Lesson Zero

Lesson Zero is the third and episode of the second season of My Little Pony Friendship is Magic, and the twenty-ninth episode overall. The episode was the first to use the remastered theme song.

Summary
The episode starts off as Twilight and Spike are walking, collecting items for a checklist for a picnic. Twilight needs some cupcakes, and finds out Mrs. Cake adds some more frosting. She disarranges them, the frosting becomes even, and Spike is covered in frosting, then licks it off. Spike and Twilight then leave for their house. Spike then claims the checklist is done, then gets a claw cramp. He then points out that they haven't written a letter to Princess Celestia that week, and Twilight panics, realizing they haven't. Spike then wonders why Twilight is panicking, and she panics even more.

"Bad? BAD!? It's worse than bad!"

- Twilight Sparkle

She then checks her calendar and founds out they really haven't sent a letter to the Princess that week, and claims they'll be tardy. She is afraid to take the chance of being late, then panics even more, saying that the Princess won't let her write more friendship reports and give her a test, sending her back to Magic Kindergarten. Spike believes Twilight is overexaggerating, saying that the Princess would never send her back to Magic Kindergarten. Twilight then agrees, saying she has no reason to worry, then pointing out she'll probably get the letter to Princess Celestia before sundown.

Twilight then proceeds to ask all of her close friends if they have any problems, starting with Spike. Spike says he has nothing, resorting to Twilight finding a friend in need. Spike groans over how badly this will end.

While looking around Ponyville, Twilight overhears Rarity crying at her shop after she lost her ribbon she requires for a dress. Before Twilight can help her, however, Rarity finds the ribbon she needed, much to Twilight's disappointment.

While searching for her other friends, Rainbow Dash destroying an old barn on Sweet Apple Acres. Twilight thinks that Dash and Applejack are fighting with each other and stops Rainbow Dash. However, Rainbow Dash then informs Twilight about given permission to destroy the old barn and finishes off the job in one rainbow explosion.

Still determined, Twilight decides to visit Fluttershy believing she will have a problem which can be fixed by her. However, when arriving at her cottage, Twilight sees Fluttershy aggressively attacking a bear and decides to back off. As the unicorn leaves in despair over her timid friend being courageous of all days, it is soon revealed that Fluttershy was massaging the tense bear.

Twilight, becoming more worried, starts to talk to her own reflection in a puddle trying to convince herself she still can get the letter done before the end of the day. However while this happens, she starts imaging small filly ponies laughing at her before Spike intervenes reviling the laughing ponies just some fillies playing jump rope. Spike then reminds Twilight about the picnic and she proceeds to head to the picnic.

Twilight then arrives at the picnic, gritting her teeth and very angry. She explains to her friends that she's in a state of panic and needs them to help her find a lesson about friendship to write about to Princess Celestia. When her friends deny her any help and simply insist on her to just sit down and enjoy the picnic, she leaves in a fuss.

With the sun about to set soon, Twilight decides the only option left is to create a problem so she can solve it herself. She spots the Cutie Mark Crusaders playing with a ball, and approaches them to try and get them to take her doll, Smarty Pants. When they refuse to take the doll, she casts a spell on it, making the Crusaders want the doll and begin fighting over it. She tries to break up the fight but is unable to. She then asks Big McIntosh, who was passing by, to get the doll. However, upon retrieving it, he becomes enchanted with the doll and runs away with it. Eventually, nearly  all of Ponyville  falls for the spell and begins to fighting over the doll. The day finally ended and, to Twilight's fear, an angry Princess Celestia intervenes to undo her student's spell, returning all of the ponies to normal. She instructs Twilight to meet her at the library. Twilight bids farewell to her friends, who realize they may never see her again.

Once in the library, Twilight explains her actions while Spike overhears. Celestia shows her immense faith in her student, and says that she does not require a letter every week. Twilight's friends stumble in, and plead to the Princess to be merciful to her student, explaining that they were wrong for denying Twilight help when she needed. In lieu of a punishment for Twilight, the Princess requests that all of Twilight's friends write her letters about friendship from now on.

The episode ends with them offering a collaborative report, showing that they learned of taking a friend's worry seriously, even if it does not always seem as serious.

Trivia

 * This is the first episode to feature a new introduction scene with a slightly altered theme song. The new introduction shows a train in Ponyville. If you look closely in the first carriage, you can see Derpy in the top window, possibly hinting at her having a more prominant role in upcoming episodes.
 * In this episode, Spike broke the fourth wall three times in this episode (When Twilight panics about being tardy, he rolls the background that followed this claim away reverting it to the previous one. When she fantasized about being sent back to Magic Kindergarden, he rolled it up as if it were a window blind. When she imagins three fillies laughing at her, he pops the scene before demanding Twilight to "Snap out of it").
 * In one scene, Derpy and the Mayor fight over Twilight's doll. When Princess Celestia breaks the spell that Twilight cast on the doll, Derpy goes back to her familiar walleyed expression.
 * The scene in which Twilight is talking to her reflection is a reference to Gollum from Lord of the Rings.
 * Many scenes in this episode seem to be inspired by internet memes.
 * In this episode, each unicorn was given their own seperate color that surrounds their horn when performing magic instead of the usual purple. This is possibly a permanent change for Season 2.

Gallery

 * Lesson Zero image gallery