Recap / My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic S9 E26 "The Last Problem"

Many moons later...

And the greatest spell you'll know
is how the Magic of Friendship grows.

"Ever since I took over Celestia's school, my focus has been on teaching magic. But now it seems my top student has missed the most important lesson of all."

— Twilight Sparkle

Written by Josh Haber

As Spike returns to Canterlot to report to Princess Twilight Sparkle with his negotiations of peace between the Abyssinians and the Diamond Dogs, Twilight's student, Luster Dawn arrives to talk to her. Luster explains that she's appreciated all the lessons Twilight has given her, but doesn't understand the whole deal with the importance of friendship, given that she's never seen Twilight with any of her old friends since her coronation. Twilight is bemused and goes on to explain what actually happened then and since...

In a flashback, Twilight and Spike are preparing to move from her castle to Canterlot. Twilight is feeling the magnitude of the change, which is not helped by when Spike feels he doesn't need to take his comics with him. Just then, her friends arrive, all explaining what's in store for her at the coronation: Rarity is anxiously finishing her gown with the help of enchanted spiders, Rainbow Dash has the Wonderbolts practicing a special routine, Applejack is making sure the right apple products are delivered correctly to the banquet, Fluttershy has to make sure the royal swans and ducks are ready to help in the ceremony, and Pinkie Pie is worried that Gummy may not set off the fireworks properly. Twilight starts to realize that the others all seem to want to rush her to the coronation, the last time they will be together, and worries about how their friendships will last after she moves away and takes on her new responsibilities.

Briefly in her story, Twilight reveals this was only a hiccup to Luster Dawn. Back in the flashback, her friends apologize for making her feel rushed, but with all their discussion, they realize that Twilight is missing the train to Canterlot. They race to the station, knocking over Starlight Glimmer as she was about to give Twilight a going-away present. At the station, they're too late for the train. Twilight teleports them all onto the train, but this makes them have to improvise their duties, notably with Big Mac having to take over the deliveries to Canterlot and getting them mixed up. Rainbow also tries to catch up to the Wonderbolts to find they've already left for Canterlot.

Rarity races the spiders to finish the last part of Twilight's gown, inadvertently getting the spiders caught in it, as the ceremony starts. Princesses Celestia and Luna introduce Twilight, and transition their rule to her by fusing their crowns into one. Just then, the Wonderbols start their routine before Rainbow can stop them, Gummy sets off the fireworks too early, and Fluttershy, seeing things going off ahead of schedule, has the swans and ducks perform their routine — however, as they near Twilight, they panic at the sight of Rarity's spiders, and between the birds and fireworks, the Wonderbolts stumble through their routine, and inadvertently knock Twilight off the balcony — though she is able to fly back up, looking very much worse for wear. At the banquet, Bic Mac's mishandling of the orders means everypony is drinking applesauce instead of apple cider. Twilight realizes how badly the ceremony has gone.

In the present, Luster Dawn wonders if all those screwups were why Twilight doesn't see her friends anymore. Twilight quickly corrects her: after the banquet, they all apologized to Twilight for the mistakes but she admits it made the whole ordeal more interesting and glad they are her friends. Celestia and Luna come to say their final goodbyes before they head off to Silver Shoals, assured the kingdom is in good hooves. Starlight finally catches up to Twilight and gives her the gift: a book with moving pictures of all the memories Twilight had in Ponyville. Twilight comes up with the idea of having a Friendship Council, where despite them all going their own ways, they can each meet once a moon to catch up with each other as well as keeping her abreast of how everything is going in the kingdom.

