Lesson Zero

Lesson Zero is the third 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 added an extra cupcake. She disarranges them, claiming the frosting is not fairly distributed with the extra cupcake, until there is only a tiny bit on each cake, and Spike is covered in frosting, which he licks it. Afterwards they head home, their checklist complete, and Spike gets a claw cramp. He 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 finds 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 give her a test that she'll fail and be sent back to Magic Kindergarten. Spike believes Twilight is over-exaggerating, saying that the Princess would never send her back to Magic Kindergarten. Twilight becomes determined to solve a friendship-problem and have a letter written to 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, Twilight finds 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 that she was given permission to destroy the old barn and finishes off the job with a sonic rainboom..

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 apparently attacking a bear and decides to back off, exclaiming that of all the days she had to stop being a "scardey-pony", it had to be today. As the unicorn leaves in despair over her timid friend being courageous of all days, it is soon revealed that Fluttershy was aiding the bear with a tense shoulder and giving it a massage.

Twilight, becoming more worried, starts to tearfully 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, revealing that the "laughing ponies" are just some fillies playing jump rope nearby. Spike then reminds Twilight about the picnic and she proceeds to head off to meet up with her friends.

Twilight then arrives at the picnic, clearly agitated and explains to her friends that she needs them to help her find a lesson about friendship to write about to Princess Celestia. When her friends laugh and insist that she has nothing to worry about she runs off.

With the sun about to set soon, a mentally teetering Twilight decides the only option left is to create a problem so she can solve it. 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 don't immediately fight over the doll, she casts a "want it need it" 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 fight over the doll. The day finally ends 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. Before she left, she told Twilight that Spike made her aware of Twilight's fears getting the best of her, and after she left, Twilight gave Spike a loving hug.

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 and as a companion to that, not to blow your problems out of proportion.

Quotes
Twilight Sparkle: Now that we've created the checklist of things we need to create a checklist, we can make my checklist of the things I need to get done by the end of the day.

Spike: Augh...I've been holding that quill so long, I've got a claw cramp! Good thing we don't have anything to report to Princess Celestia this week. I don't think I could write another word!

Twilight Sparkle: We haven't sent a letter to Princess Celestia this week!?

Spike: Why? Is that bad?

Twilight Sparkle: Bad!? Bad!? Of course it's bad! I'm supposed to send Princess Celestia a letter every week telling her a lesson I've learned about friendship! Not every other week! Not every ten days! '''EVERY! SINGLE! WEEK! '''

Twilight Sparkle: Nonononononono! If I don't deliver her letter by sundown, I'll be...TARDY!!!

Spike: What's that, now?

Twilight Sparkle: Tardy, Spike. Late! I'll be ''late! ''

Spike: I'm sure the Princess'll forgive you if you miss one little deadline.

Twilight Sparkle: I'm afraid to take that chance, Spike. This is the ruler of all of Equestria we're talking about! The pony who holds my fate in her hooves! What if she doesn't forgive me?

Spike: Yeah, I don't think she'll—

Twilight Sparkle: What if she instead starts thinking I'm not taking my studies on friendship seriously?

Spike: Why would she— Twilight Sparkle: What if she makes me go back to Canterlot and puts me back in school and makes me prove I'm taking them seriously by giving me a test!? ''What if I don't pass!? ''

Spike: But why wouldn't you pass—

Twilight Sparkle: She's my teacher. Do you know what teachers do to students who don't pass? ''They send them back a grade! ''But she won't just send me back a grade. She'll send me back to...'magic kindergarten. '

Rarity: Out of all the things that could happen, this is '''THE! WORST! POSSIBLE! THING! '[repeat 2 times] ''

Twilight Sparkle [after seeing Rainbow wreck Applejack's barn]: Rainbow Dash, stop! Listen, Rainbow, I know you're upset with Applejack, but don't worry! Whatever it is that has come between you two, I'm sure I, as a good friend, can help you resolve your problems!

Rainbow Dash: Uh...what are you talking about?

Twilight Sparkle: Now, why don't you tell me all about your issues with Applejack.

Rainbow Dash: I don't have any issues with Applejack.

Twilight Sparkle: Then...why are you destroying her home?

Rainbow Dash: Because she asked me to.

Twilight Sparkle: I can't believe I wasted all that time. I should have just come here first. Fluttershy always has some fear she's trying to get over.

Fluttershy: [apparently wrestling a bear]

Twilight Sparkle: Fluttershy?

Fluttershy: [continues wrestling bear] 

Twilight Sparkle: How could this be happening? Of all the days she had to stop being such a scaredy-pony, she had to pick today! ''What am I going to do? ''

Fluttershy: [to bear] You really should have come to me sooner. You were carrying so much tension in that shoulder.

Trivia

 * This is the first episode where Celestia is visibly upset for Twilight's irresponsible use of magic.
 * In the early days of flying, stunt pilots performed aerobatic routines known as barnstorming. The part where Rainbow Dash is destroying Applejack's barn might be a pun on this.
 * 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, with Derpy in the top window of one of the cars.
 * 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 fearfully fantasized about being sent back to Magic Kindergarden, he rolled it up as if it were a window blind. When she imagines 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.
 * Cheerilee's name is mentioned by Spike; this is the first mention of the name on-screen.
 * This episode marks the first time the Mayor appears since Winter Wrap Up.
 * In the scene where Twilight is imagining being sent back to Magic Kindergarten, a filly is seen with both wings and a unicorn horn, due to an animation error.
 * Both Twilight Sparkle and Princess Celestia have new colors for their magic horn glow in this episode. Twilight's magic glow has changed from purple to red and Princess Celestia's changed from light blue to lime green.
 * This episode marks the very first time that Spike writes a letter to Princess Celestia, without the need of Twilight being with him, when informing her of Twilight's worries.

Gallery

 * Lesson Zero image gallery