Games Ponies Play
Comments1kthis wiki
| Games Ponies Play | |
|---|---|
| | |
| Season №: | 3 |
| Season episode №: | 12 |
| Overall episode №: | 64 |
| Original airdate: | February 9, 2013 |
| Written by: | Dave Polsky |
| Storyboard: | Cory Toomey and Justin Nichols[1] |
| Featured characters: | Ms. Peachbottom Ms. Harshwhinny |
| See also | |
| transcript • gallery • allusions animation errors • statistics • speculation | |
| Episode guide | |
| Previous Just for Sidekicks | Next Magical Mystery Cure |
Games Ponies Play is an episode of the third season of My Little Pony Friendship is Magic. It aired as the twelfth episode of the third season, and the sixty-fourth episode overall. The title of this episode alludes to the 1964 bestselling book, Games People Play, but the idea of a sports competition is closer to the 1980 television series of the same name. In this episode, Twilight and her friends travel to the Crystal Empire to help it win the Equestria Games by touring the games inspector.
This episode and Just for Sidekicks take place simultaneously, with the former focusing on Twilight Sparkle and her friends welcoming the Equestria Games inspector at the Crystal Empire, and the latter focusing on Spike taking care of the pets.Contents |
Production and development
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Added by Dogman15During the week leading up to the episode's scheduled premiere, story editor Meghan McCarthy wrote on Twitter that the original name for a new character introduced in the episode was Ms. Peachbottom.[3]
On the DVD My Little Pony Friendship is Magic: Princess Twilight Sparkle, the episode's voice credits are different, being the same as those of Keep Calm and Flutter On but with John de Lancie credited as John Delancie.Summary
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Prologue
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Added by ImperfectXIII
Added by OcredanReturn to the Crystal Empire
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While on the train, Twilight and her friends practice a cheer to perform for the Games Inspector. Twilight is worried they're not ready, and mentions that the Inspector is known for "putting folks through the wringer on her visits." As they attempt to run through the routine another time, the train screeches to a halt. The sudden stop sends the girls flying. They've reached their destination.

Added by ImperfectXIII
Added by ImperfectXIII...until the messenger relays her second piece of news: the Games Inspector, Ms. Harshwhinny, will be arriving on the very next train - in fifteen minutes!
Welcoming the Inspector
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Added by ImperfectXIIIThe train pulls into the station, and a green-maned mare carrying a floral print bag steps off. Believing it to be the Games Inspector, Twilight and her friends welcome her, and while she seems abrasive at first, she's quickly receptive to such a warm welcome. In fact, she's thrilled by the fact Princess Cadance organized such a welcome for her. The visit appears to have gone off to a great start. As they head for the castle, the train the Inspector just got off pulls away from the station and another, more formally-dressed pony with a floral print bag is seen, looking impatient.
The grand tour
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At the spa, Rarity is still hard at work styling Cadance's mane. Cadance picks up on Rarity's nervousness and asks what's wrong. Rarity had apparently skipped a step in Cadance's list of instructions, and the princess' mane is a tangled mess.

Added by ImperfectXIIIRainbow Dash makes the suggestion of giving the Inspector a tour of the castle, but Twilight reminds her that they've hardly explored the castle themselves. "It's just another test," Rainbow asserts. Taking another calming breath, Twilight allows her friends to show the Inspector around while she goes to check up on Cadance. On her way to the spa, she passes by the formally-dressed pony from earlier, who gets splashed on when a pony-drawn cart passes over a puddle.
Twilight arrives at the spa to see Cadance, but Rarity intercepts her, saying the princess isn't ready and that "something's gone terribly wrong." Twilight's efforts to speak with Cadance are thwarted as Rarity pushes her out the door, telling her to buy her more time.

Added by ImperfectXIIIJust then, the castle tour leads Twilight's friends and the Inspector outside, which the Inspector is more than pleased about. She races around the track in excitement, even managing to outrun the other ponies. Her behavior confuses Shining Armor. When the Inspector gets her head stuck in a pot and races out of the stadium in a panic, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy chase her down and stop her. In spite of the commotion, the Inspector is in high spirits (even higher upon meeting Prince Shining Armor) and is thoroughly enjoying her vacation, which puzzles Twilight. Twilight at last asks if the mare is indeed Ms. Harshwhinny, the Equestria Games Inspector. When the mare asks, in a confused state, what Twilight means, they are horrified by their realization.
- "We got the wrong pony?!"
- — Rainbow Dash
Where's the real Inspector?
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Added by Callofduty4The real Ms. Harshwhinny is indeed at the spa, enjoying a hooficure; on the massage table next to her is the "fake Games Inspector". Ms. Harshwhinny complains about having been unable to "get the inside scoop" on the Crystal Empire and otherwise being neglected all day. Her fellow spa-goer, however, has nothing but words of praise to give the Empire and its welcoming committee, which intrigues Ms. Harshwhinny.
Twilight and company arrive outside the spa and discover that both Ms. Harshwhinny and Princess Cadance are inside, neither aware of the other's presence. They enter the spa and meet with Rarity, who presents them to Cadance, her mane fixed and ceremonial headdress complete. Ms. Harshwhinny overhears the mention of Cadance's name and walks over, voicing her displeasure over the day she's had; that this was the worst welcome she ever had in years (adding to the fact that there was never one since she arrived). When Cadance is baffled by this news, Rainbow Dash confesses that they'd welcomed the wrong pony, left the right one at the station, and completely ruined everything. She wanted to help the Crystal Empire win the chance to host the Equestria Games so they wouldn't suffer the same disappointment she did when she was a filly, but ended up ruining their chances instead.

