Recap / My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic (IDW) Issue 89 to 92

Hey, the Friendship Magic isn't over yet!

Season 10 Episode 1 to 4

Story by Jeremy Whitley, Art by Andy Price, Colored by Heather Breckel

"Season 10 of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic begins! Explore new worlds and go on new adventures with your favorite fillies! Twilight's first act as Queen of Equestria is to send the Mane 6 to explore mysterious-and potentially dangerous-areas of Equestria. When Applejack, Zecora, Rockhoof, and Tempest travel to Zecora's home country, they meet a zebra named Marini — and learn exciting, surprising information about Zecora, the magical kelpies and abada, and the not-so-magical zebras who live there!"

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These issues contain examples of:

• Achilles' Heel: The kelpies have two: they cannot be away from sources of water for too long or they'll dry up, and they explode when they come into contact with electricity.
• Affectionate Nickname: Marini calls Zecora "kid".
• A Form You Are Comfortable With: While talking to Zecora, the Farasian Tree of Harmony takes on the appearance of Prince Abraxas, Marini as both a foal and a mare, Twilight, and Zecora herself.
• Amazing Technicolor Population: Marini has pink mixed in with her black stripes, while Prince Abraxas' stripes are purple.
• Arbitrary Skepticism:
  • Tempest scoffs at the idea that Cactus Rose can talk with plants, despite seeing many other extraordinary things in her time.
  • Marini finds it hard to belief that Zecora talked to the Farasian Tree of Harmony while she was knocked out.
• Big Bad: The Grootslang, a powerful monster, serves as the primary villain.
• Boring Insult: During her childhood argument with her friends, Zecora threw one of these at Marini.
  Young Zecora: You may be fine with being boring your whole life, Marini, but I'm not!
• Blood Knight: Both Rockhoof and Tempest relish facing the Grootslang, Tempest smiling over finally getting a "good fight".
• Canines Gambling in a Card Game: In #91, Marini mentions how her dog Kibble once ran off to play poker with his friends.
• Comically Missing the Point: In the Flashback at the start of #91, Medley Brook takes on the name of "Brook the Barbarian" for the LARP, despite it being pointed out that she shouldn't use her real name.
• Commonality Connection:
  • In #91, Tempest Shadow and Crystal start to bond, due to both being aloof, combatative and cynical, but with good hearts underneath.
  • In #92, Tempest also connects with Rockhoof over their shared warrior nature.
• Continuity Nod:
  • Discord is seen cutting up pictures of himself and Cosmos. Tempest believes that he just recently tried to take over Equestria.
  • Lyra Heartstrings and Sweetie Drop are noted as recently married and secret agents.
  • Cranky's first mate is the pony version of Ragamuffin.
  • Zecora mentions how she once hosted a Nightmare Night celebration.
  • Zap apples are mentioned in #90.
  • In #91, the group encounter a Roc (albeit one very different from the one seen in "Molt Down").
  • In #92, Rockhoof mentions to Tempest that he has a friend who was once eaten by a snake, and later tells a group of Farasian foals about the time he rerouted a river.
  • One of Zecora's memories provided by the Farasian Tree of Harmony is of a time when the citizens of Ponyville were afraid of her.
• The Cameo:
  • Wheat Grass and Flax Seed briefly appear in Canterlot.
  • Captain Hoofbeard can be seen at the docks.
• Curb-Stomp Battle: When the ship is attacked by Diamond Dog pirates, Cranky reveals the secret crew member he invited: Steven Magnet the Sea Serpent, who chucks the pirate ship right out of the water.
• Didn't Think This Through: In #91, Dust Devil creates a wind funnel to lift up a Roc who can't fly due to the lack of wind in the desert. In order to give the Roc one last push, Dust Devil stops abrubtly, causing them to skid over a cliff. Crystal saves them by forming an ice slide, chiding her friend for not thinking soon after.
• Disproportionate Retribution: When Zecora chose to pursue her study of magic over her friends, Crystal was so angered that she took to freezing every puddle of water that Zecora was about to step on, making her slip.
• Don't Make Me Destroy You: Zecora gives the Grootslang a chance to settle things peacefully. But it refuses, and she and her friends use the Farasian Elements to seal it in a talisman.
• Elemental Baggage: Kelpies are just fine in a desert environment because they have a store of water in their bodies. However, they run the risk of drying out rapidly once they've tapped into this reserve to use their elemental abilities.
• Elemental Shapeshifter: The kelpies are this, able to shift their bodies from water to ice to steam at will.
• "Eureka!" Moment: Applejack and Zecora both have this when they see secret panels in front of the new Tree of Harmony light up whenever a specific member of Zecora's friend group stand on them, relaising that they are a new set of the Elements of Harmony.