Twilight reveals to Luster Dawn that today is the Friendship Council meeting, and one-by-one her friends arrive: Pinkie Pie, now married to Cheese Sandwich and having to watch over her son Li'l Cheese, Rarity who has just opened a new boutique in Yakyakistan, Rainbow Dash, who is now in charge of the Wonderbolts, Applejack, who has taken over the duties at Sweet Apple Acres, and Fluttershy, who continues to run her sanctuary with help from Discord. Luster is amazed they are all here and didn't realize how important friendship was to Twilight. Twilight decides that Luster Dawn should experience more friendship for herself, and teleports her and the other Mane Six to Ponyville, where they show Luster Dawn around the town and the Friendship School which now has a much more diverse population of species. Satisfied that learning about friendship is the right way to go, Luster Dawn joins other students at the school while Princess Twilight Sparkle and the others look on. The scene ends as a picture in the same book that led off the show, and closing with the melody of the show's theme song.

*cue slightly bittersweet credits music*

---

Tropes:

• Actually Pretty Funny: After her coronation ceremony goes disastrously, Twilight collapses at her friends' table as she sighs. They all then share a hearty laugh.
  Twilight: That was something.
• All There in the Manual: After the show ended, a 6-episode Clip Show miniseries My Little Pony:Friendship Is Forever (which is also the tenth televised season of the show, depending on how you view it as) aired, which showed some of the events leading up to Twilight's coronation as seen in the flashback, as well as how Starlight and Spike got the memories for the book they give her.
• An Aesop:
  • Friends can take different directions in life, but that doesn't mean friendship has to come to an end.
  • Change is inevitable. While people may grow and drift apart, that doesn't mean that what you feel for someone has to fade.
• Affectionate Gesture to the Head: Pumpkin Cake tousles Li'l Cheese's frizzy hair with her hoof when they see each other in Ponyville.
• Ambiguous Gender: Pinkie and Cheese's child Li'l Cheese was said to be male in the script, but has the implicit design of a filly, given the visible eyelashes and rounded muzzle of the mares. In addition, Li'l Cheese is never referred to with gender-related pronouns.
• And the Adventure Continues: Many years in the future, Twilight and her friends continue to meet on a regular basis, ruling Equestria together and protecting it from any possible threats. In the final scene, Luster Dawn heads off with new friends, echoing Twilight's journey in Ponyville, while the Mane Six and Spike look on with small smiles.
• Animal Jingoism: Spike mentions that making peace between the Abyssinians^note  anthropomorphic cats like Capper and the Diamond Dogs "has not been easy".
• Babies Ever After: Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich have a son named Li'l Cheese. Big Mac and Sugar Belle also have a son. It's also implied that Angel and Winona each had several offspring too.
• Back for the Finale: Almost every major and minor character appears at Twilight's coronation and in the Crowded Cast Shots during the final song.
• Big "WHAT?!": Spike lets out three of them as Luster Dawn discourages friendship.
• Bittersweet Ending:
  • More sweet than bitter. Twilight no longer lives with her friends, but they still keep in touch with each other and meet up once a moon as the Council of Friendship, and their friendship will never fade and they'll always have each other. Meanwhile, many of their loved ones are implied to have passed away (e.g., Granny Smith and Goldie Delicious), but life in Equestria continues as always, and with more creatures integrating and making friends in Equestria, the ponies are more in harmony and happiness than ever before.
  • In-Universe, the story Twilight gives to Luster Dawn has one. Twilight's coronation was a disaster, but as a trade-off, she and her friends have a meaningful after-party spending time together. Better still, to make up for her moving away from Ponyville, her friends find a way to stay close despite that their lives are moving in different directions.
• Book Ends:
