{{Infobox television episode | series = [[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic]] | image = Students gathering around Apple Bloom S2E06.png | image_size = 280 | image_alt = | caption = [[Cutie Mark Crusaders#Apple Bloom|Apple Bloom]] (center) shows off her new [[cutie mark]] to her classmates. | season = 2 | episode = 6 | writer = [[Amy Keating Rogers]] | director = *[[Jayson Thiessen]] * [[James Wootton (animator)|James Wootton]] | music = | editor = | airdate = {{Start date|2011|11|12}} | length = 22 minutes | prev = [[Sisterhooves Social]] | next = [[May the Best Pet Win!]] | season_article = My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic season 2 | episode_list = List of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic episodes }} "'''The Cutie Pox'''" is the sixth episode of the [[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic season 2|second season]] of the [[Animated series|animated television series]] ''[[My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic]]''. The episode was written by [[Amy Keating Rogers]]. It originally aired on [[Discovery_Family#As_Hub_Network_(2010–2014)|The Hub]] on November 12, 2011. In this episode, [[Cutie Mark Crusaders#Apple Bloom|Apple Bloom]] becomes desperate to earn her [[cutie mark]] and takes a magical flower that causes her to develop the Cutie Pox, an ailment that forces her to uncontrollably perform various talents.
== Plot == {{External media |headerimage=[[File:YouTube 2024.svg|alt=YouTube logo|x20px|center]] |video1=[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHoOy5TSByI The Cutie Pox (full episode)] — Official upload of the episode onto [[YouTube]] | float= left| }} {{My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic sidebar}} After another failed attempt at earning her [[cutie mark]] at a bowling alley, [[Cutie Mark Crusaders#Apple Bloom|Apple Bloom]] becomes discouraged, especially after witnessing another pony earning his mark in the alley. Dejected, she wanders into the Everfree Forest and accidentally injures her tooth. [[Zecora]] finds her and brings her back to her hut, where she restores the tooth with a [[potion]]. Apple Bloom asks Zecora if there is a potion that could help her get a cutie mark, but Zecora insists that only time can bring one. Zecora leaves to gather ingredients, but Apple Bloom remains in the hut and secretly uses a flower called Heart's Desire to brew a potion.
The next day, Apple Bloom appears at school with a new cutie mark and demonstrates a talent for hoop tricks. Her classmates are amazed, and her teacher Cheerilee asks her to give a lesson. As she performs, a second cutie mark appears, followed by another talent that she is suddenly able to do—[[spinning plates]]. Although Diamond Tiara suspects the marks are fake, Apple Bloom effortlessly performs both skills.
That night, [[Applejack (My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic)|Applejack]] hears noises and discovers Apple Bloom [[tap dancing]] uncontrollably. Apple Bloom now has a third cutie mark and cannot stop performing. Applejack takes her to [[Twilight Sparkle]], who identifies the condition as the "[[chickenpox|Cutie Pox]]", a mysterious illness with no known cure. Twilight and Applejack take her to find Zecora, but on the way, Apple Bloom continues gaining cutie marks and talents. Zecora arrives in Ponyville and explains that she came to replace her missing Heart's Desire. She gives them enchanted seeds that will only bloom when someone tells the truth. Apple Bloom admits that she took the flower and used it to create a potion that gave her cutie marks. The seeds bloom instantly, and the resulting flower cures her.
Apple Bloom apologizes to Zecora and the others for stealing and lying. Zecora forgives her, and Twilight asks her to write a friendship report. Apple Bloom reflects on how taking shortcuts does not lead to genuine results, because what the heart truly desires must be earned. However, moments later, she joins Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle to visit Zecora again, hoping to earn a cutie mark in potion-making.
== Reception == Sherilyn Connelly, the author of ''Ponyville Confidential'', gave the episode a "B" rating.<ref>{{harvp|Connelly|2017|p=78}}</ref> In her review of the episode in ''[[SF Weekly]]'', Connelly remarked that this episode's friendship lesson was the first without the [[Mane Six]] involved at all. She wrote that this episode was a strong end for the character arc where the Crusaders demand their cutie marks by any means necessary.<ref>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120602180032/http://blogs.sfweekly.com/exhibitionist/2012/05/my_little_pony_recap_season_2_episodes_05_06.php|url=http://blogs.sfweekly.com/exhibitionist/2012/05/my_little_pony_recap_season_2_episodes_05_06.php|first=Sherilyn|last=Connelly|url-status=dead|archive-date=2012-06-02|date=2012-05-30|title=My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, Season 2, Episodes 5 & 6|website=[[SF Weekly]]}}</ref>
In a critical analysis of the episode, author Jen A. Blue described "The Cutie Pox" as "merely pretty good" and "a bit of a let-down", judging it a step down from the season's earlier high points and criticizing its second consecutive focus on the Cutie Mark Crusaders alongside what she called the "deeply problematic" [[tokenism]] of Zecora. Blue wrote that the plot hinged on Applejack and Twilight Sparkle making a "huge logical leap" in deciding to seek the zebra healer—an action rendered moot when Zecora arrived unprompted—and that the story left both the origin of the Cutie Pox and the workings of the Heart’s Desire plant unresolved. Blue interpreted Apple Bloom’s rapid succession of cutie marks as an [[allegory]] for a desire for [[social validation]], linking it to cultural pressures on young adults to measure self-worth through socially sanctioned milestones. Ultimately, Blue suggested that the episode hinted at a subtler lesson for older viewers: Apple Bloom could begin to cultivate self-validation only once she recognized that her value did not depend solely on a cutie mark.