Recap / My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic S2 E7 "May the Best Pet Win!"

"So, you all think you got what it takes to trope MY episode, do ya? Well, we'll just see about that!"

Rainbow Dash: Can't settle for less cause I'm the best!
Fluttershy & Dash: So a contest we will see!
Rainbow Dash: Who's the number one, greatest, perfectest pet
Fluttershy & Dash: In the world for meeee!
Fluttershy: May the games begin...
Rainbow Dash: And may the best pet win!

Written by Charlotte Fullerton

Rainbow Dash is awakened by her friends' pets from a crazy dream where she's attacked by a creepy chimera-like monster made up of... her friends' pets. The other ponies arrive soon afterward, and Applejack explains that they're at the park for their weekly Pony Pet Play Date. Feeling a bit left out, Rainbow Dash admits she might want to have a pet someday, whereupon Fluttershy enthusiastically drags Rainbow to her cottage, prattling on about the wonderful animals available. Once there, Fluttershy and Rainbow sing a jaunty tune about finding the perfect pet for Rainbow Dash, ending with her announcing a competition to do just that.

Before long, Dash is briefing her pet contenders on the upcoming challenge. When Fluttershy comes up and places a turtle^note Actually, it's a tortoise in the lineup, Rainbow Dash complains that he can’t fly, but Fluttershy begs Rainbow Dash until she lets him compete, as he's been trying to find a home for the longest time. Dash puts the pets through a series of events to test their speed, agility, guts, style, coolness, awesomeness, and radicalness. Despite finishing last every time, the tortoise persists in competing. At the end, Rainbow Dash commends his effort, but she's narrowed her choices down to an owl, a falcon, an eagle, and a bat.

The four fliers (and the tortoise) head for the tie-breaker, a race through the hazard-filled Ghastly Gorge, where the one who crosses the finish line with Rainbow Dash will be her pet. Dash leads them through a series of dangerous obstacles: a windy tunnel, a large patch of briars, and a nest of gigantic Quarray Eels. As the race continues, Dash flies backwards to offer taunts and encouragement — only to smack into a canyon wall, causing an avalanche that pulls her to the bottom.

When the dust clears, Rainbow Dash is trapped with one of her wings pinned under a boulder, while the four fliers pass by overhead, oblivious to her predicament. Her despondency turns to hope when an approaching shadow indicates help has arrived, only to return to despair when Dash sees it's the tortoise, plodding along. Ignoring her continued dismissals, he resiliently digs under the boulder and levers it up with his head.

At the finish line, the rest of the Mane Cast greet the fliers, but quickly become worried over Rainbow Dash's absence. Using a pair of binoculars, they spot the avalanche, then see the tortoise emerging from a cloud of dust, carrying Rainbow Dash on his back. Meeting Dash halfway, the ponies inform her that the falcon finished first, and they congratulate her on finding her new pet. Rainbow Dash ruefully admits the falcon is everything she thought she wanted in a pet... but then announces that the tortoise is the real winner, since he fulfilled her final rule by being there when she needed help and crossing the finish line with her. The upset falcon gracefully accepts defeat, and Rainbow Dash dubs the tortoise "Tank" for his toughness and tenacity, only for Fluttershy to point out that Dash wanted a pet that could fly and keep up with her...

The next week, as the ponies and their pets gather for the latest Pony Pet Play Date, Rainbow Dash proudly brings along Tank, who's now sporting aviator goggles and has a propeller pack strapped to his shell.