  • One spanning nine real life years occurs here. A book with a golden unicorn on its cover opened as the first shot of the first episode. Here, that same book closes as the last shot of the final episode to signify the end of the story.
  • The very first episode of the series was about Twilight moving to Ponyville. The final episode is about how she moved back to Canterlot.
  • In the first episode Twilight moved to Ponyville because her mentor Princess Celestia wanted her to learn about friendship there. This episode sees Twilight doing the same thing to a student of her own.
  • In the show's opening theme since the very beginning, "Friendship Is Magic", the first verse is Twilight singing about how she "used to wonder what friendship could be". Her verse just before the final chorus of "The Magic of Friendship Grows", and the second last individual spoken/sung line of the show, is an almost word-for-word repeat.
  • The last few notes of "The Magic of Friendship Grows" happen to be exactly on pitch with the first few notes of the theme song; the first song ever played in My Little Pony.
• Breaking Old Trends: This is the first Season Finale since Season 3 to not be a two-parter.
• Brother–Sister Team: The Distant Finale shows that Pound and Pumpkin Cake are still inseparable even as adults, and they work at Sugarcube Corner together.
• But Now I Must Go: Following Twilight's coronation, Celestia and Luna depart for their retirement in Silver Shoals.
• The Cameo:
  • At the banquet for the coronation, both Tempest Shadow and Capper can be seen among the guests.
  • As Twilight flies across the screen during "The Magic of Friendship Grows," Sunset Shimmer and Flash Sentry's pony forms can be seen in Twilight's Crowded-Cast Shot. Notably, this is the only time in the entire run of Friendship Is Magic that Sunset Shimmer appeared on the main show.
• The Captain: Gallus becomes the Captain of the Canterlot Royal Guard.
• Character Development: Twilight's coronation doesn't go quite as planned, but her reaction speaks volumes of how far she's come. The old Twilight was a compulsive perfectionist who would lose her composure at the slightest sign that things weren't going according to plan. But after the dust has settled, this Twilight takes the fiasco in stride, especially once she gets to spend time with her friends after all.
• Continuity Nod:
  • Spike's fondness for reading Power Ponies comics is once again mentioned.
  • Rarity makes a sash for Twilight's coronation dress out of star spider silk.
  • Rumble can be seen in the coronation kitchens, referring back to "Marks and Recreation"'s resolution.
  • The train to Canterlot stops in the middle of the tracks due to sheep blocking the path, just like they did in "Party Pooped".
  • The "memory book" Starlight gives Twilight contains images from the first two episodes of the series.
  • After the coronation, Celestia and Luna depart for Silver Shoals, a seaside community that Twilight and Spike briefly visited in "The Point of No Return".
• Cool Crown: Twilight's coronation crown, created by Celestia and Luna merging together their own crowns.
• Cope by Pretending: Twilight's friends all do their best to pretend like nothing special is happening in order to keep themselves from thinking about Twilight leaving. Twilight, not realizing this at first, is deeply hurt and thinks her friends won't miss her before they all come and have a group cry at the thought.
• Crowded-Cast Shot: The final chorus of "The Magic of Friendship Grows" features a series of these, consisting of almost every character met throughout the show (plus characters from the theatrical film and Equestria Girls). The only ones not included are the non-redeemed villains and antagonists.^note The supporting characters featured in the crowded cast shots are: Prince Rutherford, Party Favor, Mudbriar, Maud Pie, Zecora, Gummy, Mr. Carrot Cake, Mrs. Cup Cake, Pound and Pumpkin Cake, Pipsqueak, Gilda, Rose, Silverstream, Somnambula, Sky Beak, Marble Pie, Limestone Pie, Matilda, Cranky Doodle Donkey, Igneous Rock Pie, Cloudy Quartz, Bulk Biceps, Iron Will, Doctor Hooves, Lyra Heartstrings, Sweetie Drops, Nurse Redheart, Mr. Shy, Mrs. Shy, Zephyr Breeze, Gabby, Sandbar, Angel, Discord, Mage Meadowbrooke, several Breezies, Dr. Horse, Dr. Fauna, Tree Hugger, Cattail, Mayor Mare,Sky Stinger, Flash Magnus, Pharynx, Featherweight, Double Diamond, Night Glider, Smolder, Vapor