<ref name="Blue-S1">{{cite book |last=Blue |first=Jen A. |title=My Little Po-Mo: Unauthorized Critical Essays on My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic Season Two |pages=53–57 |date=2014-10-25 |chapter=You don’t have any cutie marks either? I thought I was the only one! (The Cutie Pox)}}</ref> [[File:Ponies_dodging_bowling_ball_S2E06.png|thumb|right|upright=1.2|[[Jeff Lebowski]] (left) and [[Walter Sobchak]] (right) from ''[[The Big Lebowski]]'', portrayed as ponies, dodge a bowling ball accidentally thrown by the Cutie Mark Crusaders.<ref>{{cite book |last=Hobbs |first=Priscilla |editor1-last=Berti |editor1-first=Irene |editor2-last=Carlà-Uhink |editor2-first=Filippo |title=Ancient Magic and the Supernatural in the Modern Visual and Performing Arts |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |date=2015-04-23 |isbn=9781472532213 |language=English |pages=197-198 |chapter=Everypony Has a Story: Revisions of Greco-Roman Mythology in My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Veale |first=Kevin |title=Capital, dialogue, and community engagement—My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic understood as an alternate reality game |journal=[[Transformative Works and Cultures]] |volume=14 |year=2013 |doi=10.3983/twc.2013.0510 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.3983/twc.2013.0510 |doi-access=free}}</ref> The character on the left later received speaking lines in the episode "[[Slice of Life (My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic)|Slice of Life]]".]] Raymond Gallant of ''Freakin' Awesome Network'' gave the episode a rating of 6 out of 10 and called it his "least favorite episode this season." He praised Apple Bloom as a charismatic and hilarious character and enjoyed seeing Zecora despite noting that "her [[rhyming]] at times seems a bit stretched." Gallant wrote that he particularly appreciated the episode's [[pop culture]] references, especially what he described as "[[Big Lebowski]] Ponies," writing that the episode was "very heavy in references, more so than any episode I can recall in the past." However, he criticized the episode's pacing as too slow at times, particularly the hooping scene. Gallant also expressed frustration with the absence of [[Fluttershy]] for the second consecutive episode and complained that Big McIntosh was "reduced to a simple catchphrase speaker." He wrote that while the episode was decent, it "pales in comparison to some of the stronger episodes we've seen recently."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.freakinawesomenetwork.net/2011/11/my-little-pony-friendship-is-magic-season-2-episode-6-review/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140309102303/http://www.freakinawesomenetwork.net/2011/11/my-little-pony-friendship-is-magic-season-2-episode-6-review/|first=Raymond|last=Gallant|title=My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Season 2, Episode 6 Review|website=Freakin Awesome Network|date=2011-11-14|access-date=2025-06-12|url-status=dead|archive-date=2014-03-09}}</ref>
''Anime Superhero News'' praised "The Cutie Pox" as "a great solid episode" and commended the character choice, writing that Apple Bloom was the perfect choice because she is "by far the most desperate of the group to get her Cutie Mark." The review highlighted the episode's character work and comedy, stating that "the show did a perfect job of having unique and well-played characters".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://animesuperhero.com/mlp-friendship-is-magic-the-cutie-pox-recap/|author=SammyT|title=MLP: Friendship is Magic "The Cutie Pox" Recap|website=Anime Superhero News|date=2011-11-14|access-date=2025-06-12}}</ref>
A review from ''Republibot'' praised the Cutie Mark Crusaders as well-developed characters, writing that they are "a rare instance of having supporting characters that are the target audience's age and who aren't completely annoying." The reviewer noted that it made sense for Apple Bloom, as the youngest of three siblings, to be the most obsessed with earning her cutie mark. While acknowledging the episode covered similar territory to the first season's "[[Call of the Cutie]]", the review stated it manages to stay fresh through the [[law of unintended consequences]]. The reviewer commended the show's writing and the quality of the animation, especially "the transition from the Apple family's house to Twilight's library" where Apple Bloom performs her newfound talents while "the background changes behind her," which "subtly indicates how incessant her compulsions are."<ref>{{cite web|author=Church|title=EPISODE REVIEW: Friendship is Magic: The Cutie Pox|website=Republibot|date=2011-11-19|access-date=2025-06-12|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220910195307/http://www.republibot.com/content/episode-review-friendship-magic-cutie-pox|archive-date=2022-09-10|url=http://www.republibot.com/content/episode-review-friendship-magic-cutie-pox}}</ref>
== Home media release == The episode was part of the Season 2 [[DVD]] set, released by [[Shout! Factory|Shout Factory]] on May 14, 2013.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/My-Little-Pony-Friendship-Magic/dp/B00C0YUY4Q/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top|title=My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic: Season 2|website=Amazon |date=February 27, 2013|access-date=March 25, 2013|archive-date=April 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210404071625/https://www.amazon.com/My-Little-Pony-Friendship-Magic/dp/B00C0YUY4Q/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top|url-status=live}}</ref>
== See also == * [[List of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic episodes|List of ''My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic'' episodes]]
== References == {{reflist}}
===Bibliography=== * {{Cite book |last=Connelly |first=Sherilyn |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Ponyville_Confidential/E3VPDgAAQBAJ |title=Ponyville Confidential: The History and Culture of My Little Pony, 1981-2016 |date=2017-04-01 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-1-4766-6209-1 |language=en}}
== External links == * {{IMDb episode|2071866}}
{{My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic episodes|2|state=expanded}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cutie Pox, The}} [[Category:My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic episodes]] [[Category:2011 American television episodes]] [[Category:2011 Canadian television episodes]]