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Tropes:

• Added Alliterative Appeal:
  • "Pony Pet Play Date in the Park." Later, "Great galloping galoshes!" is uttered by Applejack.
  • pause for dramatic effect—Ghastly Gorge! Dun dun dunnnnnn!!
• An Aesop: The best qualities of a pet are loyalty and perseverance, and will love you no matter what.
• Affectionate Gesture to the Head: Rainbow Dash condescendingly does this to Twilight Sparkle when the latter makes a comment that "cool", "awesome", and "radical" are all the same thing.
  Rainbow Dash: You would think that, Twilight, and that's why you would never qualify to be my pet.
• Art Evolution:
  • Applejack's freckles no longer disappear as she runs.^note This happened in Season 1 due to animators screwing up when they created AJ's standard run cycle.
  • Fluttershy pawing at the ground when nervous is nothing new, but the small clouds of dust she kicks up are.
  • The ponies sport expressions that they never had in the first season, although one in particular seemed odd to some viewers.
• Badass in Distress: Rainbow Dash when she's trapped in the canyon.
• Bat Out of Hell: Fluttershy introduces the bat as "dark and mysterious".
• Berserk Button: Do NOT try to steal Opal's toy mouse. It pisses her off so much that even a falcon and an eagle are terrified of her.
• The Big Race: This is the final test to see who is worthy to be Rainbow Dash's pet; they have to keep up with her.
• Binocular Shot: Started by Twilight, but the other ponies (well, just Fluttershy and Applejack) shove in to look through them when trying to spot Rainbow Dash after the other potential pets have crossed the finish line.
• Boring, but Practical: The tortoise does not (seem) to be "cool" "awesome" or "radical" but has exactly the skill set Rainbow needs.
• Bread, Eggs, Breaded Eggs:
  Rainbow Dash: The bat would be awesome but the wasp I'm digging too. Do you have anything in a yellow-striped bat?
  Fluttershy: No.
• Brutal Honesty: By Applejack near the beginning:
  Rainbow Dash: Not much point in a Pony Pet Play Date for a Pony without a pet, right?
  Applejack: Exactly!
• Burning Rubber: Rainbow Dash does this at one point, leaving a trail of rainbow flames behind her.
• Captain Obvious: During the song.
  Fluttershy: I'm sensing you want an animal who can fly.
  Rainbow Dash: Ya think?
• Catapult Nightmare: After dreaming of falling a great distance, Rainbow Dash bolts up out of her makeshift bed on a tree branch.
• Cats Are Mean: Played straight as always with the ever-upset Opal, but averted with Fluttershy's "puddy tat", who is affectionate (although it still fails to impress Rainbow Dash).
  Rarity: Say you're sorry, Opal!
  (Opal hisses)
  Rarity: ...She's sorry.
• Chekhov's Gun: Twilight mentioned that a pet needs "care and attention, love and affection." Take a wild guess at what the tortoise showed towards Rainbow Dash to help him win.
• Chekhov's Skill:
  • The tortoise lifting Opal's kennel with only his head and neck.
  • The bat displaying his echolocation during the awesome skill part of the contest. He later uses it in Ghastly Gorge to easily navigate his way through the thorn vines and make up for the ground lost in the wind tunnel.
• Comically Missing the Point:
  • Many of Fluttershy's suggestions for Dash's new pet. Rainbow clearly states she wants a pet who can fly, yet three-quarters of Fluttershy's suggestions include animals like a bunny, a cat, an otter, and a seal^note He totally caught ten feet of air after breaking the water that one time!.
    Rainbow Dash: Cutsie-wootsie? Have you even met me?
  • Rainbow herself, invoked by Applejack and Twilight.
    Rainbow Dash: Any questions?
    Applejack: (aside) I got one: Does she understand what a pet really needs?
    Twilight Sparkle: Yeah, like care and attention, love and affection!
• Continuity Nod:
  • This is not the first time Fluttershy's noticed so many wonders.
  • "...Yay?"
  • All the pony pets besides Opal and Angel, as we haven't seen them in a while.
  • In the starting dream sequence, Rainbow Dash's first reaction to Owlowiscious's hoot is "Who?"
  • At the beginning of the song, we see the mallards from "Griffon the Brush Off".
  • One of the outfits Rainbow Dash wears in the "Style Competition" includes Rarity's scarf from "Dragonshy".