Trail, Derpy, Snips, Snails, Daring Do, Octavia Melody, Quibble Pants, DJ-Pon 3, Spitfire, Soarin, Wind Sprint, Clear Sky, Tank, Windy Whistles, Bow Hothoof, Thunderlane, Rumble, Aloe, Lotus Blossom, Braeburn, Trouble Shoes, Flim, Flam, Apple Rose, Coloratura, Auntie Applesauce, Cherry Jubilee, Autumn Blaze, Babs Seed, Yona, Grand Pear, Sugar Belle, Big Mac, Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Little Strongheart, Burnt Oak, Goldie Delicious, Pear Butter, Bright Mac, Granny Smith, Rockhoof, Winona, Garble, Opalescence, Tender Taps, Saffron Masala, Berryshine, Fancy Pants, Plaid Stripes, Cheerilee, Hoity Toity, Photo Finish, Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, Mistmane, Sassy Saddles, Capper, Zipporwhill, Twist, Ember, Ocellus, Coco Pommel, Princess Luna, Princess Celestia, Sunset Shimmer, Tempest Shadow, Flash Sentry, Twilight Velvet, Night Light, Princess Cadance, Shining Armor, Stygian, Moon Dancer, Thorax, Trixie Lulamoon, Starlight Glimmer, Star Swirl the Bearded, Gallus, Sunburst, and Owlowiscious. Spike, despite being a main character, is also apart of one of the shots.
• Dénouement Episode: With all the villains defeated, this episode focuses on the aftermath and Twilight finally having her coronation. The Time Skip also shows Equestria is once again at peace with its allies and, if anything, has further diversified: yaks, dragons, changelings, griffons, hippogriffs, and kirin are now seen interacting with ponies on friendly terms, and instead of a pony, Gallus — a griffon — is captain of the royal guard.
• Death Glare: Applejack gives a pointed look to her brother when she realizes Big Mac has mixed up the applejuice and apple cider crates.
• Distant Finale: The episode is set "many moons" after the usual events of the series. While it's never detailed exactly how much time has passed since the previous episode, characters last seen as colts/fillies are now adults and adult characters have noticeably aged, implying that it's decades worth of time.
• Double-Meaning Title: "The Last Problem" because it's the final time we see Twilight Sparkle dealing with a friendship problem (namely, her own student not believing in friendship) and In-Universe Twilight reminiscing her "last problem" before being crowned: how to keep her friendship with her friends alive, with a new barrage of responsibilities about to be foisted unto her.
• Doves Mean Peace: Fluttershy gathers together a group of white doves, alongside a pair of swans, to fly in synchrony during Twilight's coronation as a symbol of the beginning of a new age of peace and harmony.
• Earn Your Happy Ending: Twilight and her friends have faced many villains, monsters, and other threats, some of which have threatened to break their friendships. But they've managed to persevere, and now Equestria is a near-Utopia, with the Mane Six being happy with their lives. The only sour note (besides the implication that Granny Smith, Goldie Delicious, and others have passed away from old age during the Time Skip) is Twilight having to move back to Canterlot to govern Equestria, and even then, it's made clear that she and the rest of the Mane Six are still friends and they still meet together in their Council of Friendship meetings once a moon.
• Epic Fail:
  • During their first attempt at Rainbow's routine, Spitfire and Soarin end up crashing into each other.
  • Twilight's coronation ends up as one of these. The spiders end up on her dress, she stumbles as she walks onto the podium, the birds get frightened by the spiders, and she ultimately ends up face down on the balcony again. However, at least she and her friends laugh about it once the ceremony is over.
• Everybody Cries: In Twilight's flashback, the Mane Six all cry out their worries about not ever seeing each other that much, things changing, or that they may not stay friends.
• Exhausted Eye Bags: Twilight's friends all sport these when older. Same goes with other residents of Ponyville such as Starlight, Trixie, Big Mac, Sugar Belle, Derpy, Twinkleshine, Lyra Heartstrings and Sweetie Drops.
