{{Short description|2010 television episodes}} {{Use American English|date=October 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}} {{good article}} {{Infobox television episode | title = | series = [[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic]] | image = MLPFIM S01E01-2.png | image_alt = Twilight Sparkle (center) with glowing eyes and a golden tiara (element of magic) and her friends Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie (clockwise from top right), who are wearing glowing, golden necklaces | caption = [[Twilight Sparkle]] ''(center)'', [[Applejack (My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic)|Applejack]], [[Fluttershy]], [[Rarity (My Little Pony)|Rarity]], [[Rainbow Dash]], and [[Pinkie Pie]] ''(clockwise from top right)'' find the spark of friendship and activate the [[Elements of Harmony]] to turn Nightmare Moon back into [[Princess Luna]] | season = 1 | episode = 1 and 2 | director = [[Jayson Thiessen]] | writer = [[Lauren Faust]] | music = "Laughter Song" by [[Daniel Ingram (composer)|Daniel Ingram]], lyrics by Lauren Faust | airdate = * {{start date|2010|10|10}} (part 1) * {{start date|2010|10|22}} (part 2) | length = 44 minutes (combined) | guests = | next = [[The Ticket Master]] | season_article = My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic season 1 | episode_list = List of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic episodes }} "'''Friendship Is Magic'''" is the two-part [[series premiere]] of the animated television series ''[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic]]'', the first two episodes of its [[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic season 1|first season]]. The episodes follow [[Twilight Sparkle]], a studious, antisocial [[unicorn]], who reluctantly travels to the town of Ponyville at the insistence of her mentor, [[Princess Celestia]]. There, she meets five ponies—[[Applejack (My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic)|Applejack]], [[Rainbow Dash]], [[Rarity (My Little Pony)|Rarity]], [[Fluttershy]], and [[Pinkie Pie]]—with whom she becomes close friends. Together, the six defeat [[Princess Luna|Nightmare Moon]], a villain who has returned after a thousand years of imprisonment in the moon, with magical artifacts known as the "[[Elements of Harmony]]". Many of the creatures that appear in these episodes have designs that convey humor or silliness. Having aired on October 10 and October 22, 2010, the episodes received positive reviews from critics.
== Plot == {{External media |headerimage=[[File:YouTube 2024.svg|alt=YouTube logo|x20px|center]] |video1=[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aELzFYbd7eo Friendship is Magic: Parts 1 & 2 (full episode)] — Official upload of the episode onto [[YouTube]] | float= left| }} {{My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic sidebar}}
=== Part 1 === In the magical land of [[Equestria]], a studious, [[asocial]] [[unicorn]] named [[Twilight Sparkle]] learns of a prophecy; it states that the evil [[Princess Luna|Nightmare Moon]] will return during the upcoming Summer Sun Celebration after a thousand-year imprisonment on the moon. She tries to warn her mentor, [[Princess Celestia]], the benevolent alicorn ruler of Equestria, of the impending danger. However, the latter dismisses her warnings and sends her and her baby dragon assistant [[Spike (My Little Pony)|Spike]] to Ponyville to supervise the preparations for the celebration and make some friends, which Twilight couldn't care less about.
Twilight reluctantly meets five ponies in charge of the preparations: [[Applejack (My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic)|Applejack]], a diligent earth pony who works on her family's apple farm; [[Rainbow Dash]], a tomboyish [[pegasus]] who helps control the weather; [[Rarity (My Little Pony)|Rarity]], a glamorous unicorn who designs fashion; [[Fluttershy]], a shy pegasus who communicates with animals; and [[Pinkie Pie]], a hyperactive earth pony who loves throwing parties. After Twilight becomes acquainted with them, she looks forward to continuing to study the legend of Nightmare Moon at her new home, the Golden Oak Library, but her plans are spoiled when Pinkie Pie throws her a welcome party. Frustrated, Twilight fails to do any studying and heads to the celebration in the morning. There, Celestia vanishes, and Nightmare Moon appears and decrees everlasting night.
=== Part 2 === Twilight, joined by her new friends, returns to her library, recalling a set of artifacts called the [[Elements of Harmony]] used to defeat Nightmare Moon in the past. Her guidebook states that five of the elements are known—Honesty, Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, and Loyalty—but the sixth is not. It further reads that when the five Elements are present, a spark will cause the sixth to appear and that their last known location is the Castle of the Two Sisters.