  • Rainbow sings under the same dramatic spotlights as in "Winter Wrap Up".
• Cool Shades:
  • Rainbow Dash adopts these during her "radical" pose.
  • Lampshaded by the tortoise donning a pair when Rainbow Dash talks about needing a "cool pet".
• Crashing Dreams: Her freaky dream turns out to be a result of the rest of the Mane Cast's pets being noisy around her tree; one would wonder how Gummy and Angel make noises that would get her to think of them subconsciously.
• Cute Kitten: The "puddy tat" Fluttershy nominates as a potential pet is doe-eyed and adorable. Rainbow Dash isn't swayed by the Cuteness Proximity.
• Damsel in Distress: Rainbow Dash becomes one when her wing gets caught under a boulder, leaving her stuck in Ghastly gorge until Tank comes to get her out.
• Department of Redundancy Department: Lampshaded by Twilight Sparkle, despite Rainbow Dash insisting that "Coolness," "Awesomeness," and "Radicalness" are distinct categories. Dash even penalizes the bat for doing something awesome during the radicalness portion of the competition.
• Determinator: Despite being put down by Rainbow Dash, the tortoise tries his best to become her pet. It eventually pays off when he saves her, earning the name Tank and the right to be her pet.
• Diegetic Soundtrack Usage: The bat performs part of the MLP theme song on a set of water glasses during the Talent Contest.
• Dogged Nice Guy: Tank is a great non-romantic example of this. The tortotise tries so hard to impress Rainbow Dash despite her shooting him down every step of the way. It pays off in the end.
• Don't Try This at Home: An example so subtle it verges on Fridge Logic. The pets presented for Dash's consideration include only "ordinary" pets like cats and rabbits, or wild animals. None of the suggestions are exotic-but-obtainable pets like parrots, which kids might convince their parents to buy without realizing how much trouble they can be.
• Dramatic Pause: Played straight and lampshaded by Rainbow Dash when announcing the tie-breaker game.
• Dramatic Spotlight: With Rainbow Dash, during the song; it's her song after all.
• Drama Queen: Rainbow Dash when she panics because her wing got trapped under a rock. She thinks she's doomed because of it and overreacts accordingly.
• Dreams of Flying: Of course, for a pegasus like Rainbow Dash, it's just an ordinary dream.
• Drill Sergeant Nasty: Rainbow Dash when coaching to see who will be her new pet. It's mostly front-loaded, as she tries to let the animals down gently when giving criticism.
• Empathy Pet: Rainbow Dash and Tank share a key element: Loyalty.
• Exact Words:
  Rainbow Dash: But I said whoever crosses the finish line with me gets to be my pet.
  Pinkie Pie: You did! You did say that! She did say that! That was the rule!
• Failed a Spot Check: Given that the tortoise is able to dig deep enough under the rock to put his head in far enough to leverage the rock off the ground, Rainbow should be able to do the same to free her wing without help. She's likely caught up in her panic, and possibly the fact that her wing hurts even though it turns out to not be badly injured. Since Rainbow Dash spends most of her time in the air, this is basically a reversal of Forgot I Could Fly.
• Feather Fingers:
  • When the falcon shakes Tank's leg.
  • Played with when the hummingbird tries to high-five Rainbow Dash... and promptly plummets to the ground, since a wing being used for a high-five isn't being used for flight.
  • The duck in order to hold a straw hat and cane.
  • The eagle uses these whenever it's convenient for a gag, like knitting a sweater or holding a curling broom.
• Felony Misdemeanor: To Opal, taking her toy away from her is the worst thing you can do, and she makes sure everyone knows the consequences.
• First Girl Wins: First pet wins. When the musical number starts, the first pet we see clearly, centered in the frame, is the tortoise^note TURTL— Oh. Sorry..
• First Pet Story: Rainbow Dash's. It's about finding the "the best pet".
• Flat Joy:
  • Fluttershy gives a little "yay", just like in "Sonic Rainboom" which is in contrast to the joygasm she has when she finds out that Rainbow wants a pet.
  • By the time the owl and bat (3^rd and 4^th place) cross the finish line, the other five Mane cast are still cheering for the animals but clearly concerned about the lack of Dash.
• Foreshadowing:
