My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic has a lot of Accidental Aesops. Given that the episodes are aesop-driven, it's bound to send some unintended signals.
Season 1:
- "Boast Busters": You shouldn't going around picking fights or looking for trouble. It's not a matter of if that kind of attitude will come back to bite you, but when it will.
- "Swarm of the Century": Don't take animals you don't know anything about out of their natural environment. All Animals Are Domesticated is not a thing.
- "Fall Weather Friends": You should establish rules in order to have a fair game, including rules that will kibosh whatever unfair advantage your competition has.
- "Green Isn't Your Color":
- If you're feeling jealous about another friend's success or good fortune, talk about it. Even if your friend can't compromise and give you those good fortunes (like Fluttershy did), talking may lessen the jealous feelings you have.
- Some secrets aren't worth keeping if being silent about them hurts those around you.
- "The Best Night Ever":
- "Just give him a chance (Rarity), his princely side is sure to come out". Maybe not. If someone isn't treating you right, don't waste your time with them. You deserve better than someone who's treating you like garbage.
- In Pinkie Pie's case: different people have fun in different ways. You can't make someone have fun in the same way you do if they don't want to try it.
- For Fluttershy, just because you're good with animals doesn't mean every animal you come across will take a liking to you.
Season 2
- "Lesson Zero":
- Some teachers are a Reasonable Authority Figure and won't get mad just because you missed a deadline for an assignment.
- There is such a thing as being too studious. Missing one homework assignment is not the end of the world.
- During the course of your studies, you need to take some time away from the "how" or the "what" of your education, and consider why you're learning it in the first place.
- "The Mysterious Mare-do-Well": A braggart has feelings too, which adds in to the episode's infamy.
- "The Last Roundup": Your loved ones want you rather than material possessions.
- "The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000": : Automatically pressed drinks are just as good as hand-made, judging by Granny Smith's reaction upon tasting the Flim and Flam's cider.
- "A Friend in Deed": Social trial and error can sometimes lead to friendship.
- "A Canterlot Wedding": A few:
- Don't ignore someone's bad behavior that occurs in private just because they make your family member happy.
- Don't just frantically accuse someone without sufficient proof.
- Sometimes, people whom you haven't seen in a while can change over time, and you just have to accept that.
- Don't automatically assume one's bad behavior is due to stress.note
Season 3
- "Games Ponies Play": Sometimes it takes an honest opinion from a fellow tourist to make up for what you've missed, whether or not you'd want to see it for yourself.
Season 4
- "Princess Twilight Sparkle" Just because you're in a position of authority doesn't mean your safety should be all that matter. You might be vital to stopping a problem.
- "Flight to the Finish": Some ponies (and people) are born differently than us, and can't do what we take for granted. That doesn't mean that they can't still excel and be awesome. Intentional or not, the episode has many disability parallels.
- "Trade Ya!": The entire episode is a good demonstration of why money is valuable as a medium of exchange, as it illustrates all the difficulty of determining value in a barter system.
- "For Whom the Sweetie Belle Toils": One can become so emotionally invested in their own work that they might fail to see its flaws and shortcomings.
- "Inspiration Manifestation":
- Constant praise actually can stifle your artistic integrity and it's alright to take some criticism now and then. Just roll with the punches and adjust when you need to.
- Your usual artistic style isn't always what the customer needs; try to think of the client's context. At the same time, you can't just assume the artist/contractor knows exactly what you want or need when placing a special order. Be specific!
Season 5
- "Appleoosa's Most Wanted": The CMC showed conflict about earning their cutie marks in Justice by sending an essentially innocent pony behind bars. This just goes to show that nothing you want is ever worth sending an innocent to prison.
- "Party Pooped": It's good to make friends, but you shouldn't bend over backwards for someone who's being unreasonable.
- "Amending Fences": Be considerate of others' feelings, even if what they're doing doesn't seem like a big deal to you.
- "Canterlot Boutique": For anyone holding any sort of job interview; Don't neglect checking references, no matter how good someone's resume is, and especially if that same resume indicates a history of rapid-fire job-hopping.
- "Crusaders of the Lost Mark":
- Diamond Tiara spent little over half the series bullying the CMC for being "blank flanks", and they couldn't find their cutie marks (caused by their insecurity of their "blank flank" status). It's only once Diamond Tiara starts lauding them as hard-working fillies whose cutie marks will be amazing once they earn them that the CMC earn their wonderful cutie marks. In a way, this drives home the point that kind words can effect people for the better.
- The CMC ultimately got their cutie marks by deciding to help others find their special talents instead of their own, showing that helping others solve their problems could also solve your own problems too.
- "The Mane Attraction":
- Being an over-the-top edgy pop star who pushes the boundaries is bad. Artists should instead keep to performing tasteful, bare-bones productions.
- Don't judge some pony famous to be mean or unfriendly just because they're celebrities. Although there are celebrities who are mean off-stage, some may also surprise you.
- To quote from this video
: In case of creative crisis, apply patriotism until public is clapping.
Season 6
- "The Crystalling": Raising babies is hard and will cause a lot of problems for the parents, especially if it's their first born, and infants will naively destroy things you care about by accident if you don't take proper care of them.
- "Flutter Brutter": Trying to "express yourself" through art is fine and well, but do take the time to learn the basics before you try to be all original and different.