Twilight and her new friends venture into the Everfree Forest, where the castle is located, to find the Elements of Harmony. Nightmare Moon creates obstacles to stop them, but each pony helps the group overcome them using her own strengths. When a cliff is destroyed, Applejack truthfully tells Twilight to let herself fall so Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy can catch her; when a [[manticore]] is hurt, Fluttershy stops her friends from attacking him and removes a thorn from his paw; when Nightmare Moon creates scary visuals on a group of trees, Pinkie convinces her friends to laugh at them instead of fear them; when [[List of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic characters#Steven Magnet|a sea serpent]] is in despair over losing his mustache, Rarity gives him her tail instead; and when the Shadowbolts, a group of talented flyers, ask Rainbow Dash to be their leader, she declines, citing loyalty to her friends.
Once the group enters the castle, Nightmare Moon kidnaps Twilight and the Elements to another tower, forcing the others to go after them. As Twilight tries to create a spark with her magic, Nightmare Moon shatters the Elements. Though devastated, Twilight hears her friends coming for her and realizes that they all represent the six Elements: Honesty (Applejack), Kindness (Fluttershy), Laughter (Pinkie Pie), Generosity (Rarity), Loyalty (Rainbow Dash) and Magic (herself). The spark is revealed to be a spark of Friendship, and the group wields the Elements to defeat Nightmare Moon, returning her to her original form as Celestia's younger sister, [[Princess Luna]]. Celestia returns, forgives Luna, and allows Twilight to stay in Ponyville in order to continue studying the magic of friendship and stay with her new friends.
== Background == The opening scene of "Friendship Is Magic" presents drawings that are similar to fairy tale ones.{{sfn|Begin|2015|p=83}} The episodes feature a sea serpent, whose peculiar hair and expressive face "reflect the unexpected humor he lends the story".{{sfn|Begin|2015|p=118}} The Manticore, studied by [[Lynne Naylor]] in various incarnations, is intended to depict a silly but ferocious attitude; his sharp wings are a contrast from his circular hair and body structure.{{sfn|Begin|2015|p=124}} Nightmare Moon, an idea from [[Paul Rudish]],<ref>{{cite interview|url=http://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/09/exclusive-season-1-retrospective.html|title= Exclusive Season 1 Retrospective Interview with Lauren Faust|interviewer=Tekaramity|date=September 15, 2011|access-date=November 2, 2021|publisher=[[Equestria Daily]]|first=Lauren|last=Faust|author-link=Lauren Faust|archive-date=November 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112034245/https://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/09/exclusive-season-1-retrospective.html|url-status=live}}</ref> has an anatomy, wings, and color palette that represent her menace.{{sfn|Begin|2015|p=82}} The episodes' only song, "Laughter Song", in which Pinkie sings to convince her friends to laugh instead of fear, was written by [[Daniel Ingram (composer)|Daniel Ingram]] after he was suggested as a songwriter for the show; he wrote a [[demo (music)|demo]] based on lyrics by the series creator, [[Lauren Faust]], which ultimately secured him the job.<ref>{{cite interview |last1=Ingram |first1=Daniel |author1-link=Daniel Ingram (composer) |title=Daniel Ingram Interview has arrived! |url=https://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/03/daniel-ingram-interview-has-arrived.html |interviewer=Sethisto |publisher=[[Equestria Daily]] |access-date=November 2, 2021 |language=en |date=March 23, 2011 |archive-date=November 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211105035433/https://www.equestriadaily.com/2011/03/daniel-ingram-interview-has-arrived.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