  • The turtle tipping over Opal's cage hints at the strength of his neck.
  • During the race through Ghastly Gorge, the eagle and falcon get their right wings stuck at some point.
• Friend to All Living Things: Rainbow Dash, for once. Every living thing wants to be her pet, so much so that the final contestants of her contest would risk getting eaten by a giant eel for the privilege.
• Furry Confusion:
  • This episode is all about pony pets. All of the competitor pets demonstrate a large amount of intelligence, awareness and ability, such as the falcon displaying embarrassment when it was pointed out that he didn't come back to get Dash when she was caught under the avalanche; or the montage of the pet's attempts to impress her with fencing, knitting and so forth.
  • Some domesticated animals in the show can talk, but none in this episode can.
• Gesundheit:
  Rainbow Dash: Today I learned what the most important quality really is: a certain kind of spirit, a sticktoitiveness. A never-give-up, can-do attitude that's the mark of a real winner! And this tortoise has it!
  Twilight: Tenacity!
  Rainbow Dash: Gesundheit.
• Good Versus Good: The entire competition in a nutshell, as none of the competitors possess any traits that would make them unlikable.
• Graceful Loser: The falcon politely shakes Tank's hand despite being obviously crushed by Rainbow Dash's Loophole Abuse.
• Grade System Snark: Rainbow Dash tries to cheer up the tortoise by stating he gets "an A for effort" and that she would "give [him] a gold star" if she could find one.
• Hammerspace: When Rainbow asks Spike to take a letter, he reaches behind his back and whips a convenient quill and scroll out of nowhere.
• The Hedge of Thorns: There is a thick tangle of brambles and cacti in Ghastly Gorge that the pets pass through, and which leaves most of them tangled and stuck.
• Help, I'm Stuck!: During The Big Race at the episode's climax, a boulder from the avalanche lands on Rainbow Dash's wing. As the four competing pets passed her, she was stuck... until somebody came to her rescue.
• Hoist by His Own Petard: Rainbow Dash's bragging while flying backwards causes the avalanche that traps her. You'd think Rainbow would have learned her lesson about not watching where she's flying.
• Hypnotic Creature: The butterfly uses his wings to hypnotize Opalescence and easily snags away her toy while she's entranced.
• Hypocritical Humor: We have this bit between Fluttershy and the rest of the main cast (sans Rainbow Dash, who's on Tank's back). Keep in mind that she's been correcting Rainbow Dash that Tank's a tortoise the entire episode every time she calls him a turtle.
  Pinkie Pie: Wait! Look!
  Fluttershy: It's the turtle!
  Everypony Else: Tortoise!
  Fluttershy: Whatever.
• I Don't Like the Sound of That Place: Ghastly Gorge. Even Rainbow Dash is obviously put off by it, and she's the one trying to assure the other contenders that it's not as bad as advertised.
• Immediate Self-Contradiction: Rainbow Dash claiming that the contest "isn't a game, you know", and explaining immediately afterward that "these games will determine..."
• Impossible Shadow Puppets: For the Talent Contest, the wasp decided to do shadow puppets despite a lack of fingers, and somehow manages to do a galleon in full sail.
• Insistent Terminology: The underdog candidate is a not a turtle; it's a tortoise.
• Instant Bandages: The tortoise not only lifted the rock but also gave Rainbow first aid.
• Instantly Defeathered Bird: Happens to the owl when the falcon takes off at the speed test.
• "I Want" Song: Wanting a pet may not be as grand a scope as your usual Disney Princess song, but the duet does a wonderful job establishing all the key plot points for the episode.
• Karmic Jackpot: Despite Rainbow Dash repeatedly brushing him off and saying she doesn’t think he’s cool enough to be her pet, Tank saves her when she’s trapped under a boulder and carries her the rest of the way to the finish line. For his loyal, caring attitude, Rainbow Dash then makes him her pet.
• Lampshade Hanging: Noted in a few other tropes, but explicitly calling back to the duet...
  Pinkie Pie: You got your perfect pet, right?
  Fluttershy: The best of the best like you wanted, remember? It can fly and it's not a squirrel! Should we sing about it again?