• Expository Hairstyle Change: Almost all of the Mane Six sport different hairstyles after the Time Skip: Pinkie Pie wears her mane in a huge bun and wears party decorations in her mane and tail; Rainbow Dash has cut her mane to a short mohawk resembling Spitfire's; Applejack wears her mane in a bun that looks much like Granny Smith's, and her tail is braided; and Fluttershy has her mane tied in a loop with bluebells. Meanwhile, Twilight's mane is largely unchanged aside from how it is a good deal longer and constantly flows like Celestia's did, and Rarity has kept her mane and tail exactly the same despite now having grey streaks.
• Failed Attempt at Drama: Well, failed attempt at gravitas, at the very least. Princess Celestia makes a bombastic announcement to introduce Twilight Sparkle, the new ruler of Equestria... only for Twilight to tangle her hooves in her gown and trip herself as she walks on the balcony.
• Fictional Disability: Adult Scootaloo, as she was in "Growing Up is Hard to Do", still has tiny wings, affirming stunted growth that prevents her from flying. It's not an issue for her now.
• Formerly Fat:
  • Spike goes from a chubby baby dragon to a muscular adult dragon after the Time Skip.
  • One of Luster Dawn's new friends is a grown up stallion known by his placeholder name as Gallop J. Fry, who used to be overweight as a colt.
• Framing Device: The episode is told in a series of flashbacks by the older Twilight Sparkle to her student Luster Dawn.
• Freeze-Frame Bonus:
  • When the camera zooms out of Twilight's book in the final shot, the word "Fin" (Spanish and French for "end") can be made out on the pages.
  • The pages of the newspaper that Twilight turns show multiple pictures: Lyra and Bon Bon's wedding (confirming their Relationship Upgrade in "The Big Mac Question"), Derpy/Muffins with a chef's hat along with a picture of a muffin, and the statue of the three villains from the previous episode. Also shown is a story dealing with Coloratura, and a story about Cranky Doodle Donkey. There's also a "action shot" of the Big Badass Battle Sequence from the previous episode.
  • Among the new stained glass windows in Canterlot Castle are an older Flurry Heart ruling over the Crystal Empire, the defeat of Tirek, Chrysalis and Cozy Glow, the Student Six fighting some rhino-beetle-like monster, and a partial one that shows the CMC with their Crusader emblem. There is also one of the Tree of Harmony in the main castle throne room.
  • Grown-up versions of Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon and Twist are briefly seen in Ponyville.
  • When Applejack and Luster Dawn walk to Sweet Apple Acres during "The Magic of Friendship Grows", the intertwined apple and pear trees planted by the Apple siblings' parents can be seen in the background.
• Friendship Song: Appropriately enough, the final song of Friendship Is Magic, "The Magic of Friendship Grows", sung together by the Mane Six. This song also closes out the show.
• The Good Chancellor: Both Spike (as Twilight's "Royal Advisor") and the Mane Five/Discord (as the "Council of Friendship") can probably be considered this for Twilight.
• Grand Finale: This is the true finale to the show.
• Group Hug:
  • The older Yona brings Rarity and Sandbar into one during "The Magic of Friendship Grows".
  • The final shot of the show's usual timeframe, just after Twilight's coronation, is a large group hug between the Mane Six, Spike, Starlight, Celestia, and Luna.
• Group Picture Ending: The show closes on the Mane Six and Spike watching Luster Dawn join her new group of friends before transitioning to the Book Ends.
• Happily Married:
  • Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich, complete with a son, Li'l Cheese.
  • Sugar Belle and Big Mac are still married after their wedding in "The Big Mac Question", and have their own colt.
  • Sweetie Drops and Lyra Heartstrings also remain together, their marriage shown in the newspaper during the flashback.
• Here We Go Again!: Most of the episode's plot revolves around Twilight being on the receiving end of the "friendship is useless" dismissal she herself used on Celestia in the first episode.
• Hero of Another Story: Two in the stained glass windows of Twilight's throne room: one shows Flurry Heart apparently ascending to the throne of the Crystal Empire, while another shows the Young Six battling against a monstrous creature of some sort.
• History Repeats: In a Passing the Torch manner, Luster Dawn takes on a role similar to Twilight at the start of the series, being sent to Ponyville by her Princess teacher to learn about friendship.
