camera-eye perspective of her, which frames the badge hanging on a lanyard around her neck. She waits to speak until the autofocus has kicked in.)

Sunset: (waving) Hey, everybody! Sunset Shimmer here, your MVP with the BTS look at the VIP life. Translation? (holding up badge) I got a backstage pass!

(“BTS” = “behind the scenes.” The drone follows her past staff members as she approaches a lounge area well back from the hubbub.)

Sunset: Need a break?

(Zoom in quickly on some of the hanging light fixtures, then out to frame the entire space as she walks in. Tables and chairs, a few of them occupied with people taking a break; U-shaped counter set with snacks, drink dispensers, giveaway items, and decorative plants. Sunset grins to the camera before it shifts to highlight the bags and boxes; she pops up in the fore.)

Sunset: First perk of the VIP treatment? Swag, swag, swag, swag, swag! (Slow pan across the items; she continues o.s.) I’m talking foreign chocolate, instant cameras, noise-canceling headphones…

(She reaches into view and takes a bag on this last; cut to her reaching inside, eagerness slowly giving way to befuddlement.)

Sunset: (pulling out a pair of socks) …or…socks. (Drop the bag; drum up enthusiasm.) Rock on! They must be to keep bands from getting cold feet. (Lame chuckle.) I guess I’ll just, uh…put them on!

(Another chuckle precedes her lurching, off-balance attempt to do so while standing up.)

Sunset: VIP coming through!

(And then she says hello to the floor. Cut to her walking through a different passage and toward a doorway, still seen through the drone’s camera.)

Sunset: Check it out! The world-famous green room where all the bands hang out before the show! Any guesses on who we’ll see?

(The view shifts away from the drone’s view to within the entrance as she steps in—now wearing the socks she swiped and no boots/shoes—and it hovers behind her to capture the moment. A few bits of gear are laid out here and there, along with a couch off to one side, and a road crew member is keeping an eye on the proceedings. Sunset stops short, mouth falling open in shock; cut to her perspective, panning slowly across the area. More roadies are attending to instruments and lighting setup.)

Sunset: Are you kidding me? (Back to her.) This…is…amazing!

(Camera-eye perspective; she steps into view as one fellow adjusts a microphone.)

Sunset: You’re looking at the guy who invented pickup-only reverb! (He gives her a thumbs-up; now she steps toward a lighting technician on a ladder.) Ever wonder who does Post Crush’s light show? (Focus shifts to this one.) She runs a four-gel hot swap!

(The focus returns to Sunset in time for an excited scream.)

Sunset: This is the best day of my life! (The tech again.)

Lighting tech: Did you want to meet the band?

(The yellow-orange teen turns wonderingly away from the ladder. Cut to a close-up of the bottom of a flight of steps, not seen through the drone’s camera, as three pairs of legs descend. A zoom out frames one man and two women looking on with cocked-eyebrow smiles—the band has just entered the building. One of the women, a blonde, speaks up with an unusually deep voice.)

Blonde: Cool socks.

(Sunset laughs as the lighting tech climbs down and the drone circles around the group.)

Sunset: Thanks. (slightly embarrassed, holding up her cell phone) Can I get a picture?

(All three members strike poses, but are not quite prepared for her to hand the phone to the male member and back up. They laugh, and she lets out a giddy little squeal while clustering in with the roadies—four in all—and the drone. A shutter click and flash, and the camera zooms out slowly from the resulting photo, rotating slightly at the same time.)

Sunset: (voice over) And that’s how you backstage.

(Fade to black.)

“Festival Looks”                Written by Katie Chilson; story editing by Nick Confalone

(Opening shot: fade to black from the title card, then in to a close-up of a computer monitor. The mouse cursor clicks on an icon at the left edge, bringing up a contact list headed by a picture of Rarity. A click on her entry within the list, and it is replaced by a window and sound effects to indicate that a video call is being placed. Zoom in until the window fills the screen; after a couple of rings, it gives way to a shot of the fashion-conscious teen sitting at a keyboard in her bedroom. She is wearing the outfit she sported in “Festival Filters”; the same will be true of the other Rainbooms when they appear next. However, she has removed her furry blue bolero jacket and set it on a headless mannequin, exposing the sleeveless design of her dress. A few control icons line the bottom edge of the screen.)