• Exotic Eye Designs: Kelpies have black sclerae and white pupils.
• Foreshadowing: The Temple containing the Farasian Tree of Harmony features a wall with five lights, only one of which is lit. After Zecora and her friends utilize the Farasian Elements, a second light glows. And elsewhere, someone detects this new light...
• The Glomp: After Zecora refuses a hug from her old friend Marini, Rockhoof eagerly takes her place, squeezing tightly.
• Got Volunteered: Deconstructed. Applejack invites Zecora to revisit her homeland, thinking she'd like to go back. When Zecora finds out why, she goes nuclear on Applejack.
• Hearing Voices: Within the temple, Zecora hears the Farasian Tree of Harmony speaking to her.
• Hypocritical Humor: Both Applejack and Rockhoof comment on how weird Ragamuffin's accent is when they both have accents themselves.
• I Choose to Stay: Zecora decides to remain in Farasia following the Grootslang's defeat, not only to research the new Tree of Harmony, but also to spend more time with her old friends.
• Immediate Sequel: #89 starts immediately after the Free Comic Book Day issue.
• Innocently Insensitive:
  • Applejack invites Zecora on a mission to her homeland as she's been away as long as Applejack knew her. Zecora is instead outraged at them for not considering she'd have reason not to want to return. She also jokingly compares Tempest to a donkey, annoying Cranky.
  • Zecora's friends laughed when she said she wanted to learn magic (and started speaking in rhyme), with Marini telling her not to get too upset when she failed.
• Large and in Charge: Prince Abraxas, ruler of Farasi, is noticeably taller than the average zebra.
• LARP: A Flashback in #91 shows Zecora and her friends playing such a game.
• Let's Split Up, Gang!: After gathering everyone together, Twilight splits them into several teams, each one bound for a certain destination.
• Light 'em Up: Prince Abraxas drives off the Grootslang with a burst of bright light.
• Meaningful Name: Farasi, essentially the Equestrian equivalent of Africa, is named after the Swahili word for "horse".
• Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: During the battle with the Grootslang at the temple, the beast causes a tremor that knocks Zecora into the Farasian Tree of Harmony, allowing it to speak with her and tell her that she carries the magic of friendship within her.
• Never Trust a Trailer: The synopsis states Twilight Sparkle is Queen of Equestria despite her being referred to and stating herself as Princess in the issue.
• Noodle Incident: Marini mentions how Medley Brook once exploded after touching a zap apple.
  Marini: We spent an hour mopping up Medley Brook and putting all of her pieces in a bucket. I swear she's shorter than she used to be.
• Oh, My Gods!: Crystal said "Abraxas help us" when Zecora started talking in rhyme.
• One-Sided Arm-Wrestling: Rockhoof is seen struggling in a hoof wrestling match against Big Macintosh, who isn't even paying attention.
• Only the Chosen May Wield: It's revealed that Farasi has its own Tree of Harmony with its own Elements of Harmony. Zecora and her old friends are chosen as the Bearers.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business:
  • When faced with the prospect of returning to her homeland, Zecora is outraged and terrified for the first time in both the show and comics, struggling with and completely dropping her rhyming freaking everyone else out once they notice it.
  • Zecora is so cold to her friend Marini that Tempest Shadow is taken aback by it.
    Tempest: Listen, I'm a pro at shutting down hugs, and that was next level.
• Our Kelpies Are Different: The kelpies here are Elemental Shapeshifters who can control water and have stripes like zebras.
• Pun-Based Creature: The characters encounter a Roc Bird literally made out of living rock.
• Rage Quit: While recalling their group once playing a LARP, Marini mentions that Zecora (the Game Master) got tired of the constant squabbling and told them they'd all died of heatstroke in the desert.
• Rapidfire No: Tempest goes into this when Medley Brook starts singing.
• "Rashomon"-Style: Zecora tells Applejack how her friends mocked her for wanting her to learn magic, driving her to leave. But when Marini recalls events, she points out how Zecora distanced herself from her in order to study magic.
• "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Zecora delivers a scathing one to Applejack upon discovering that their mission is taking them back to her homeland without considering to ask her first.
• Reformed, but Not Tamed: Tempest asks Medley Brook about her species' weaknesses, telling Applejack that she wants to be prepared if the ponies ever decide to invade Farasi.
• Retcon:
  • Rarity's group is being sent to the "hidden kingdom" of the Diamond Dogs. The Diamond Dogs were shown to have a kingdom named "Diamondia" in Friends Forever Issue #6.