• Honorary Uncle: Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake seem to have this dynamic with Li'l Cheese, joyfully greeting and playing with the young foal.
• Humble Hero: When Luster Dawn arrives to meet Twilight, she bows down before her princess. Twilight, naturally, won't have this.
  Twilight: Luster, I may be the ruler of Equestria, but I am still just your teacher.
• I Got Bigger:
  • Twilight and Spike are both shown to have grown much taller in the Distant Finale. Likewise, the Cutie Mark Crusaders have grown into adult mares, as have Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, each of the Student Six (one of whom is now a Canterlot guard), and the Cake Twins. One of the stained glass windows also depicts an adult Flurry Heart.
  • Gummy and Yona are especially notable; Gummy has now grown big enough for both Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich to ride him, and Yona has grown even bigger than she already was, towering over Rarity and Sandbar.
• Improbable Hairstyle: The older Pinkie Pie sports a rather enormous bun.
• I'm Standing Right Here: Luster Dawn tries to support her stance against making friends by saying how Twilight used to have friends, but now rules Equestria by herself. Spike reminds how he's right next to her as her Royal Advisor.
• Immediate Self-Contradiction: When the Mane Six are all admitting how scared they are regarding everything changing, Rainbow Dash adds...
  Rainbow Dash: I wouldn't say scared. [beat] ...Buuuut just because I won't say it doesn't mean I don't feel it.
• Innocently Insensitive: In a flashback, none of Twilight's friends realize they are upsetting her by burying themselves in their work to make sure her ceremony goes as perfectly as she wants it. Once Twilight calls them out on this, they're immediately taken aback and the sadness they've been trying to hold back starts to pour out.
• Irony:
  • Of all the Wonderbolts, it is Spitfire (the team's captain) and Soarin (implied to be one of their best) who mess up while the team practices Rainbow's routine.
  • In trying to make her coronation perfect for her, Twilight's friends unintentionally neglect to spend the remainder of their time with her.
  • For once, Twilight (who previously used to obsess over perfection) isn't too bothered that her coronation was anything but perfect, so long as she got to hang out with her friends afterwards.
• Jerkass Has a Point: Played with. On one hand, Twilight cannot refute Luster Dawn's claims that friendship is difficult to maintain and may not even last forever. However, she also disproves that making friends is a pointless endeavor by introducing the Council of Friendship, borne out of a promise that her friends would keep in touch every moon.
• Killed Offscreen: Implied. Applejack and Apple Bloom are seen wearing the scarves of Granny Smith and Goldie Delicious respectively, so it can be assumed that they passed away from old age during the time skip.
• Last Episode, New Character: Luster Dawn, the student of an Older and Wiser Twilight Sparkle, is used as the framing device for this episode. Twilight and Spike explain to Luster through a Whole Episode Flashback what happened at Twilight's coronation, and how the friendship of the Mane Six hasn't truly ended.
• Last Episode Theme Reprise: The last few seconds of the closing song feature a brief instrumental of the opening theme.
• The Last Title: The fourth with this format after "The Last Roundup", "The Last Crusade" and "The Last Laugh". It's also fitting because it's the last episode.
• Like an Old Married Couple: Rainbow Dash and Applejack are introduced to Luster this way, arguing about chores. It never goes beyond an implication, however.
• Maybe Ever After: Rainbow Dash and Applejack; Fluttershy and Discord. Yona and Sandbar also run the Carousel Boutique together, which considering the events of "She's All Yak" might mean that they ended up together as well.
• Meaningful Name: Luster Dawn not only mirrors Twilight Sparkle's name, with the only notable difference being that she marks the "Dawn" of a new generation. This also continues the trend with Starlight Glimmer and Sunset Shimmer, such that all four have the name of a time of day and a word synonymous with "shine" as their names.