• Late to the Punchline: Fluttershy is two minutes into the song before she gets the impression that Dash wants a flying pet, despite Dash making it clear within the first thirty seconds that this is what she wants.
• The Law of Conservation of Detail: The camera keeps focusing on the tortoise during the song for a reason.
• Leaning on the Fourth Wall: Rainbow Dash, several times, such as whistling along with the background music as well as:
  Rainbow Dash: And so the final tie-breaking contest is going to be... (to herself) pause for dramatic effect, (Beat, then to everyone) a race against me! (jump cut) Through Ghastly Gorge! Dun dun dunnnnnn!! (hawk screech^note  which was made by an eagle)
• Let's Duet: Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash sing the "I Want" Song together since Fluttershy is the one providing the pets.
• Loophole Abuse: Rainbow Dash utilizes this to name the tortoise her pet, even though the falcon crossed the finish line first.
• Loud Gulp: When "Coach" Rainbow Dash instructs the lineup of pets before the games, the pink flamingo gives one with the swallowing motion following all over the many bends and turns of his neck.
• Magitek: Tank's helicopter rig at the end has the show's distinctive aura seen with magic.^note The color matches Princess Celestia's, though not necessarily on purpose. Solar powered, maybe?
• Meaningful Name: Tank is named because he is "built like a tank", with his tenacity, determination, and his ability to resist Opal's non-stop scratching.
• Merchandise-Driven: Fans were quick to catch that the Riding Along with Rainbow Dash toy comes with a turtle^note tortoise! (though this one actually is supposed to be a turtle). In general, the pony toys come with pets, and Dash was the only "Mane Six" pony without one in the show. Until this one, of course.
• Mind-Control Eyes: Opalescence gets these when the butterfly uses its wings to mesmerize her.
• Misplaced Wildlife: Fluttershy has an otter and a seal among the woodland critters she cares for. The otter might very well be a river otter, and thus have an excuse. The seal, however, has no excuse for its presence far from any ocean.
• Mix-and-Match Critters: Rainbow's opening nightmare is a chimeric mix of Owlowiscious, Angel Bunny, Winona the dog, Opal the cat and Gummy the alligator, and something similar is hinted at during the song:
  Rainbow Dash: The bat would be awesome, but the wasp I'm digging too. Do you have something in a yellow-striped bat?
• Mood Whiplash: Rainbow Dash is flying along in the race, being awesome and cocky as usual... hits the side of the gorge; pretty standard... starts an avalanche; nothing she can't handle... and then she's stuck at the bottom of the gorge with her wing pinned under a rock, crying out "Don't leave me!" to the competing pets.
• Moose and Maple Syrup: DHX Media/Studio B shows its Canadian roots by staging Rainbow Dash and the eagle playing curling (a popular Canadian sport) in the photo montage. It's irony if the eagle is meant to be a bald eagle, the symbol of America, where curling is non-existent and stereotypically connected to Canada in this fashion.
• Mundane Made Awesome: During the musical number, Fluttershy gives one pet a grand entrance, including fanfare, curtain rise, and a specially made stage for it to stand on. The pet in question? A squirrel — a flying squirrel, but a squirrel nonetheless. (This may be a jab at the toy line; the basic Rainbow Dash toy comes with a squirrel figurine.)
• Musical World Hypotheses: The duet in this episode follows the Alternate Universe Hypothesis. Fluttershy makes reference to the song at the end of the episode:
  Fluttershy: It's the best of the best like you wanted, remember? It can fly, and it's not a squirrel. Should we sing about it again?
• Mythology Gag: Rainbow Dash is back to dressing in style◊.
• Never Say "Die": Rainbow Dash worries that her pinned wing will leave her trapped forever. The thought of dying of starvation rather than simply being stuck indefinitely doesn't seem to occur to her (though it may depend on your interpretation of her fears).
  • Subverted in that everyone else notices she's not there when the birds all cross the finish line, and it takes them all of 10 seconds to figure out there had been an avalanche and that something had probably happened to Rainbow. It's highly unlikely that she thought her life was actually in danger, she was just panicking (probably in pain due to her injured wing).
