List of allusions/Season three

The following is a list of allusions to other My Little Pony generations, works of fiction, people, places, events, and other cultural touchstones in the third season of My Little Pony Friendship is Magic. Entries on this page must follow the similarity guidelines.

The Crystal Empire - Part 1

 * King Sombra was meant to be a "dark presence", inspired by Sauron, the main antagonist of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
 * The scene in which Shining Armor greets the main ponies parallels that of when Han Solo searches for Luke Skywalker on the ice planet of Hoth during a blizzard in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.
 * Pinkie Pie's spy outfit is very similar to Sam Fisher's from the Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell series.

The Crystal Empire - Part 2

 * The jousting match between Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash is an allusion to the late Middle Ages sport of jousting.

Too Many Pinkie Pies

 * Twilight attempts to perform a spell that turns an apple into an orange, echoing a similar idiom.
 * Twilight's line "What in the wide, wide world of Equestria?" is a reference to a similar line spoken in the 1974 film Blazing Saddles -- "What in the wide, wide world of sports?".
 * One of the Pinkie duplicates narrowly misses being crushed by the falling barn by being precisely in a window opening – a nod to the famous scene with Buster Keaton in Steamboat Bill Junior.
 * One of Pinkie Pie's duplicates makes a 'crazy face' that matches the G3 version of herself.

One Bad Apple

 * The episode title is a reference to the saying: "One bad apple spoils the bunch."
 * Scootaloo's comment about the Dark Side is a reference to Star Wars.
 * The "Babs Seed" sequence is reminiscent of early 1970s cartoon shows like Josie and The Pussycats with its chase scenes and bubblegum pop melody.
 * The movie scene is a reference to the famous 1953 cinema advertisement, Let's All Go to the Lobby.
 * In a scene during the Babs Seed song, the gala dresses from season one make a return, along with a number of the Nightmare Night costumes from Luna Eclipsed.
 * The costumes the Cutie Mark Crusaders wore during the musical number is a reference to the classic fable The Three Little Pigs, with Babs wearing the wolf costume.
 * When the Cutie Mark Crusaders are building the float to get back at Babs, a version of The A-Team theme plays.
 * in the parade, Amethyst Star is dressed as Strawberry Shortcake, and Dr. Hooves is dressed as a pear, a possible reference to the 10th Doctor's (David Tennant) hatred of pears.

Magic Duel

 * The intro sequence resembles scenes from a number of other works in which a customer wishes to buy a dangerous item. For instance, in The Monkey's Paw, a Simpsons Treehouse of Horror segment, the shopkeeper only sells Homer a wish-granting item after warning him that it will grant wishes in the worst possible way, whilst in Gremlins, Chinese curio shop owner Mr. Wing refuses to sell Gizmo the Mogwai to the main character's father out of fear of the destruction he will cause if improperly cared for. The shopkeeper is modeled after the bookkeeper from the 1992 Sierra adventure game King's Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow.
 * Twilight's training with Zecora references Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. Twilight, much like Luke Skywalker, seeks a mentor to defeat a corrupted enemy. Zecora directly quotes Luke's mentor, Yoda, as she instructs Twilight to "unlearn what you have learned." Also within this scene, Twilight loses focus with her magic as she remembers Trixie's control of Ponyville, much like how Luke loses focus during training as he has a vision about his friends in danger.
 * When Trixie summons the dome to cover Ponyville, a musical score closely resembling 'Carnival of the Animals: Aquarium' by the classical composer Camille Saint-Saëns can be heard.
 * The scene is also either a reference to the Stephen King novel Under the Dome and/or The Simpsons Movie, where a town cut off from the outside world by a large dome is a major part of both plots.
 * The location that Twilight mentions "Saddle Arabia", is a reference to Saudi Arabia.

Sleepless in Ponyville

 * The episode title is a play on the 1993 romantic comedy movie Sleepless in Seattle.
 * The entire opening scene mirrors the one after the introduction in The Show Stoppers. The two ponies Scootaloo rushes past are the same (Shoeshine and Cherry Berry), Granny Smith appears, and there is also an obstacle in the middle of the road which Scootaloo catches air from, though the scenes are in a different order and the ponies react differently.
 * As with the bag in Sweet and Elite, the two horseshoes on Rarity's bag in her camping cart bears similarity to the Chanel logo.
 * The music during Scootaloo's sleep-scooting sequence makes reference to Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake.
 * Rainbow Dash tells the story of the Headless Horse, an allusion to the Headless Horseman.
 * Sweetie Belle sings "99 Buckets of Oats", a ponified (and more kid-friendly) version of the campfire song "99 Bottles of Beer".

Wonderbolts Academy

 * There are "several references to Top Gun throughout" the episode.

Apple Family Reunion

 * Young Granny Smith's mane and tail resemble Applejack's in her development sketch.
 * As in The Cutie Pox, a painting on the wall in the Apple family house resembles Grant Wood's American Gothic.
 * The "Pappy Pony" tongue twister is likely a reference to the well-known tongue twister Peter Piper.

Spike at Your Service

 * Spike's face-off with the giant Timberwolf, and the Timberwolf's defeat, mirrors the Biblical tale of David and Goliath: each story's adversary is defeated with a single rock.

Keep Calm and Flutter On

 * The title is a reference to the 1939 British WWII propaganda poster Keep Calm and Carry On, which has since become a popular internet meme.
 * The original title of the episode, Fluttershy's Home for Reformed Draconequi, alludes to the title of the Cartoon Network animated series, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, which Lauren Faust and writers Amy Keating Rogers, Meghan McCarthy, Cindy Morrow and Chris Savino have all worked on.
 * Before the friends leave Fluttershy's house, there is a reference to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland with Discord in the Mad Hatter's outfit.
 * The dancing candles are a reference to the 1991 Disney movie Beauty and the Beast.
 * Twilight's line at the dinner party, "Hold on to your elements girls. It's going to be a bumpy night." is a reference to the movie All About Eve. Bette Davis as Margo Channing utters the famous line, "Fasten your seatbelts. It's going to be a bumpy night."
 * Discord eating the reformation spells is a reference to John de Lancie's quote, as Q, "Eat any good books lately?"

Just for Sidekicks

 * The title is a play on the term "just for kicks".
 * The song Spike sings at the beginning of the episode: "Spike is great, making a jewel cake", is a reference to a famous skit performed by Bill Cosby about giving his children chocolate cake for breakfast. In return his children sang, "Dad is great, gives us chocolate cake!"

Games Ponies Play

 * The title of this episode alludes to the 1964 bestselling book, Games People Play.
 * The episode's premise is similar to and inspired by the fourth episode of the BBC sitcom Fawlty Towers, The Hotel Inspectors.
 * The Equestria Games are based on the Summer Olympic Games.
 * The winged shoes the messenger wears are an allusion to the ancient Greek god Hermes, who wore winged sandals which enabled him to fly. Hermes, having the ability of flight, played the role of messenger for the Olympian Gods, and was likewise a patron of sports. The winged shoes also allude to the myth of Perseus, a hero who borrowed Hermes' sandals during his ventures.

Magical Mystery Cure

 * The title is a reference to the 1967 film Magical Mystery Tour by the Beatles.
 * The first song is reminiscent of the song Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin' from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Oklahoma!
 * Twilight's line "It doesn't even make sense, it doesn't even rhyme" comes from the 1999 film Julien Donkey-Boy.
 * When Twilight says "Today, I consider myself the luckiest pony in Equestria", it mimics legendary baseball player Lou Gehrig's famous July 4, 1939 farewell speech at Yankee Stadium; specifically, the portion where he said, "Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the Earth".