• Moving-Away Ending: The final episode of the series, it revolves around Twilight Sparkle, now the sole Princess of Equestria, now due for a move from Ponyville to Canterlot. She's initially worried that she won't be able to maintain the friendships that she developed in Ponyville, but it is eventually resolved by having the Mane Six agree to meet once a moon as the Council of Friendship.
• Never Recycle a Building: Twilight's old castle can still be seen in the background, presumably owned by Starlight now.
• No Name Given: Big Mac and Sugar Belle's son goes unnamed.
• Not Allowed to Grow Up: Zig-Zagged. The Cake Twins are adults now, but are still babies in the flashback to the present despite that they should be at least over 5◊ by which time they'd have the distinct 5-year old design.
• Nothing Is the Same Anymore: Twilight becomes the new leader of Equestria, with Spike ruling by her side as her Royal Advisor. But they have to move back to Canterlot to do so, meaning they cannot live with their friends in Ponyville anymore. Nevertheless, the friendship of the Mane Six remains unbroken, and they form the Council of Friendship to meet up once a moon so they rule Equestria together.
• Passing the Torch:
  • Luster Dawn is taught by the Mane Six that friendship isn't a waste of time and becomes open to creating friendships. They bring her to Ponyville to learn the magic of friendship, and in the final scene, she joins her own new friends as the Mane Six look on.
  • Rainbow Dash has taken over from Spitfire as the Wonderbolts leader.
• Recycled Soundtrack: The intro to "The Magic of Friendship Grows" ("When I started out, I was unsure...") sounds very similar to the intro to "Embrace the Magic" ("So you have magic, and it's not that great...") from My Little Pony: Equestria Girls – Legend of Everfree.
• Riding into the Sunset: A symbolic variant. The final shot of the Mane Six and Spike is watching Luster Dawn go off with her new friends she made in Ponyville against a setting sky, symbolizing the closing of their adventures, their "sunset" if you will.
• Ship Tease:
  • In the episode's present-day, Yona and Sandbar live together and run Ponyville's Carousel Boutique. The status of their relationship is not specified.
  • Applejack and Rainbow Dash enter the Friendship Council bickering Like an Old Married Couple about chores one of them was supposed to do. Whether or not they entered into a romantic relationship is left to individual interpretation.
  • Fluttershy is shown living with Discord, and she has bluebells in her hair. Bluebells are associated with everlasting love and constancy. Like Applejack and Rainbow Dash, it is left to individual interpretation as to whether they entered into a romantic relationship or not.
  • Doctor Whooves and Roseluck are holding hooves during the coronation banquet.
• Shout-Out:
  • The cover of Power Ponies comic book which Twilight gives to Spike in the first flashback mirrors the cover of Action Comics issue #1, featuring the first appearance of Superman.
  • When Spitfire decides to start the Coronation routine, she announces "Wonderbolts, roll out!"
• Stealth Pun:
  • In the Cold Opening, Spike mentions arranging peace between the Abyssians and the Diamond Dogs, two races of anthropomorphic cats and dogs respectively. This essentially means Spike has brought peace between cats and dogs.
  • A good, long look at Li'l Cheese's cutie mark will show that it is a slice of cheese pie.
• Strong Family Resemblance:
  • Older Pinkie's son, Li'l Cheese, looks exactly like she did when she was a filly herself with a yellow coat and a lighter pink for his mane and tail. Li'l Cheese has also inherited his father Cheese Sandwich's green eyes.
  • Big Mac and Sugar Belle's colt is an earth pony like his father, and he inherited Big Mac's green eyes and his mane/tail color. From his mother, he inherited her curly mane/tail texture, and his purple coat is also the same color as Sugar Belle's hair. His cutie mark is a cupcake with an apple slice on it.
• Tears of Joy: Twilight sheds these when she thanks Celestia for everything her mentor has done for her.
• Tempting Fate: On the train ride to Canterlot, the Mane Six all voice their worries about the coronation. Twilight tries to lighten the mood by saying "Well, it could always be worse". Immediately afterward, the train stops, due to sheep on the line.
