Friendship is Magic Issue 63

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic #63 is the sixty-third issue of IDW Publishing's. In the issue, Ponyville gets swept by an anti-sugar movement that threatens to put Sugarcube Corner out of business.

Summary
The comic begins at Sugarcube Corner with a celebration commemorating the establishment's many years of business in Ponyville. The celebration is suddenly interrupted by a loud drumming that heralds the arrival of the "Anti-Sugar League", led by the crotchety sugar-hating Temperance Flowerdew. Wielding a sword, Temperance destroys a cake and declares all sugar to be evil.

She and her followers start distributing pamphlets around Ponyville that mention the harmful effects of sugar. Mr. and Mrs. Cake fear what this will do to their business, but Twilight Sparkle assures them that the Anti-Sugar League do not have the authority to outlaw sugar and that Temperance and her followers will move on to the next town soon.

However, the next morning, the League is still protesting outside Sugarcube Corner and has even convinced a number of ponies in Ponyville to join their cause. By the following week, the town has been split into two sides—with one half supporting Temperance and the other half too afraid to go inside Sugarcube Corner—causing the bakery's business to dry up completely. With the town in the state it's in, Pinkie Pie fears her party planning days are over until she comes up with the idea of showing Temperance the joy her parties bring.

Outside Sugarcube Corner, Pinkie Pie meets with Temperance Flowerdew and offers to throw her a welcoming party, but Temperance refuses, dismissing streamers and confetti as nonsense. She criticizes Pinkie for making ponies sick with the sweets she gives out at her parties, and Pinkie starts to heavily question her purpose in life. Before Pinkie loses herself to despair, Temperance convinces her to join her cause in spreading her anti-sugar doctrine.

Two days later, Twilight checks in on Pinkie and the Cakes at Sugarcube Corner, but no one is home. Suddenly, a letter of instruction falls on Twilight's head, telling her to go to Sweet Apple Acres with the password "swordfish". At the barn, Twilight gives Granny Smith the password, and she is allowed entry into a Prohibition-style speakeasy where ponies can consume as much sugar as they please, despite how sick such rapid and overabundant consumption makes them. Having had enough of the madness, Twilight decides to confront Temperance Flowerdew.

Back in town, past the crowd of sugar-protesting ponies, Twilight discovers that Pinkie Pie has completely turned over to Temperance's side. Pinkie explains that Temperance grew up in a home that was just as strict as her own family's rock farm. Forbidden from having any sugar, she gave in to temptation one day and ate enough sweets to give herself a days-long stomachache. Ever since, she dedicated her life to spreading the doctrine of anti-sugar. Despite Temperance's assertion that everyone is now eating healthy, Twilight argues that they are all miserable—with half the town gloomily condemning sugar and the other half sick from its overconsumption.

Witnessing the chaos all around her, Temperance realizes how blind she has been to others' perspectives and to the results of her own actions. With the help of the ponies of Ponyville, Temperance adopts a new doctrine of balanced eating and enjoying sugar in moderation. As she enjoys some cake at Sugarcube Corner, she worries that Pinkie Pie still has too much sugar in her diet, but Pinkie assures her that she eats a lot of vegetables when no one is looking.

Quotes

 * Temperance Flowerdew: I now pronounce Ponyville to be sugar free!


 * Rainbow Dash: Temperance Flowerdew says sugar is the ultimate evil.
 * Applejack: It destroys your teeth and—
 * Rarity: —your soul.
 * Pinkie Pie: And leads to severe weight gain.


 * Twilight Sparkle: What could possible be making them go along with this?
 * Diamond Tiara: No rotting teeth for me!
 * Cranky Doodle Donkey: No hypertension for me!
 * Applejack: Does that answer your question?


 * Twilight Sparkle: Sugarcube Corner is a fixture in Ponyville. It will take more than one fanatic with a few followers to shut it down. It's not time to panic. How long can they possibly keep this up?


 * Applejack: Is it time to panic yet?


 * Pinkie Pie: Sugarcube Corner without sugar? Ponyville without Sugarcube Corner? Pinkie parties without sweets? Ponyville without Pinkie parties? If there are no Pinkie parties, then why am I even here? What's my purpose?


 * Temperance Flowerdew: I will not be distracted by nonsense such as streamers and confetti!
 * Pinkie Pie: Those things aren't nonsense.
 * Temperance Flowerdew: Aren't they, though? Is that what you want your life to be, Miss Pie? Filled with the frivolity of confetti, which is so easily disposed after serving its fleeting purpose? I, on the other hand, devote my days to helping ponies. Enabling them to purge themselves of poison. Making an impression that will last a lifetime!
 * Pinkie Pie: But I do make an impression. One that makes everypony... happy.
 * Temperance Flowerdew: Happy for that moment maybe! But you give them cakes, candies, cookies, cupcakes—all those things that make them sick. Is that your purpose? Making ponies sick?
 * Pinkie Pie: I never thought of it that way. I don't want to make ponies sick. And so many ponies here in the town agree with you. Maybe there really isn't a place for me in Ponyville anymore.


 * Twilight Sparkle: Has all of Ponyville gone mad?


 * Temperance Flowerdew: At least they're healthy!
 * Twilight Sparkle: Healthy? What do you know about—
 * Temperance Flowerdew: Silence!
 * Twilight Sparkle: I will not be quiet! Yes, being healthy is about nutrition. But it's also about being happy! Why does everypony think this sugar thing needs to be all or nothing? Look around here! Do these ponies look happy and healthy?


 * Temperance Flowerdew: Have I caused all this... chaos?
 * Pinkie Pie: Honestly? Yes, you have!


 * Temperance Flowerdew: As it turns out, enjoying a little bit of sweets really is okay. But Pinkie, you seem to live off of them!
 * Pinkie Pie: When nobody is looking, I eat a lot of vegetables.
 * Temperance Flowerdew: Happy to hear it!