- "Stranger Than Fan Fiction": A lot of fans of some media really care about realism.
- "The Times They Are a-Changeling": Prejudice may not be something that's considered ideal, but if someone had a bad experience with a certain race or thing, racism is bound to be put into play.
- "Every Little Thing She Does": Evidentially, Starlight shows that a lot of people are too anxious to do something as simple as baking a cake.
Season 7
- "Fluttershy Leans In" : Just because one kind of friend is nice to you doesn't mean they will necessarily be nice to your other friend. Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Applejack each admit that although they are friends with the respective experts, they didn't foresee them disregarding their friend Fluttershy's input.
- "Parental Glideance": Sometimes, people keep themselves distant from their parents for good reason.
- "Triple Threat": Thorax and Ember unwittingly teach each other two important lessons about being in charge.
- Being a leader means putting your foot down when you make a decision or rule, not groveling for obedience.
- Likewise, talking your feelings through can be more productive than winning an argument.
- "Daring Done?": As the old vendor pony puts it, if you want to understand people from other countries, it helps to first understand their customs and their history.
- "To Change a Changeling": Pharynx's transformation doesn't come out of a sweeping, formal decision to accept the new changeling way — it just sort of happens when he declares his love for the hive and and his brother. If anything, he seems more surprised than anyone. Point being, there is a myriad of different ways to show love.
- "Uncommon Bond": Quite a few this go around, considering both Sunburst and Starlight's behavior.
- Just because your friends have more in common with each other than with you doesn't mean their friendship is more meaningful than the one you share with them.
- Make new friends, but keep the old.
- Don't get so caught up in the excitement of visiting someplace fun that you're rude to your host.
- Don't be afraid to just tell someone if they're hurting your feelings.
- "Shadow Play – Part 2: Don't be afraid to question authority figures if you know what they're telling you isn't right.
Season 8
- "School Daze – Part 2":
- When she's sulking in her room, Twilight makes a point that you can't always cheer somepony instantly with gifts, treats, or hugs. Sometimes, they just need to be alone. It can also be interpreted that although comforting and pep talks are nice, a solution to the problem might cheer someone up more.
- Just because a Jerkass Has a Point doesn't mean people will acknowledge that point.note
- "The Maud Couple" gives quite a few:
- Sometimes, our loved ones may pretend to like something we give them to protect our feelings.
- Just because somepony new has come into your loved one's life doesn't mean they love you less. Likewise, if you're the one who's got someone new in your life, that's no excuse for blowing off promises to your other loved ones.
- Not everypony has to like social events, and it's good to meet them halfway and let them have their space.
- Similarly, even if they'd rather not attend, less social people can still appreciate being invited to social outings, as long as they're allowed to refuse.
- You don't have to love, or even like a loved one's new partner. Sometimes, being happy that they're happy together really is enough.
- "The Parent Map": Concerning Firelight and Stellar Flare's ways of going about Sire Hollow: Live in the present. Being stuck in the past is not enjoyable if you preserve every little thing. But progressing too quickly isn't any better if you don't leave well enough alone.
- "The Washouts":
- While it's important to let children make their own mistakes and grow from them, a responsible adult should make sure their kids don't make dangerous mistakes.
- Safety regulations exist to keep people safe, not to put a crimp on your fun.
- "What Lies Beneath":
- Don't rely on what other people think about your friendship; it's your choice alone if you think your friendship is worthwhile.
- As a bonus for standing up to the Storm King, Silverstream learns that you don't have to let the memory of someone bad keep you from living your life.
- "Sounds of Silence":
- In the case of the kirin who (almost) couldn't reverse their vow of silence, "Be careful that you don't go through with something you can't reverse later, you may regret it".
- Autumn Blaze's song invokes that old saying "Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater," meaning that you shouldn't get rid of something good just to get rid of something bad.
- "School Raze – Part 2" : Children can be evil.
Season 9
- "The Beginning of the End – Part 2":
- If you know friends who have a tendency to drop surprises on you, it pays to be Crazy-Prepared in case they try to pull a fast one on you in the future.
- Don't drop sudden, world-changing news at the very last minute on your friends, especially if they are like Twilight Sparkle. If you have major revelations to make, give people time to adjust.
- "Student Counsel":
- As Starlight's constantly glowing bracelet shows, put your phones/game consoles down during social events.
- There is no shame in asking for additional help or replacements while setting an availability schedule if you are unable to balance your work-life.
- Keep track of time while doing an assignment at all times. Don't be so busy that you didn't know how much time has passed, especially if you have to meet someone afterwards.
- If you keep bugging your teacher with minor problems that you could easily solve yourself, they just might brush you off when you actually DO need their help. You are much more likely to get help when you only ask it for real problems. Though as Silverstream points out, being always available makes it easy to come to Starlight with a trivial problem.
- "Between Dark and Dawn": Just because you and another person are close doesn't mean you have to do everything together. If one person doesn't enjoy what the other wants to do, they shouldn't be forced to participate, nor should the other be forced to give it up.
- "The Ending of the End":
- The ponies turning against each other after the villains spread rumors about each species can be seen as a warning against taking rumors at face value and not trying to confirm information from random sources.
- Even good people and great heroes have their bad days (to say the least in Twilight's case) and need reminders of how amazing they are.