• Time Skip: "Many moons later" after the previous episode. No specific amount of time is given, but it's implied to be at least a couple of decades. It's enough for the Mane Six to visibly age, with some getting wrinkles and Rarity's mane starting to turn grey. The Student Six, Cutie Mark Crusaders, and other foals that were of their age (such as Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, and Twist) have also had time to grow into adulthood. Luster Dawn also remarks that the era before Twilight ascended the throne was "so long ago."
• Tragic Keepsake: Applejack and Apple Bloom wear the scarves of Granny Smith and Goldie Delicious (who most likely passed away during the Time Skip) respectively.
• Top-Heavy Guy: Adult Spike has a huge, muscular upper-body with comparatively small legs. It's not as exaggerated as "Knight Spike"'s extreme Heroic Build from his fantasies, but he's still ripped.
• Utopia: Equestria is shown to be this after the Time Skip. Canterlot has been rebuilt and expanded, peace between the ponies and their allies continues with it steadily gaining more allies thanks to Twilight and Spike, and several creatures are now seen regularly interacting and living in Equestria's borders in harmony with the ponies.
• Vocal Dissonance: Spike's body may have developed over the moons, but his voice is still the same pitchy one he started out with, if only slightly deeper.
• We Used to Be Friends: Subverted. Luster Dawn believes the Mane Cast drifted apart ever since the coronation, and assumes that every conflict they ran into during Twilight's story led to them falling out and ending their friendship. However, she's proven wrong at every turn until Twilight finally reveals the Council of Friendship, showing that they're still in touch and as good of friends now as they ever were.
• What Happened to the Mouse?: In the present day, the whereabouts of Celestia, Luna, the Pillars, Shining Armor, Cadance, Cheerilee, Zecora, the Wonderbolts from the show's original time period, Mr. and Mrs. Cake, and Sunset Shimmer are never disclosed. Some of the older characters like Granny Smith and her Gold Horseshoe Gals appear to have passed away, however, as Applejack now wears Granny Smith's scarf and Apple Bloom wears Goldie Delicious's shawl.
• "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue: The episode reveals what the other characters have been up to since the final battle:
  • Twilight and Spike are shown right from the off. The former still running Canterlot and Equestria (as well as Celestia's school of magic) while the latter works as a friendship envoy and Twilight's royal advisor.
  • Gallus has joined the Canterlot Royal Guard.
  • Yona and Sandbar run Ponyville's Carousel Boutique.
  • Silverstream, Ocellus, Smolder, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo are now teachers at the School of Friendship (the former Cutie Mark Crusaders, for instance, teach a class about cutie marks), which has become more diverse creature-wise since it was founded. Starlight and Sunburst still run the school, and Trixie is still the School Counselor.
  • Pound and Pumpkin Cake run Sugarcube Corner.
  • Rainbow Dash is the captain of a new generation of Wonderbolts.
  • Pinkie Pie has become head planner of Canterlot's galas. Also, she and Cheese Sandwich have gotten married and had a son, Li'l Cheese.
  • Rarity apparently now has more fashion chains across the country, having opened a recent one in Yakyakistan.
  • Big Mac and Sugar Belle are still Happily Married since their wedding in "The Big Mac Question". They both run Sweet Apple Acres along with Applejack, and now have a son.
  • Fluttershy is still running her sanctuary with help from Discord using his power to allow animals to come to and fro. The episode implies the two are living together in his dimension, too.
  • Gummy has grown large enough for two full-sized ponies to ride on him without any problems.
  • Winona's and Angel's descendants can be seen at Sweet Apple Acres and Fluttershy's sanctuary, respectively.
• Where It All Began: Twilight sends Luster Dawn to learn friendship in Ponyville, just as Celestia did with Twilight many years ago in the first episode.
• Whole Episode Flashback: The episode features a flashback to Twilight's coronation as the older Twilight recalls it.

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*Book closes*