• No Sense of Personal Space:
  • Pinkie Pie, in demonstrating how Fluttershy nodded her head, by forcing Fluttershy to nod her head.
  • When Fluttershy "politely asks" Rainbow to let the tortoise compete, she shoves him into Rainbow's face. Fluttershy also does this during their duet when showing off the "puddy tat" at her house.
• Noble Bird of Prey: The owl, the falcon, and the eagle all qualify for the final race because they are all mighty and majestic/dignified creatures. The falcon is even a Graceful Loser.
• Non-Indicative Title: The animals are competing to become a pet, and as such, are not yet pets. Fluttershy is more their caretaker than owner; something like a "foster owner".
• Offscreen Moment of Awesome: When the race begins, the flying competitors zoom ahead while the tortoise is left to look forlornly at the enormous drop in front of him. Given that he eventually makes it to the finish line, that means that he makes his way down to the gorge, possibly by falling all the way down. and then goes through all three obstacles (the windy tunnel, the briars, and the Quarray Eels) thanks to his shell and non-flying nature, and eventually meets up with Rainbow Dash.
• Offscreen Teleportation:
  • When Rainbow challenges the contenders to steal Opal's toy, everyone except the butterfly refuses to try. When the butterfly succeeds, the tortoise is already behind Opal's cage in an attempt to tip it over onto Opal.
  • As mentioned above, the tortoise reaches the area where Rainbow Dash is pinned in the avalanche in a reasonable amount of time. (The episode cleverly places a commercial break after Dash is trapped, but before the tortoise shows up. The amount of time that passes is thus ambiguous.)
  • The Mane Cast is at the start line, and at the finish line, before anyone else. Justified, as Twilight has genuine teleportation.
• Oh, Crap!: The falcon has a mild one when the tortoise is announced as the winner.
• Palate Propping: When the animal racers are dodging the quarray eels, the owl gets snapped up by one and has to force its mouth open by using its wings like a jack to keep from being eaten.
• Prehensile Tail: Applejack can use hers to throw sticks, and Fluttershy's is strong enough to carry bunnies.
• "Psycho" Strings: When Opal extends her claws to guard her favorite toy.
• Punny Name: "Quarray" Eels, which live in quarry-like rocky escarpments.
• Real Men Wear Pink: Watch as the bold and majestic eagle... knits Rainbow Dash a sweater?
• Removable Shell: During the "Find a Pet" musical number, the turtle^note Tortoise! pulls his head into his shell and pokes it back out through the tail end so he can look behind him.
• Ridiculously Cute Critter: Several of the pets offered by Fluttershy, and taken up to eleven with the "puddy tat".
• Running Gag:
  • During most of Rainbow's tests, she exclaims:
    Sort of X... not X... pretty X! Could be more X/X-er.^note X being such qualities as "fast", "agile" or "awesome".
  • Characters calling the tortoise a turtle, then being corrected by Fluttershy. The last time is the third time, Fluttershy calls Tank a turtle, and everyone corrects her.
    Fluttershy: Whatever.
• Sand Worm: The "Quarray eels", massive eel-like monsters that live in the sides of cliffs and shoot out to devour anyone passing close to their nests.
• Schizo Tech: Tank's flying device, to start, but there's a mention of "bullets" in the duet, and Tank gets his name when Rainbow Dash describes him as being "like a tank." Judging by the telltale magical aura around it, Tank's flying machine has been enchanted.
• Second Place Is for Winners: Even though the tortoise comes in last during the race, he still gets to be Rainbow Dash's pet for being the most loyal to her. She justifies this with the exact rulings she placed for the race.
• Shaped Like Itself: "I can't be stuck here forever! It's like... forever!"
• Shout-Out:
  • A flying squirrel introduced with a fanfare?
  • The duck during the radical skills challenge looks a lot like Daffy Duck doing one of his famous dance routines in that hat.
  • Fluttershy's "puddy tat".
  • When Tank's Schizo Tech helicopter is introduced, there is a short reprise of "Ride of the Valkyries".