Rarity: Some say the best part of a music festival is the music. But to me…

(She puts hands to mouth as if trying to hold in a giddy outburst, but soon gives up the effort and rises to plant one foot on her chair and spin where she stands. The jacket is whisked away and pulled on in the same motion.)

Rarity: …it’s fashion!

(The image shrinks into the top left corner of the screen, replaced by one of Applejack leaning back against a fence on the grounds of Sweet Apple Acres. A passing pig eyes her curiously as Rarity gets herself under control and sits down. It is daytime here.)

Applejack: An old pair of cowboy boots’ll keep you from steppin’ in a steamin’ pile of… (Rarity cringes.) …uh…fashion emergency.

(A grunt from the porker, and her window shrinks into an apple icon at bottom right. Now Fluttershy is seen in her bedroom, touching up a garland of leaves and flowers in her hair that has replaced the blue-violet blossoms she wore in “Festival Filters.”)

Fluttershy: If you’ve got hang-ups with hangers— (setting a bird’s nest filled with eggs on her head) —look for style right outside your window.

(The eggs hatch and the emerging baby birds start cheeping.)

Rarity: (tinny, as if heard through a computer speaker) Oh, I believe they’re famished for fashion.

Fluttershy: (crestfallen) Well, actually, they do want me to regurgitate worms into their beaks.

(Rarity, horrified, hammers at the keys until her window fills the screen again and Fluttershy’s end of the call is minimized as a butterfly icon above Applejack’s.)

Rarity: (hastily) Innovative. Who’s next?

(Shrink into top left; Rainbow appears on the Canterlot High soccer field, bouncing a ball from one knee to the other. This shot picks out the placement of the stone from her pendant in a wristband, which had been hidden by the camera angles in “Festival Filters.”)

Rainbow: Make sure you can move, whether you’re dancing at the festival or after a hat trick.

(A backwards-flipping kick sends the black-and-white spheroid into the goal behind her, and she springs upright almost as soon as it has landed.)

Rarity: (tinny) TOUCHDOWN!!

Rainbow: Uh, that’s not what it’s ca—

(A tap by Rarity minimizes the jock’s end into a cloud/lightning-bolt icon above Fluttershy’s. Up next is Sunset, sitting on her couch at home and wearing a pair of headphones in addition to her festival threads.)

Sunset: Can’t go wrong with a classic.

(Shrink to a sun icon at bottom left; Pinkie gets a turn now, leaning toward the camera and adjusting it in extreme close-up.)

Pinkie: Classic? You mean like…

(She backs away, showing her own bedroom—with a party cannon sitting in the middle of the floor. A hard yank on the rope extending from the breech tilts its barrel up toward the ceiling.)

Pinkie: …confetti?!? (Fire off a blast, surprising Rarity; stand up to full height.) Confetti everywhere! (Contented sigh.) Classic Pinkie Pie.

(Her purple-haired friend lets out an alarmed squeak as the paper bits unexpectedly rain down on her end, leaving her with a badly disheveled coiffure that she has to pat back into place.)

Pinkie: Oops! Sorry!

(Now her end drops back to a three-balloon icon above Sunset’s, yielding to a shot of Twilight standing in a lab.)

Twilight: You know what’s always in style? (opening her belt pouch) Personal responsibility. (pulling out items as she names them) Earplugs for high-decibel situation, a water bottle, flashlight and compass in case you get lost, the other kind of compass in case you need to draw—

(“The other kind” being the sort used in drafting and navigation to draw circles and arcs. Rarity’s growing puzzlement leads her to cut the brainiac off with a keystroke, and her own window expands to fill the screen as Twilight is reduced to a star-cluster icon above Pinkie.)

Rarity: Aaaand there you have it, my loves. At the end of the day, it’s always in fashion to be utterly yourselves.

(All six icons suddenly expand into small windows to tile both sides of the screen. The main window contracts slightly and every girl waves to the camera.)

Rarity: (tinny) See you at the festival!

(The mouse cursor clicks on the X at the top right corner to close the window, and a tap on an icon at the bottom left corner shuts off the monitor and blacks out the screen.)