  • Two of Zecora's old friends, Medley Brook and Crystal, are said to be Kelpies, yet their designs are completely different from that of Cassie, a kelpie who appeared back in Issue #23.
• Roc Birds: In Issue #91, the characters encounter a roc bird, here capable of speech and seemingly made out of stone, that is blocking off a bridge due to the lack of wind preventing it from taking flight.
• Rock Monster: The Roc the group encounters appears to be made out of stone.
• Rocks Fall, Everyone Dies: There's a flashback where Zecora tried to play Ogres & Oubliettes with her friends, but they wouldn't stop arguing, so she ended the game by saying that their characters all died in the desert.
• Sadly Mythtaken: Downplayed. The Grootslang that attacks Casabronco is a giant, dragon-headed snake with arms; the folkloric version was just a fifty-foot-long python^note There's also a supposed version with elephant traits, but that variant of the story developed only around the 2010s.
• Schizo Tech: Applejack and her team travel to Farasi by old-fashioned sailing ship, although it's been established in the series — especially in virtually every episode taking place in Manehattan — that ponies are fully capable of building much more modern ships.
• Sequel Hook: The final scene of the arc features an unknown room where the second light is also detected, with an off-panel character calling for their "commander", alerting them that the "desert temple" has been activated. The final panel also features a scroll mentioning a "mountain temple".
• Shout-Out:
  • Caper wears an "I Hate Mondays" t-shirt.
  • Ragamuffin is dressed like Gilligan.
  • The first town the group arrive in at Farasi is "Casabronco" (with a cafe named "Rick's").
  • The opening page of #90 is a reference to the origin story of Batman, from Batman #1.
  • While preparing the incendiary potion to use against the Grootslang, Zecora grabs a cauldron from "Uhura's House of Kettles".
  • During the song "You Gotta Talk to Your Friends", Marini mentions how Medley Brook once helped her find her dog, Kibble. Kibble is shown with a note saying he went to play poker with "Krypto".
  • In the same song, Zecora and her friends dress up like the real life band KISS.
  • In another Casablanca reference, Tempest says "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship" to Rockhoof when they both prepare to battle Grootslang.
  • One of the scenes of Zecora's past the Farasian Tree of Harmony shows her depicts her on a ship leaving her homeland. The ship is called S.S. Antonia Graza, the same name as the lost ocean liner in Ghost Ship.
• Stating the Obvious: When the group reach a large gorge in #91:
  Rockhoof: Fearless leader Applejack, I know this is a foreign land, and I am from a distant time, but given my expertise in the ways of digging and such... I would wager a guess that this is a hole. And a big one at that.
  Applejack: [stares at him for a panel] Thank you for that analysis, Rockhoof.
• Superpowerful Genetics: Abadas have an innate magic which grants each specimen a unique ability; Dust Devil has Super-Speed, while Cactus Rose can talk to plants.
• That Reminds Me of a Song: After the cacti give the group some water, Cactus Rose says they want something in return. Medley Brook takes this as an opportunity to burst into song.
• There Is Another: The group find a second Tree of Harmony within Farasi, with Zecora and friends being the wielders of its Elements of Harmony; Marini wields Honesty, Dust Devil Kindness, Cactus Rose Generosity, Medley Brook Laughter, Crystal Loyalty, and Zecora Magic. The ending implies there might be as many as five such sets.
• Wham Episode: Zecora becomes the Farasi Element of Magic, revealing there is more than one Tree of Harmony, potentially as many as five total. Zecora chooses to stay in her homeland to study the Elements and reunite with her friends.
• Wham Shot:
  • The end of #91 gives us a big one:
    Applejack: How is the Tree of Harmony here?
  • A larger one comes when the temple is shown to have five lights, one of which is on. The second lights up when the Farasi Tree of Harmony gives Zecora and her friends the Elements of Harmony, implying it signifies currently active sets of Elements. There are five total.
• What the Hell, Hero?:
  • Zecora is not happy at being brought into the trip to Farasi, angrily pointing out that Applejack never asked if she wanted to go, or considered there was some danger or threat keeping her from going back.
  • Marini gives Zecora one of her one, calling her out for just up and leaving her friends without warning.
• Worldbuilding: An Invoked Trope. Twilight sends her friends to explore and find out about lands not on the Equestrian map. This arc is centered around Zecora's homeland of Farasi.
• Wrecked Weapon: Rockhoof's shovel breaks after landing a particularly strong hit on the Grootslang.

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