  • Dash posing with the owl in a prominently red and gold school uniform might be a vague Shout-Out to Harry Potter, who had a pet owl and was in Gryffindor.
  • When Dash slalom runs through the pets, she generates an angular rainbow light wall similar to the Light Cycles in TRON.
  • The Quarray Eels resemble the Deep Pythons from Pinnacle Rock in The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask.
• Source Music: "Ride of the Valkyries" plays and is whistled by Rainbow Dash during the race through Ghastly Gorge. It's a Public Domain Soundtrack: No Suspiciously Similar Song here!
• Squee: Fluttershy when Rainbow Dash says she wants a pet.
• Staggered Zoom:
  • Used on the reveal of Ghastly Gorge.
  • Also used when Rainbow Dash says “step up your game.”
• Stock Sound Effects: This episode falls for the common trap of giving a bald eagle the red-tailed hawk's screech.
• Sturdy and Steady Turtles: The reason Tank wins the competition, despite his incredible slowness — in the race part of the competition, all the other animals complete three full circuits in the time it takes him to take a single step — is his seemingly endless perseverance and refusal to give up. He keeps going no matter how hopeless his situation looks, and when the other animals shoot ahead and accidentally leave Rainbow behind when she's trapped by a landslide, he walks up to her and slowly, patiently digs her free, and then just as slowly carries her to the finish line. This, and his loyalty, is what convinces Rainbow to choose him as a pet. In the last scene, Tank completes one of the earlier trials — stealing Opal's favorite mouse toy — by goading her into attacking him, letting her waste her furious claw swipes on his shell while he calmly reaches over to grab the toy.
• Super-Strength:
  • The tortoise is much stronger than he looks, lifting an enormous boulder using just his neck strength, then carrying the injured Rainbow Dash to safety all by himself.
  • Parodied when Fluttershy tries to drag Rainbow Dash to her house. She's so thrilled she's carrying Rainbow as she flies! Except that Rainbow's rear hooves are dragging along the ground.
• Talent Contest: Part of Rainbow's tests for who should be her pet.
• Those Magnificent Flying Machines: Rainbow's pet tortoise is fitted with a Magitek helicopter propeller so he can fly around.
• Title Drop: The end of the Let's Duet sequence announces the episode's title.
• Totally Radical: Rainbow Dash briefly dons a pair of dark sunglasses and a backwards baseball cap. Also, she unironically uses the word "radical" throughout the episode.
• True Love is Exceptional: Pet-owner love in this case. Rainbow Dash insists earlier on that she wanted a fast, agile, flying animal for a pet... and after putting the animals through competitions testing these (among other) traits she found out that the falcon met her standards the most... but by the time she found this out, she had evidently changed her mind about what she wanted in a pet as she clearly wasn't happy about being told that the falcon won. She found out a loophole in her rules that allowed her to adopt a tortoise instead, in a clear contrast to what she at first wanted.
• Underdogs Never Lose: The tortoise is only allowed to compete because Fluttershy browbeat Dash into allowing it. It wins but only because of the avalanche.
• The Voiceless: The monarch butterfly. He's the only contender who doesn't make any sort of noise at all, not as much as a wing flap. This is lampshaded by Rainbow Dash's "I can't hear you!"
• What Is This Feeling?: Rainbow Dash isn't accustomed to feeling and expressing delicate emotions. The first sign that she is starting to warm up to the tortoise is a meek smile when she tells him "You're starting to creep me out".
• Worthy Opponent: The Falcon to Tank, after Rainbow makes her choice, acknowledging that winning the race was less important than sticking by Rainbow Dash.
• You Need a Breath Mint: Twilight Sparkle suggests one for Winona while she and Applejack discuss whether Rainbow Dash understands what it really means to have a pet.

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Today I learned what the most important quality really is; a certain kind of spirit; a sticktoitiveness. A never-give-up, can-do attitude that's the mark of a real winner!
Tenacity!

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