“Five Lines You Need to Stand In”        

Written by Katie Chilson; story editing by Nick Confalone

(Opening shot: fade to black from the title card, then in to an overhead shot of a paved lot set up as an entrance checkpoint for the music festival described or referred to in the previous four shorts. It is daytime. There are three gates, each staffed by a security guard, and quite a few ticket-holders have queued up at each one. Pinkie stands apart from them, wearing her brightly colored festival outfit from the previous shorts, and fiddles with something as the camera roves over the scene. A close-up picks out the item as the drone Sunset used in “How to Backstage,” and after one last switch flip, it hovers out of her hands and rotates to aim its lens at her. Cut to its camera-eye perspective as she backs away from it.)

Pinkie: Hello, computer net friends! Pinkie Pie here, bringing you the list you’ve all been waiting for.

(On the next line, she proceeds to pop up all over the place: at a line, hanging upside down from a ticket booth, in front of the overarching sign, one foot propped on a picnic table near the well-appointed motor home Rarity showed off in “Camping Must Haves.”)

Pinkie: Because anybody who’s anybody knows that music festivals aren’t about the music or the scene, or even the camping—

(The camera cuts closer to her by steps as she continues, ending with an extreme close-up of the grinning pink face.)

Pinkie: —which is why we’re counting down the five lines you need to stand in!

(Zoom out quickly; she is now standing on the table, and bystanders are looking at her askance.)

Pinkie: Oh, yeah!

(She inserts herself into one of the lines waiting at the gates.)

Pinkie: First up, the security line.

(At its head, the female guard on duty is sifting through the contents of attendees’ bags.)

Pinkie: If we play this right, we might just make a new friend. (Grin; she is next up.)

Guard: Bag, please.

(In a trice, Pinkie has moved up to the inspection station and passed over her ridiculously tiny belt pouch. It is so small, in fact, that the guard can barely fit one set of fingers inside.)

Pinkie: You can show off all the cool stuff in your purse!

(The impassive adult’s eyes widen in surprise as she pulls out a handful of strings that are in turn tied to an impossibly large bunch of helium balloons.)

Guard: How in the—?

Pinkie: I know, right?

(She grins for the camera. Cut to an extreme close-up of her.)

Pinkie: The only thing that tastes better than nachos…

(The camera pivots quickly away from her and slows down to pan across a row of food trucks and the hungry music lovers waiting to patronize them.)

Pinkie: (from o.s.) …is nachos you waited two hours to get! (She leans into view in front of one line.) Besides, how else would I ever decide what I want on them?

(One customer receives a loaded tray and clears off, only for Pinkie to zip up to the counter so abruptly that the vendor ends up squirting cheese sauce all over herself. This shot reveals that Pinkie has stuck the pouch back on her belt.)

Pinkie: Which is everything!

(The vendor shoots her a dirty look. Cut to an extreme close-up of an order of nachos brimming with cheese and a range of most unorthodox toppings—including watermelon, broccoli, and a chocolate chip cookie. It is pulled back from the camera in Pinkie’s hands and lowered to frame her eager grin.)

Pinkie: (shuddering blissfully, grabbing a handful) Delicious!

(Down the hatch they go, leaving cheesy smears across her face. From here, cut to her standing next to a different line; she is fully cleaned up, and the nachos are gone.)

Pinkie: (gesturing to it, moving aside) Up next, the photo booth line!

(The step discloses just such a booth behind her.)

Pinkie: (dragging a teen close, aiming her phone at herself) Let’s practice a pose!

(Cut to her phone camera’s perspective of the pair—one smiling broadly, the other too stunned to speak, no points for guessing which is which. The latter manages a grin and flashes a peace sign.)

Pinkie: Say cheese! (Click; she holds up a handful of nachos.) Say, cheese?

(The other teen’s face goes green at the profusion of flipped-out toppings, and she claps both hands to her bulging cheeks and ducks away with remarkable speed and agility. Cut to the drone’s camera-eye perspective; Pinkie stares confusedly as she crawls away in search of a quiet place to vomit.)

Pinkie: (shrugging) Eh, your loss.

(She wastes no time in chomping down the snack, again besmirching her cheery visage. Cut to a couple of students standing in yet another line; she leans into view behind them, face/hands clean and phone stashed.)

Pinkie: Why not take a chance on a mystery line? It could lead to the coolest place you’ve ever seen! (The boy ahead gives her an odd look; she addresses him.) Do you know where this line goes?

(He offers nothing beyond a bewildered shrug and grunt as the line begins to move.)

Pinkie: Ah! Me neither! But if it’s this long, it’s gotta be good, right?