== Broadcast and reception == The first part of the episodes aired on [[Discovery Family|The Hub]] on October 10, 2010, with the second part airing twelve days later.<ref>{{cite web |title=My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (DFC) |url=http://www.thefutoncritic.com/showatch/my-little-pony-friendship-is-magic/listings |publisher=[[The Futon Critic]] |access-date=November 2, 2021}}</ref> Critics were positive towards the episodes. Sherilyn Connelly considered the episodes a "fun ride". She praised the climax, stating "the episode[s] ... fly off the rails in an orgy of oddly [[Spielbergian]] effects and philosophizing".<ref name="Connelly">{{cite web |last1=Connelly |first1=Sherilyn |title=My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, Season 1, Episodes 1 and 2 |url=https://archives.sfweekly.com/exhibitionist/2012/02/07/my-little-pony-friendship-is-magic-season-1-episodes-1-and-2?showFullText=true |website=[[SF Weekly]] |access-date=November 2, 2021 |language=en |date=February 7, 2012 |archive-date=October 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211005031159/https://archives.sfweekly.com/exhibitionist/2012/02/07/my-little-pony-friendship-is-magic-season-1-episodes-1-and-2?showFullText=true |url-status=live }}</ref> Though she found the plot predictable, ''[[The Mary Sue]]''{{'s}} Nicole Pucci called the episodes "a great setup for an [[Role-playing game|RPG [role-playing game]]]". She deemed Rarity's generosity towards the sea serpent as an example of "[t]he show ... address[ing] several things [she] wouldn't have expected to show up in today's overly-sterilized kids' fare".<ref name="Pucci">{{cite web |last1=Pucci |first1=Nicole |title=For the Herd: Why The Internet Loves My Little Pony |url=https://www.themarysue.com/internet-my-little-pony |website=[[The Mary Sue]] |access-date=November 2, 2021 |language=en |date=May 10, 2011 |archive-date=November 3, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211103055819/https://www.themarysue.com/internet-my-little-pony/ |url-status=live }}</ref> A study by Christian Valiente and Xeno Rasmusson considered the episodes to contest gender stereotypes; they said that females are in positions of authority—such as Applejack's management of her family and Rainbow Dash's controlling the weather— and roles that are primary—with only two male characters who speak—and active—with a female villain driving the story and female ponies resolving the conflict.{{sfn|Valiente|Rasmusson|2015|p=92}}
== Home media == In February 2012, [[Shout! Factory]] released a [[DVD]], titled "The Friendship Express", containing both parts of "Friendship Is Magic" along with three other episodes.<ref>{{cite web |title=My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic: The Friendship Express |url=https://www.shoutfactory.com/product/my-little-pony-friendship-is-magic-the-friendship-express?product_id=2039 |publisher=[[Shout! Factory]] |access-date=November 2, 2021 |language=en |archive-date=May 26, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210526023920/https://www.shoutfactory.com/product/my-little-pony-friendship-is-magic-the-friendship-express?product_id=2039 |url-status=live }}</ref> The premiere has also been included in the first season DVD, released in December of that same year.<ref>{{cite web |title=My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic: Season One |url=https://www.shoutfactory.com/product/my-little-pony-friendship-is-magic-season-one?product_id=3198 |publisher=[[Shout! Factory]] |access-date=November 2, 2021 |language=en |archive-date=May 26, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210526023917/https://www.shoutfactory.com/product/my-little-pony-friendship-is-magic-season-one?product_id=3198 |url-status=live }}</ref>
== References == {{Reflist}}
=== Works cited === {{refbegin}} * {{cite book |last1=Begin |first1=Mary Jane |title=My Little Pony: The Art of Equestria |date=October 13, 2015 |publisher=[[Abrams Books]] |isbn=978-1-419-71577-8}} * {{cite journal |last1=Valiente |first1=Christian |last2=Rasmusson |first2=Xeno |title=Bucking the Stereotypes: My Little Pony and Challenges to Traditional Gender Roles |journal=Journal of Psychological Issues in Organizational Culture |date=February 24, 2015 |volume=5 |issue=4 |pages=88–97 |doi=10.1002/jpoc.21162 |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/jpoc.21162 |access-date=November 2, 2021 |language=en |issn=2041-8426 |via=[[Wiley Online Library]]|url-access=subscription }} {{refend}}
== External links == * {{IMDb episode|1763755|Friendship Is Magic – Part 1}} * {{IMDb episode|1758314|Friendship Is Magic – Part 2}}
{{My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic episodes|1|state=expanded}}
[[Category:2010 American television episodes]] [[Category:2010 Canadian television episodes]] [[Category:2010s American television series premieres]] [[Category:2010s Canadian television series premieres]] [[Category:My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic episodes]]