Added by Ocredan- "The next host of the Equestria Games is...the Crystal Empire!"
- — Princess Cadance to the Crystal Ponies
The Crystal Ponies' exhilaration over this announcement super-charges the Crystal Heart, and it shoots a beam of light into the sky that bursts into an aurora of colors.
Going home
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Added by ImperfectXIIIRainbow Dash feels sorry that Spike had to miss out on everything, but Twilight's sure he's having plenty of fun watching their pets back home. Suddenly, Applejack hears something growling and asks her friends if they can hear it as well.
The camera pans down to show Spike, the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and the six pets hiding nervously under the seats.
Quotes
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- For more quotes, see the episode's transcript.
- Young Rainbow Dash: NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!
- Twilight Sparkle: Princess Cadance is counting on us to do our part to convince the Games Inspector to choose the Crystal Empire. And we are not gonna let her down. Are we?
- Pinkie Pie: Nooooooooo! What? I was just answering Twilight's question.
- Pinkie Pie: Easy peasy puddin' in the freezy.
- Twilight Sparkle: I need to speak to the Princess.
- Rarity: You can't! You mustn't! She's in the middle of a delicate conditioning rinse that must go perfectly if there's to be any hope for her hair!
- Twilight Sparkle: Come on, how bad can it be?
- Rarity: Imagine her mane turned into a porcupine.
- Twilight Sparkle: Ew.
- Rarity: Please, I will bring her back from the brink of tragedy, but you have got to buy me some time! There's no other way!
- Pinkie Pie: So, you see this here? This, um, this is um, a big, round room. It's known for its roundness, and bigness, and did I mention that it's round?
- Ms. Peachbottom: I think they call it a rotunda...? A small, confining, rotunda...
- Pinkie Pie: [blows raspberry] Whatever. Round is round, am I right?
- Rainbow Dash: We got the wrong pony?!
- Pinkie Pie: NOOOOOOOOOOO! I mean, YEEEEEEESSSSSSSS!
Gallery
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Notes
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- ↑ altocelarophobia: Fear of high ceilings, from Latin alto (high) and celare (cover). From Wiktionary.
References
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- ↑ Twitter / TheBiggestJim: Today's #mlp episode was ... (2013-01-02). Retrieved on 2013 January 12.
- ↑ Tim Stuby on Twitter (2013-01-02). Retrieved on 2013 January 12.
- ↑ Twitter / MMeghanMcCarthy: #MLPSeason3 factoid: Original ... (2013-02-05). Retrieved on 2013 February 5.
| My Little Pony Friendship is Magic — episodes |
|---|
| Season one | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| | | | |
| Episode 1 Friendship is Magic, part 1 | Episode 2 Friendship is Magic, part 2 | Episode 3 The Ticket Master | Episode 4 Applebuck Season |
| | | | |
| Episode 5 Griffon the Brush Off | Episode 6 Boast Busters | Episode 7 Dragonshy | Episode 8 Look Before You Sleep |
| | | | |
| Episode 9 Bridle Gossip | Episode 10 Swarm of the Century | Episode 11 Winter Wrap Up | Episode 12 Call of the Cutie |
| | | | |
| Episode 13 Fall Weather Friends | Episode 14 Suited For Success | Episode 15 Feeling Pinkie Keen | Episode 16 Sonic Rainboom |
| | | | |
| Episode 17 Stare Master | Episode 18 The Show Stoppers | Episode 19 A Dog and Pony Show | Episode 20 Green Isn't Your Color |
| | | | |
| Episode 21 Over a Barrel | Episode 22 A Bird in the Hoof | Episode 23 The Cutie Mark Chronicles | Episode 24 Owl's Well That Ends Well |
| | | ||
| Episode 25 Party of One | Episode 26 The Best Night Ever | ||
| Season two | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| | | | |
| Episode 1 The Return of Harmony Part 1 | Episode 2 The Return of Harmony Part 2 | Episode 3 Lesson Zero | Episode 4 Luna Eclipsed |
| | | | |
| Episode 5 Sisterhooves Social | Episode 6 The Cutie Pox | Episode 7 May the Best Pet Win! | Episode 8 The Mysterious Mare Do Well |
| | | | |
| Episode 9 Sweet and Elite | Episode 10 Secret of My Excess | Episode 11 Hearth's Warming Eve | Episode 12 Family Appreciation Day |
| | | | |
| Episode 13 Baby Cakes | Episode 14 The Last Roundup | Episode 15 The Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000 | Episode 16 Read It and Weep |
| | | | |
| Episode 17 Hearts and Hooves Day | Episode 18 A Friend in Deed | Episode 19 Putting Your Hoof Down | Episode 20 It's About Time |
| | | | |
| Episode 21 Dragon Quest | Episode 22 Hurricane Fluttershy | Episode 23 Ponyville Confidential | Episode 24 MMMystery on the Friendship Express |
| | | ||
| Episode 25 A Canterlot Wedding - Part 1 | Episode 26 A Canterlot Wedding - Part 2 | ||
| Season three | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| | | | |
| Episode 1 The Crystal Empire - Part 1 | Episode 2 The Crystal Empire - Part 2 | Episode 3 Too Many Pinkie Pies | Episode 4 One Bad Apple |
| | | | |
| Episode 5 Magic Duel | Episode 6 Sleepless in Ponyville | Episode 7 Wonderbolts Academy | Episode 8 Apple Family Reunion |
| | | | |
| Episode 9 Spike at Your Service | Episode 10 Keep Calm and Flutter On | Episode 11 Just for Sidekicks | Episode 12 Games Ponies Play |
| | |||
| Episode 13 Magical Mystery Cure | |||